By Jazmin Neri
With the school year rushing by, eighth graders throughout the Central Valley are preparing for a daunting event: freshmen year. As a way to help and support the seventh and eighth graders at Spring Valley and North Fork Elementary Schools during their transition into high school, Minarets has implemented Link Crew as a part of the Leadership class on campus.
Minarets Link Crew was created almost a year ago now, back in Spring of 2017, and they have helped incoming freshmen during orientation and are available during the first week of school for any new students that need help, whether its help getting to classes or just any question in general. There are currently 32 students in Link Crew and it’ll continue to grow and be a huge part of the Leadership program.
Mrs. Jessica Chacon, who is a counselor on campus as well as the Minarets Link Crew Adviser, says she loves working with the Minarets Link Crew, and "that it’s so fun watching them grow individually while mentoring middle school kids."
Recently, the Minarets Link Crew prepped for Suicide Awareness Week by watching a video and discussing the topic, so they were prepared on how to all approach the subject with the students at North Fork and Spring Valley properly.
Link Crew student Isaiah Gibson, a sophomore, likes getting involved with middle schoolers. He enjoys being able to help students realize what’s around them and preparing them for what high school is really like, not just what's in the movies. He believes this is a good experience for high schoolers and the middle schoolers.
