Carson High freshmen get linked in

Coming from Eagle Valley Middle School, Itzel Salazar Garcia, 13, knows Carson High School is going to be a big change.

"It's going to be hard to find our classes," she said.

When school resumes Monday, there's expected to be more than 600 freshmen roaming the hallways. To help ease the nerves and confusion, the high school's Link crew hosted an orientation for freshmen Tuesday.

Part of the orientation included a tour of the school.

"It's better," Salazar Garcia said. "They give you an idea where your classes are going to be."

In its sixth year at Carson High, the Link crew is a teen mentoring program that matches one upperclassman with 10 to 13 freshmen. They all exchange phone numbers and can call their Link leader if they have questions.

The Link leader also calls each of the freshmen in the group to invite them to school activities.

"We want our students to know we care about them as individuals," said Misty Harris, health teacher and Link crew adviser. "If we can get them to invest before the other students get here, they walk away feeling like they belong here."

After the initial assembly Tuesday, the incoming freshmen were split into their groups with their leaders.

Will Morrison, 17, led his group of 11 through a game of the human knot and other activities to get to know one another.

He said he originally joined the crew as an extracurricular activity to put on college applications. Now, he said, he also understands the value of the program.

"It makes the school a better place when people have spirit and are involved," he said.

About 640 freshmen are enrolled this year, and about 530 attended the orientation, Harris said.

Those who didn't attend Tuesday will be assigned Link leaders on Monday, and those who register late will also be included.

Incoming freshman Hunter Hand, 14, who attended Carson Middle School, said he was happy to have had time with his Link group before starting the first day of school.

"It's actually pretty fun," he said. "The Link crew leader is cool, and you get to know each other better."

But even the Link crew can't solve all the problems school presents.

"It's half cool and half ugh," said Jose Victor, 14, who will be a freshman this year, coming from Eagle Valley Middle School. "What's cool is that you get to hang out with your friends. What's ugh, is you have to wake up early. Waking up early is a pain."

BKOUT

Juniors and seniors registered for classes Tuesday. Registration for sophomores and make-up for juniors and seniors is 8-10 a.m. today in the gym.