Schools & Education

SBHS holds in-person orientation for students

Link Crew hosts freshman gathering to start the new school year.
Link Crew Leaders take their group of freshman around the different parts campus and show them where their classes are located. Photo by Julia Hicks.
Link Crew Leaders take their group of freshman around the different parts campus and show them where their classes are located. Photo by Julia Hicks.

This article was written by BenitoLink intern Julia Hicks

 

To kick off the new school year, San Benito High School’s Link Crew held an in-person freshman orientation on Aug. 11. The orientation included a rally, ice breakers and a tour of the campus. 

About 750 freshmen attended, along with 300 other students including Link Crew leaders, Associated Student Body officers, club members and dance teams. The theme of the orientation was “Lilo and Stitch” and followed the slogan, “OHANA means family, and no family gets left behind.” 

Although students have been away from a normal school experience for nearly two years, the orientation was full of excited incoming freshmen and energized student leaders. 

The freshmen started the orientation in the Mattson Gym and participated in mixers and chants. Photo by Julia Hicks.
The freshmen started the orientation in the Mattson Gym and participated in mixers and chants. Photo by Julia Hicks.

Southside School graduate and incoming freshman Eliana Hatchett said she was looking forward to the new school year. 

“I’m excited for the rallies, dances, meeting more people and for a new environment,” she said. 

Spring Grove School graduate Jacob Esparza mentioned he was “nervous, mainly because it’s a big high school.” 

Along with rallies and dances, sports at the high school are in full swing, and Esparza said he hopes to play baseball in the spring.

Sofia Alfaro, Link Crew president and an incoming junior, mentioned that getting the hundreds of leaders and helpers was not an easy task. 

Link Crew Leaders do ice breakers and talk about the different opportunities at the high school in their individual groups. Photo by Julia Hicks.
Link Crew Leaders do ice breakers and talk about the different opportunities at the high school in their individual groups. Photo by Julia Hicks.

“It was a little scattered behind the scenes, but our leaders were so amazing that you couldn’t even tell,” she said. 

Alfaro said that having the event in person made the different activities, “go 100% smoother than online.” 

Jada Dickens, Link Crew vice president and an incoming sophomore, said her favorite part about the orientation was “seeing all the students come together.”

In-person classes began at SBHS on Aug. 12 with a normal schedule and masks required in all indoor buildings. Both Alfaro and Dickens, along with Hatchett and Esparza, are ecstatic about resuming classes in person. 

Alfaro said she was ready to go back “to a sense of normalcy,” and Hatchett mentioned that she’s excited to meet new friends.

Dickens said the last time she had in-person school was in 7th grade, adding that she was “beyond excited to be back in person.”

 

 

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Julia Hicks

Julia Hicks is a 2021 San Benito High School alumni. She was the co-editor in chief of the yearbook and San Benito High School's Associated Student Body (ASB) Historian. Julia is a track and field student-athlete in the events of discus and shot put. She has been a part of Ernie Reyes' West Coast World Martial Arts for the past 12 years and is a 4th degree black belt. She will be attending Boise State University's Honors College in the fall and will pursue her degree in criminal justice with a minor in journalism.