Grizzly Connects Arrives at TRHS
Grizzly Connects Arrives at TRHS
Written by Vanessa Watson
Everyone has been through this life-changing event. Everyone tosses and turns in their bed the night before, kept up by nervous excitement. Everyone leaps out of bed on the morning of the event, nervously double-checking that everything is in order. For those with fortitude, a breakfast is required to function this day. Most of us couldn’t stomach anything even if we tried. As we exit the car, we try to shake off the dream-like sensation. This is real. This is really happening. There’s no turning back.
The first day of a new school is here.
The school building silhouetted against the sunrise seems harsh and unwelcoming compared to the soft familiarity of our old school. As we enter, the chatter seems too loud, the light too bright. Quickly we are caught by the flow of people, jostled by unfamiliar, uncaring faces. Desperately we try to remember where to go and how to get there. Inside, we are dreading the arrival, dreading the moment of blank terror, when we stand, facing the sea of faces. If we are lucky, we will only have to recite our names. If unlucky those excruciating moments will be extended by questions.
Everyone has switched schools. Some of us have moved to new places while others just transitioned from middle to high school. Everyone can sympathize with the new kid, everyone has been new at least once in their life. However, it's often worse for those of us who switch schools in the middle of the year, after everyone has already established their routines and friend groups. This year, more than 100 students transferred into ThunderRidge, many of them without friends to comfort and guide them.
Students here at ThunderRidge sympathize with the new students. Skylar Stader and Mrs. Wleizen, school counselor, have banded together to help TRHS’s newcomers feel welcomed and accepted. To accomplish this, they have created Grizzly Connects, a club for meeting and befriending new people. Although this new club specializes in welcoming transfer students, this club is there for any student looking for new friends.
The Grizzly Connects Club assists new students with all their many challenges, from the frustration of trying to navigate the convoluted TRHS website, to the homesickness that comes from leaving friends behind. New students often do not know how to navigate things such as schedule repair or after-school events. Without a support system, these school challenges are often overwhelming.
Started by a student who transferred to TRHS last year, the Grizzly Connects club aims to smooth the transition to ThunderRidge. Grizzly Connects had its first official meeting in February this year. Despite being so new, this club has already made an impact on students.
March 29, 2022
The club hosts a friendly lunch (during both A and B lunches) on Wednesdays. Club members and other students alike gather in the Post-Grad room, the meeting room inside the library. During lunch, these students hang out, chat, and occasionally play games such as Pictionary. This incredibly welcoming environment is open to anyone who would like to have a bit of company during lunch. There is no requirement or commitment associated with attending the lunches or any of the club’s events.
To further its outreach, the Grizzly connects club is buckling down on next year’s Freshmen. The club hopes to participate in Freshman orientation, and help smooth the transition into high school. The club will help answer questions and give students a tour of the school. Tours, though often neglected, provide so much comfort. After all, who wants to feel lost and overwhelmed on the first day? Small steps, such as tours, alleviate the stress associated with being a new student.
The club's president hopes to be able to set up a buddy program to assist incoming students. The goal of the program is to introduce new students to club members so that the new student always has a friend in TRHS. This program is similar to the “Link Crew” program (where an upperclassman is in charge of engaging a freshmen seminar class) that already exists in TRHS. The main difference between Link Crew and the Grizzly Connects Club is the club offers assistance to all incoming or lonely students, whereas Link Crew focuses on Freshmen. Grizzly Connects Club's buddy program pairs each transfer student with a club member, rather than having only one upperclassman in charge of an entire class of freshmen. The upperclassmen contact their new buddies over the summer, answering questions, and ensuring that the new student has at least one friend in the school. This one-on-one support is vital to a smooth transition into ThunderRidge.
This club’s mission is to build a community of inclusion and transition, not only for Freshmen, but for all incoming students. Beyond the weekly lunch meetings, members can look forward to semi-regular after-school activities. These activities are intended to help bring the group together, and to expose those who may have moved to what Colorado has to offer.
This club may be only a few months old, but ThunderRidge has a history of this kind of outreach, with many similar clubs such as the Lunch Table Project. Unfortunately, each of these pursuits has dissolved for various reasons. But the noble students of TRHS, keep trying, keep reviving this dream of inclusion and friendship. Throughout this school's history, student-led clubs, not faculty-enforced programs, persist and make an impact. It is our spirit that allows us to change the world around us for the better. We are all preparing to enter the adult world. It is time we took this responsibility into our own hands. Reach out, share a smile. Because together, we can make a difference; together we can make ThunderRidge a better place.
If you are interested in the club
Contact Mrs. Wlezien awlezien@dcsdk12.org
Contact Skylar Stader stadersm@s.dcsdk12.org
Join us for lunch on Wednesday (BOTH A and B lunches) in the post-grad room. Ask the librarian for directions.
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