Written By: Reagan Metzger, Staff Writer
The class of 2024 flooded the gym with excitement on Wednesday to commemorate their last Link Crew meeting of the year. Link Crew leaders were excited to honor and remember their year with their freshmen groups who have come such a long way since the beginning of the year in August.
The event began with freshmen piling into the gym, eager to find their name tags and friends to sit with. Link leaders showed them to the bleachers where they would sit and prepare for Mr. Portillo to fire up the crowd. Mr. Portillo confirms that he is so “lucky to work with the class of 2024,” and that he was very thankful to be back at Poly. He began the event by coaching the crowds through a series of cheers to get everyone excited. Link leaders encouraged students to participate in the cheers and join in on the fun. Mr. Portillo also discussed the importance of committing to graduating and why students should do so. Many agreed that possessing hopes and goals of going to college is vital for a successful future and further education. To convey the importance of this, Mr. Portillo released students to then meet with their link leaders to begin the many different stations with different lessons.
There were so many special stations to choose from in the gym that kept the freshmen occupied and busy. Link leaders moved their groups from table to table to see what each lesson had to offer. For example, the college table provided facts about different schools and their assets in hopes of making them appealing to the students. Another table was the celebrity guessing table, where students would guess who each picture of every graduate was. Options ranged from Michelle Obama to Ariana Grande. Link leaders wanted to make sure that students knew that even the most successful people were once students like themselves who had to work for their goals. The event also included a photo opportunity so that students could look back on their commitment along with a cap and gown signing! Students won candy, made friends, laughed, and made great goals for their futures! At the event, junior Lexi Mercadefe noted, “I hope that students will look towards the future and understand how important college is.”
Many can agree that the final Link Crew event of the year was a great success filled with so much fun! Although many link leaders were sad that the year was coming to a close, they all were thrilled about their accomplishments in supporting the freshmen class. The bright class of 2024 is prepared to look towards the future and take hold of their dreams through the help of their fabulous link leaders.