Focus on TUSD - August 2007

Santa Rita Upper Classmen Welcome Freshmen to Campus through Link Crew
Juniors and seniors at Santa Rita High School remember well those first days of their freshmen year. Some knew only a few people, and some didn't know anyone at all. It was hard finding their classrooms. Getting back to their lockers afterward was another chore.

This year, Santa Rita has a new transition program - Link Crew - that helps freshmen adjust to their new surroundings. A group of upperclassmen have been trained to welcome freshmen and keep in touch with them during the school year. Santa Rita, at 3951 S. Pantano Road, is the only TUSD high school participating in Link Crew.

Link Crew's first test was the morning of Monday, Aug. 6, when freshmen gathered outside the gym for their first encounter with their new school. Some were nervous, some were curious and some were skeptical. But they were all surprised at the opening act.

Loud music blared from the gym as the doors opened to juniors and seniors facing each other in two long rows. Freshmen ran between the rows, collecting high fives amid encouraging shouts from the upperclassmen.

"It surprised them," said Stacey Black, a chemistry teacher who helped organize the program with English teachers, Jessica Thorpe and Diana Stobart. "They looked terrified at first, but in a good way. Freshmen are really worried when they show up that they'll be beat up, put in trashcans and yelled at and it doesn't happen. We wanted to change that perception and show them they're welcome and we're happy they're here."

Running the gauntlet was only the beginning of the freshmen's day. After team building activities in the gym, they went to classrooms for small group activities led by several upperclassmen, toured the campus, ate lunch, picked up their schedules and turned in papers. "Usually, all they do is the last part and that's not much fun," Black said.

School officials hope the Link Crew program will increase attendance, decrease discipline referrals and improve academic performance. They also want to stave off migration to other high schools during that all-important freshmen year.

"The real test of whether this is successful will be the number of kids who stay here all year," said Assistant Principal Frank Amenta, who is new to Santa Rita this year. Tammy Janik, another assistant principal, said that of the freshmen who leave, 50 percent go to charter schools.

Finding students a home in one of the three small learning communities on campus fosters a sense of belonging to the school, Armenta said. The small learning communities are only for freshmen and sophomores now, but will be expanded to juniors and seniors.

Freshmen will have contact with the upperclassmen who led their orientation group for the rest of the school year. Student leaders will squire their groups to school events, such as dances, games and drama productions, as social follow-ups. Leaders will also follow up academically when freshmen's teachers recommend assistance.

Chris Beauchene, an English teacher, said, "This system gets kids more comfortable with the school. They don't have the fears of high school they normally have. It helps school spirit and they get to know their teachers. When schools starts, they go to their classrooms immediately."

One of the student leaders, Tanya Smith, who is a junior, said, "Some freshmen were enthusiastic and some were like, 'Can I go home now?'"

But she had no doubts the Link Crew's efforts would pay off. "A lot of kids fall through the cracks the first year. I did. I didn't know how to handle everything. A lot of these kids are weirded out. They have never done this before. They had a lot of upperclassmen scream at you when you come in the gym, run the gauntlet and clap for you. We wanted to make them welcome the minute they come in the door, and we were trying to break the idea that freshmen suck. We want them to be part of our student body and we're excited they're here."

That enthusiasm was getting through to Alejandro Morales, a freshman who came from Carson Middle School with his friend, Antonio Del Castillo. "It was pretty good," he reflected during lunch. The pair said they would hang out with Robert Gonzalez, who came from La Paloma, a charter school, when classes begin.

Lezlhy Peralta and Yolanda Delgado, who also attended La Paloma, said the orientation was good but commented that the school was really big. "I sort of learned where my classes are," Peralta said.
Link Crew is funded through a small learning community grant, which helps schools move from large, centrally organized high schools to smaller groups. Sam Pappas Photography, the school photographer, provided pizza and an Eegees treat.

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations