As the first high school event for next year’s incoming freshmen, Link Crew held its annual Eighth Grade Mixer on April 10.
According to Link Crew advisor Breanne Dickerson, the mixer is one of the most important events that Link Crew hosts.
“This is the first time that our upcoming freshmen are actually going to engage in a high school activity,” Dickerson said.
Link Crew commissioner Gabriel Longenecker sees the event as an invitation to become a part of the high school.
“The mixer is all about bringing Indian Valley [Middle School] and Indian Crest [Middle School] together,” Longenecker said. “They have been so used to being separate, and they’ve had pride in being from one school or another, but now we want to unite them and make them all feel included at the high school.”
Dickerson said the mixer helps ease the transition to middle or high school for many students. “This is the best way for them to get involved right away, before they even come up to the high school. It shows them that trying this is important and makes them want to do more things,” Dickerson said.
Longenecker hope for the eighth graders is that, after attending the mixer, they feel more comfortable coming to high school and interacting with people they may not know.
“We purposely plan activities for the mixer that force the eighth graders to interact with each other. It may be uncomfortable at first, but they always have fun in the end. We want them to see that being involved is rewarding,” Longenecker said.
According to Dickerson, she hopes the eighth graders’ main takeaway is to put themselves “out there.”
“Be yourself, get involved and have fun,” Dickerson said.
For eighth grader Lucy Chandler, the mixer has made her look forward to meeting new people in high school. “The mixer was very fun, and I think it did help me feel more at ease about the transition to high school because I got to meet new people. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and becoming friends with them,” Chandler said.
Chandler believes that the mixer gives eighth graders a good idea of what high school events look like.
“I had a lot of fun, and now I’m looking forward to dances next year, like Homecoming and Winter Ball,” Chandler said.
Dickerson recommends that incoming freshmen come to these events in the future.
“This is the only time when it’s just the eighth graders. There’s no other dance that we have that is strictly for one grade, and that’s the most exciting part,” Dickerson said.