Selena Miranda, the secretary of Flagler Palm Coast High School's HOSA Future Health Professionals organization at the school's Athletics and Clubs Rush during Link Up freshman orientation day. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC band members Penelope McDonald, Madison Mead, Cody Senn and Jonathan Aleman at the band's table at the Athletics and Clubs Rush. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast Activities Director Evana Fretterd had wanted for several years to implement the Boomerang Project’s Link Crew program at FPC. Last year, Fretterd and FPC graduation coach David Halliday got the program off the ground.
The school held its second annual Link Up with FPC day on Aug. 6. The event is a freshman orientation in which incoming freshmen are paired with the school’s Link Crew Leaders — 60 incoming juniors and seniors who will serve as mentors to the freshmen for the entire school year.
Upperclassmen apply to be Link Crew Leaders. Those selected were trained last spring. On Link Up day, freshmen arrived at the school at 11:45 a.m. They were divided into teams, each led by two Link Crew Leaders along with faculty members. The leaders led the freshmen in activities and games and themed tours of the school.
During the day and throughout the school year, the upperclassmen provide advice to the younger students that resonate more coming from peers than from adults, Fretterd said.
“The leaders tell them everything they wished somebody had told them when they were freshmen, like, don’t be afraid to try new things even if they’re hard; don’t be afraid of failure, because success comes from failure; don’t procrastinate; and freshman year matters.” Fetterd said. “These are things every ninth grader should know.”
At 3:30 p.m. of Link Up day, the parents, who had dropped off their freshmen in the morning, returned to school for a seminar in the auditorium with administration and guidance counselors. At 4 p.m., the parents and their freshmen joined up to walk the halls and then finish the day’s activities in the 100 gym for the Athletics and Clubs Rush. The rush is also student-led where freshmen learn about the extracurricular clubs and sports that FPC offers.
During the year, the link crews with their student leaders will continue to get together for planned activities such as a football tailgate and movies, Fretterd said.
