Many aviators at HMSA wonder, “When and how did Link Crew begin?” This question is often asked because of how important Link Crew is to our school.
The program Link Crew began in the Spring of 2017. At the time, Ms. Siegler and Ms. Jordan dedicated 4 weeks of their time to train. They were then asked if they wanted to do a program now known as Link Crew. Fortunately, Ms. Siegler and Ms. Jordan said yes and attended the training that would help prepare them for the program.
“Link Crew” is now available for students here at HMSA; those who sign up and are accepted dedicate part of their time to help the incoming freshmen prepare for high school. As a freshman, I believe that the Link Crew program helped me in more ways than one.
Link Crew’s summer bridge program is an opportunity for the new freshmen or new HMSA students to get to know each other before school actually starts; we’re able to familiarize ourselves with our fellow freshmen and be able to approach each other more comfortably. Link Crew really helped me and several other freshmen to be able to open up more freely and socialize with others easier. The activities allow us to get to find out each others’ interests and if we have anything in common, making it easier for us to talk to one another. My personal favorite part of summer bridge was the activities we did with our Link Crew group as it allowed me to open up easier without feeling embarrassed about it.
For the upcoming 2025-2026 school year we have a total of forty-three Link Crew leaders that will be ready to help and prepare the incoming freshmen for their first year in highschool. Like all Link Crew leaders, this year’s group worked hard to be able to gain their position. In order to become a Link Crew leader, students must write an application letter, make a 30-second long commercial video, and pick an interview spot. These leader not only have to get accepted by Ms. Jordan and Ms. Siegler, but they also must be picked out by returning Link Crew leaders’ too.
In order to be able to properly prepare the new students, Link Crew leaders must go through a training themselves. These leaders dedicated 3 days of their summer for their Link Crew training to help themselves prepare the new freshmen along with the whole week of summer bridge. Fortunately, leaders are not required to handle a big group of freshmen by themselves as they have a partner to help them. Link Crew leaders get paired mainly based on their grade, gender, and whether they’re a new leader or returning leader.
In conclusion, HMSA’s Link Crew program is important to all staff and aviators. This program is a significant part of our school as a whole. Link Crew is a big part of the HMSA experience, it is here to help new students when feeling troubled and occasionally serves as an escape route from schoolwork. Our time spent during summer bridge and Link Crew activities heavily helped us conclude our first year of highschool on a good note, and we hope the new students’ experiences will be just as good as ours!
