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Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 25, 2006

Piles of homework. Getting lost in an unfamiliar building. Not knowing a single person.They're all big enough concerns of the incoming high school freshman to cause significant anxiety – and that's the driving force behind why high schools have some sort of orientation program for new students.

For example, freshmen attending Bishop Foley High School in Madison Heights have the chance to become oriented to their new high school for a week over the summer. Students pick a week to attend the program, How to Succeed in High School, for a few hours every morning.

And although students give up part of their summer vacation to attend, about three-quarters of the freshman class elect to come, said Pat Ripley, speech and English teacher, who also leads the orientation program.

The idea for doing that is so when students walk in the school building for the first day of class, they know where their locker is, who their teachers are, what their textbooks look like, and that they're prepared for discussion on their summer reading books — and they don't waste any anxiety, said principal Joanne Molnar.

"They feel comfortable right from the first day," she said. "It really does help."

Molnar explained that for that week, students will learn about study and time-management skills, go over their summer reading books, flip through the textbooks they'll use in the coming year, take a few sample quizzes, and talk about the schools codes and procedures. Ripley, who's been teaching How to Succeed in High School for 12 years, also makes up fake class schedules in which incoming freshmen are taken to extreme ends of the building, all so they get a better layout of the land.

High school concerns   Among the things incoming freshmen expressed concern about: • Getting lost in the new school. • The quicker pace. • More homework than they're used to. • Not being able to manage time for school and extracurricular activities. • Not knowing anyone or not making friends. • Being intimidated by upperclassmen

Incoming freshman Dan Potter said although he was still a bit worried about the homework he'll have in high school, "it's a lot easier to find our way around" after the orientation.

Natalie Lampman had also been worried about getting lost in the school before How to Succeed in High School. She said giving up the week of her vacation was worth it for the peace of mind it brought.

"It was very helpful," she said.

Molnar said she developed the program on her own, partly after watching her own daughters get through their fears of going to high school. She also remembers that when she was in the eighth grade, she would find excuses to get into the school and just walk around, getting used to the building.

Other summer activities for incoming Bishop Foley students include a picnic in June so they get to meet future classmates, which helps relieve fears they might have about not making any friends, Molnar said. Students can also sign up for a couple of volunteer trips over the summer so they can fulfill some of their required Christian service hours.

Another reason for the program is for incoming freshmen to meet new people at a school at which they might not know anyone. Melissa Rich was the only student from her junior high school to come to Bishop Foley, and she had been concerned with meeting new people.

"I'm much more excited about going," said incoming freshman Kaitlyn Weide. "I'm not nervous anymore."

Notre Dame Preparatory Academy in Pontiac uses food to help freshmen feel acclimated: A corn roast and cookout for parents and students before classes begin helps class members get to know one another, and a pizza lunch on the first day of school also brings the freshmen body together. Two days before the first day of school, students go through their class schedule to spend 10 minutes in each class, which helps them learn their way and meet their teachers.

Assistant principal Donna Kotzan said the program "definitely" helps the freshmen get to know their new school, get more specific information and find out what they need to do in various situations. "I think it gives them a better feeling, and they're less afraid to come back the next day," she said.

At Regina High School, in Harper Woods, the first couple of days of the school year work in orientation for freshmen. Even before classes start, freshmen and their parents come to the school on a Sunday afternoon for an ice-cream social so students can meet other students and parents can meet other parents.

Each class has a chance to meet with the principal and counselor, and students go through the handbook to be sure they understand schedules, safety concerns and other aspects of high school. Sr. Mary Leanne Leszczynski, SSJ-TOSF, Regina's principal, said the program works well for incoming freshmen.

DeLaSalle Collegiate, in Warren, will adopt the Link Crew program for the first time this year. In addition to freshmen orientation, Link Crew also provides year-long academic and social follow-up sessions with leaders and freshmen to reconnect and share skills, and continual leader training of the upperclassmen who serve as mentors.

Principal Patrick Adams said administrators have put an emphasis in the past year on restructuring the ninth-grade system, making sure all freshmen got the attention they need during what is such a pivotal year for a student, he said. Link Crew is one important component of that plan, he said.

"Connections made by adults to kids are pretty significant," in that year, he said. "That pays dividends, not only academically, but socially," and at a religion-based high school, spiritually, too.

Adams came across Link Crew last year and was completely inspired by it, he said. He recruited two teachers, and sent them to California to become Link Crew trainers, who then trained upperclassmen with the tools they need to build relationships with the incoming freshmen.

He explained that the program revolves around interpersonal skills, such as upperclassmen learning how to talk to freshmen, and learning what some of their anxieties might be. On the school's registration day, Link Crew leaders bring all freshmen into a high-energy assembly, which gets students interacting with games, chants and activities. For the rest of the day, the Link Crew groups mingle with other groups, so that by the end of the day, every member of the 230-strong freshman class has met the other students.

Link Crew helps freshmen see upperclassmen in a positive light, and so they are not intimidating but helpers, guides and advocates. The program will also have broken down walls between classmates, Adams said.

Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward, Calif., about 25 miles southeast of San Francisco, will be using Link Crew for the fourth year this fall, said assistant principal Lauren Lek. From the time the program was brought on campus, the culture at the school has been changed, she said.

"It is the most successful leadership program on our campus," Lek said. "It is truly a revolutionary program."

Lek, who wrote her master's degree thesis on the Link Crew program, said the program benefits freshmen because they have upperclass mentors to teach them about high school and to provide them with an immediate link to the school. The mentors benefit by being trained to be leaders and by the knowledge that students are looking up to them, and therefore should make good decisions.

"It's not just about the freshmen," Lek said.

Adams said he got a pretty good response for student leaders for the first year. Historically, he said, seniors are the big men on campus, and a lot of students are afraid to start high school for fear of the building and the pace.

"This kind of wipes it out as effectively as we can," he said.

Adams also said he believes that a culture of caring and respect for one another will emerge, that, especially in a Catholic school, is "what we're supposed to be anyway," he said.