Kicking off the school year with the JagLinks

Djina Alicante-Stuesse

The JagLinks program at Carrboro High School (CHS), designed to bridge the gap between incoming ninth graders and upperclassmen, had a successful debut two years ago, and continues to unify students in the building.

JagLink leaders consist of eleventh and twelfth graders who have applied and have been selected by Mr. Diego Mureño, the advisor of JagLinks and the assistant principal of CHS. These leaders meet in the summer to complete a 5-hour training session before Freshman Orientation.

Shania Stockmans, student Co-President of the JagLinks, says the program is working on building relationships between the upperclassmen and freshmen. “It can definitely be awkward leading a group of people you don’t know, but we are trying to make our program as meaningful as possible while still adding in fun games and activities that engage the students.” The aforementioned “games and activities” included a morning full of ice-breakers and advice during Freshman Orientation. Juniors and Seniors led get-to-know-you activities like 20-questions, Telepathic Counting, and ball games with their group of about ten freshmen. In addition to that, upperclassmen gave small-group tours around the high school with insider-tips on which classes are the best, where one should eat lunch, and tips to handle the workload.

JagLink leaders and freshmen alike describe this program in a fond light. Flynn Pasquarelli, a ninth grader, said, “I really liked getting to know upperclassmen who would give you little pieces of insight about teachers and classes.” Brett Gansberg

Berit Blakenship (right of photo in teal t-shirt), a JagLink leader, and her cohort get to know each other during Freshman Orientation. Brett Gansberg

A few weeks after school started, JagLink leaders met with their cohort of ninth graders to check in with them on how they were handling the start to the school year. Berit Blakenship, a JagLink leader in eleventh grade, said the leaders are tasked with helping the freshmen face highschool adversities like more homework, harder content, and difficult social aspects of highschool. This month, the JagLink leaders also began teaching health lessons to their younger peers. Shania Stockmans said, “We have planned out helpful lessons that can help the freshmen prepare for a good start to high school and how to tackle the challenges that can come along! Some examples of the lessons would be managing time, study strategies, and planning for the future.”

In sum, the JagLinks program has produced outstanding outcomes. From their leadership and community building at Freshman Orientation to their mentorship with new high-school students. Students of all ages have described how cultivating friendships throughout all grade levels can encourage and inspire younger students, and give older students an opportunity to advise and mentor as they were when they were new to the school. Berit Blankenship described how this program has specifically bridged the gap between different grade levels in her life to help her meet new students. When asked if she would’ve liked to have this program when she was a freshman, Berit said, “Yes, absolutely!”

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