After taking on the difficult task of introducing a 9th and 10th grade class to the high school, Link Crew is looking to build on its success by appealing to Link Crew Leaders’ individual interests and skills. Next year, Link Crew will be divided into four culture groups: Social Squad, Student Care, Gratitude Group, and Academic Coaches Empowering Students (A.C.E.S).

The Link Crew Coordinators created the culture groups as a way to foster stronger connections between link crew leaders and link crew coordinators. “It was really hard when we had 220 Link Crew leaders in the gym, and we saw them once every couple of weeks for 40 minutes. It was tough to make those closer, personal connections,” Link Crew Coordinator Jonathan Buckley said.

Social Squad, facilitated by Ryann Longley, will focus on fostering positive connections through social events, like Cocoa and Cram, smaller social activities between individual groups, and management of social media accounts. Student Care, facilitated by Allison Ronglien, will take on the role of welcoming new students and connecting with students who need support through personal reach-outs. A.C.E.S, led by Noah Franske, will provide academic support, similar to peer tutors, but on a more specific basis, and the Gratitude Group, led by Buckley, will recognize the value in every Edina High School student by positively spreading kindness through things like goody bags and Post-it Note words of encouragement.

Buckley has already kicked off the Gratitude Group this year, meeting weekly every Wednesday morning, to get some experience with a culture group before next year. “We’ve seen some good connections with the Gratitude Group that we put together. That group I’ve gotten to know really well, and I have such good strong relationships that we can be more effective at delivering programs and services that Link Crew wants to deliver,” Buckley said.

Ultimately, the goal of the Link Crew is to facilitate stronger bonds between the upperclassmen and freshmen. With only one new class entering the high school next year, achieving this goal should come a little easier.  “We are trying to make sure our students feel valued and appreciated. No matter what goes on in their day at EHS, we want them to know that they matter, and we want to be positive and encourage them while they’re here,” Buckley said.