Welcoming Amador Valley’s Newest Dons

Year after year, a new class of freshmen step onto Amador’s campus for the first time. Without help, the experience can become overwhelming and isolating, adding to an already stressful day. To combat this, Amador students band together to make the transition as seamless as possible. On August 6th, the school’s Link Crew organized their annual freshman orientation. Under the guidance of their Link Leaders, freshmen were able to tour their campus, receive their IDs, and explore all the extracurriculars the campus has to offer. 

“At orientation, the Link Leaders, cheerleaders, and ASB welcomed the freshmen to Amador. We took them on a tour, took pictures, and also gave them general ideas of what to expect on the first day and throughout the year,” said Charlotte Merrill (‘27).

Link Crew is a peer-run program designed for upperclassmen to guide the freshmen throughout their transition into high school. Together, the leaders meet the students at orientation and continue to connect with them throughout the school year.

“We try to make the new freshmen feel welcomed here at Amador by connecting with them as upperclassmen. At orientation, we’ll play some icebreakers so they can get to know each other. We also give them a tour of the school as well as answer any questions that they might have,” said Larissa Jiang (‘27). 

Rebuilding Old Links

Amador’s student assistant program specialist (SAP) is run by  Link Crew Advisor, Syrina Mata. New to the school, her role entails all peer-to-peer run programs, such as the Tobacco Use and Prevention Education (TUPE) and the Link Crew. With her oversight, the Link Crew has evolved to become a more organized program. Now, leaders are able to prioritize guiding and bonding their groups, rather than focusing on logistics. 

“When I found out what [Link Crew] was, I was really excited, since I didn’t have Link as a freshman. I know that coming in as a freshman, it’s intimidating to come to a really big school,” said Mata, Link Crew Advisor.

Though new to the program, Mata’s guidance has significantly grown the program. Still, in order for a program to truly reach the students, it must rely on the people that understand them the most: their peers. Student members of the Link Crew spend hours in preparation for orientation, building bonds and reminiscing on their own orientations to better connect with the freshmen. 

“I remember that at my orientation I was super nervous going into it, but I had really good leaders and I was with a good amount of my friends… I use what I learned at my own orientation and told the kids to just be themselves and have fun,” said Merrill.