Freshmen make the transition to RVHS
No more late nights and no more sleeping in. Summer break is over, and it's time for school again. On Aug. 17, students returned to River Valley High School. Some moved with purpose toward their friends or counselors, while others walked with apprehension, wondering what the new year and school will bring.
For the new students who needed help, the school provided many opportunities. This included help from Link Crew, the freshman rally and club day.
Link Crew, a high school transition program, delivered an exceptional performance to the incoming freshmen. During the freshmen orientation, the crew helped the students to get to each other through different activities, which made it possible for the freshmen to at least know some fellow students when they came to school.
On the first day of school, the Link Crew leaders could easily be seen in their bright orange T-shirts, so the freshmen would have an easy time recognizing them. That same week, the Link Crew welcomed the freshmen during the freshman rally.
The rally started with hordes of students rushing to get inside the main gym, and Link Crew leaders trying to separate the freshmen in order to keep them from entering right away. After all the other classes were at their spots, the freshmen entered the gym amid loud cheers, claps and music. This rally introduces freshmen to the environment of the rallies at RVHS. Not only does this event honor the freshmen, it also allows the students to show their school spirit.
Komal Johal, a senior, is one such student. When asked about the rally and the new year in general, she commented, "Amazing, I really liked (the rally). I enjoy my classes ... and they make me think. Senior year is awesome!"
Although most students would agree with Komal, there were some critics of the whole event. Two such critics, Prabhjot Aujla and Hershey Bansal, remarked, "It was horrible. Give me my cap and gown; I'm ready to graduate right now."
Club day also assists the freshmen to cruise the social scene around school. The school grounds were filled with varying clubs, like Key Club, Red Cross, Interact Club, S Club and Speech and Debate Club, among others. So no matter what the students' interests may be, the different varieties of clubs help them find the type of organization they are interested in.
The first few weeks of the school year greeted the new students with helping hands and provided the opportunities they needed to start off in establishing their life at the high school that they will be a part of for the next three years.
Sukhpreet Kaur is a senior at River Valley High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.
