When Katie Thompson first walked through Iola High’s doors as a freshman two years ago, she was nervous and a bit intimidated by a new building, new classmates and a completely new routine. Thompson said the upperclassmen assigned to assist newcomers with the transition were disengaged and lacked enthusiasm, which didn’t help expedite the process of adjustment.
“My Link Crew leaders never seemed to show up. So when I got the chance to do it, I wanted to do it better,” she said.
Link Crew is now pumping on all cylinders thanks to a dedicated pool of juniors and seniors and increased effort from administration to make students feel valued in the community — not to mention sizable monetary gifts from Emprise Bank and an anonymous community member.
If freshman Trilby Bannister is the judge, Link Crew is getting good marks in 2011. Like Thompson, 15-year-old Bannister said she didn’t know what was in store for her at the high school.
“I know that when I was an eighth grader at the middle school, we thought all the sixth graders were annoying,” she said. “So we thought nobody would like the freshmen and I didn’t want to be annoying for them.”
But after the first day’s orientation spent with a welcoming Link Crew, Bannister said she felt like IHS was her school, too.
The enthusiastic and effective Link Crew didn’t happen overnight. Jodi Grover, IHS guidance counselor, said the recent emphasis on leadership throughout district schools — student mentoring, character building, improving school climate — are starting to materialize.
Throughout the year, students are evaluated on how safe, welcome and valued they feel as students of USD 257 and youth of the community. Grover said those survey results are used to specifically tailor mentoring and leadership programs to suit the needs of Iola’s young people.
“What we’ve found is these kids know right from wrong, they just don’t have the resistance skills they need to make the right choices all the time,” she said. Contributing to many students’ ability to say “no” is a perception among the local youth the community doesn’t value them, Grover added.
To counter the issue, Iola High’s leadership classes, in addition to Link Crew, give students firsthand exposure to the community through volunteerism. Wednesday the leadership class threw its annual Christmas party for Iola kindergarten students. The class will also assist with the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility’s car wash fundraiser and sponsor a senior citizens prom in the spring.
Grover said working in the community creates a dialogue between people of different ages and backgrounds and as a result, the students feel more valued.
“It gives them the opportunity to take pride in where they live,” she said.
