Applications out now: Upcoming applications due for sophomores and juniors in areas of underclassmen orientation and social skills

Next year’s applications for Link Crew, East’s freshmen orientation group, are due on March 7.

Applications are open to current sophomores and juniors who are interested in leading freshman orientation day — or Link Day.

Coordinators Samantha Feinberg, Maggie Archer and Jeff Finnie are looking for a diverse group of people who show dedication, responsibility and respect, according to Feinberg.

“We want to have a good mix of people from all backgrounds,” Feinberg said. “Male and female athletes, non athletes, people who contribute to the literary arts magazine, the people who are in Pep Club and some people don’t do any activities because we have kids coming in who relate to that. We want everybody to find somebody they can, you know, relate to or see themselves.” 

Students can apply by writing an essay detailing why they want to be on Link Crew, fill out a Google Form and turn in their resume.

Selected leaders will meet for a basic information session at the end of the school year and then have two, half-day training sessions before school starts in August — ultimately leading up to Freshman Orientation Day.

Feinberg believes Link Crew helps the freshmen get the feeling of the school and set its “vibe.”

“Every school you go to has a certain vibe or feeling about it and East has its own vibe, its own climate, its own feeling,” Feinberg said. “I don’t think Link Crew gets all the credit for that, but I think we have a part in determining what the vibe around East is, and making it the kind of place that we want it to be.”

Previous Link Leader and junior Hattie Brooks agrees that Link Crew has an impact on the incoming freshman class.

“​​I felt like I made [the freshmen] a bigger part of the East community,” Brooks said.

The deadline to apply to be a Social Skills class helper is March 8 and is open to any current student.

Socials Skills is a class focused on helping special education students form interpersonal relationships with other students. There are two different types of classes students can apply for — a third hour coffee shop where helpers will go around the school with the students with a coffee cart to deliver coffee to teachers and fifth hour in the classroom with the students helping students learn.

“High school students are more alike than they are different,” MacNaughton said. “High school students all want to belong. They all want to be cool. They all want to have friends and be excited to be in school. They all have struggles and [the Social Skills students and helpers] can turn to each other for support.”

Students participate in activities such as playing games or roleplaying different scenarios like interacting with teachers or ordering at restaurants. These help the special education students learn different skills you can’t learn in a regular classroom setting but also help the leaders improve their patience and empathy, according to Social Skills helper and senior Hannah Geffert.

“Even if you’re really confident about your social skills, you go in there and you learn these things and you say , ‘Oh, wait, there’s always something for someone to work on,’” Geffert said. “Everybody’s working on something in there, so it’s really nice to just have that time to work with other people.”

MacNaughton is looking for students who have a compassionate nature, enjoy helping others and have prior experience with people with disabilities.