Thursday, December 13, 2012
Final Exam
Consider all that you have done as a Link Leader... What’s next? Literally, what are you going to do with the skills you have started to develop through this semester with Link Crew? DO NOT REFLECT—LOOK FORWARD. Be as specific as possible with your plans for leadership in your future. Make sure to address all three areas of focus from our leadership class: academics, activities, relationships.
If you are a returning Link Leader, make to sure to address your two year commitment.
Please compose your piece using formal writing and blogging strategies. You will be assessed on content and conventions.
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Sarah S
ReplyDeleteThis year has been a great opportunity to observe and learn new behaviors through the kids, the Link Leaders, and myself. I have found that the biggest thing I have taught myself to do better with is balancing my time in a more helpful fashion. I am usually running around everywhere and doing a whole bunch of different things, so I find that all areas of Link Crew that we focused on will in turn get better as well.
My academics are probably the thing that have started to suffer the most since I became this busy for senior year. No, they aren't terrible, but they sure could use a little more time. I plan to take this away from this year because truly if I intend to continue down my college road and keep up my grades, I will have to learn to pay a lot more attention to them. I can back myself up when I say that I have more important things to do like work or sports, but really the biggest thing to plan for my future is to learn more, and use my knowledge to my advantage. I need to take responsibility for my grades, and lead myself to a better future.
When it comes to activities, I am the best at planning for these. I am the perfect loudmouth to get a group together to hang out. I think this will come in handy because I so greatly enjoy planning big events, and I am sure my friends will be thankful to not have to do the planning themselves. I initiate the leadership with activities, and I have a very take charge personality. People often just like to join in with others and do what they are told to do, but I prefer to set the standards and make things as great as possible. I plan on using my talents to my advantage, and who knows? Maybe I will end up being an event coordinator some day, all thanks to how I taught myself to be responsible with my Link Crew kids.
Relationships are the most crucial thing Link Crew has taught me. I know I have made a few mistakes this year, like not continuing to make direct contact with one of my Links who I know is struggling a little bit. But I have tried, and I will try again. This taught me that no, I don't need to hound and pester these kids. But I do need to do all I can to make sure that they are fitting in well and at least have someone to talk to when they need it. I don't know, and unfortunately probably never will, know these Kids' life stories. It's hard to tell what they are thinking and where they plan on being by the time they are looking at colleges and applying for everything in the book, but I know I would want to help anyone as much as I could. This I think is a very useful trait I have in myself, simply because of the sheer humility and joy it brings me to watch other succeed. I think this is what makes my bonds with friends and family so strong, because everyone I am surrounded by knows I want them to succeed just as much as they want me to, and that is the key to building everlasting relationships. Link Crew taught me not to dwell on the things I do wrong, but to furthermore encourage the things that I do right.
I am so happy I have been giving the opportunity to help these kids, no matter how much or how little it actually helped, but I loved it. I loved also how my time management skills got better as I had more things on my plate to do, since I feel like I will definitely be that person doing everything in college and at my future career.
In the future, following the past semester of being an Arapahoe High School LINK leader, I plan on continuing to grow as a leader, as well as a person. The past semester has taught me so much about myself, as well as academics, activities, and relationships.
ReplyDeleteThe mistakes I have recently made have only motivated me to work much harder to rebuild and continue my role as a leader, and I hope to continue not only in LINK crew, but as a member of Arapahoe High School. Though I will be unable to participate in any LINK activities next semester, I have every intention of re-applying to LINK crew. Looking forward, I think that my story is one that could help many incoming freshmen next year, as an example of what not to do, or how to move forward from mistakes. I hope to get the opportunity to be that example.
Someone once said, “A good leader is a balanced leader.” Balance is something that I hope to continue working towards. Leadership class has taught me many things, specifically about academics, activities, and relationships, and how to balance these things. From here, I will continue striving for academic excellence, making it one of my top priorities. I hope to show leadership in the way that I handle academic situations, and in the outcomes from these efforts. Getting into a good college is also one of my top priories, especially since it is my junior year. Making good grades is extremely important to me, and will continue to be throughout the rest of my High School experience, and throughout my college years. I plan on working extremely hard to achieve what I know I can achieve.
I plan on staying balanced in the activities I am a part of, and to also better priorities these activities. I have put too much emphasis on unimportant things in the past, whereas in my future I plan to better prioritize. I hope to never again let down the activities that I am affiliated with. Moving forward, I want to lead by example in every aspect of my life. Leadership is not only being in a leadership position such as a LINK leader, but it is also how you act when no one is watching. From here, I will act as a leader at all times, something I have failed to do in the past. These activities are too important to me to ever jeopardize again by making decisions that could have that effect.
My relationships this year have been a complicated subject. I have recently hurt many of them, and looking forward, I plan to rebuild these relationships with myself, my family, my school, and my faith. I also plan on focusing more on the most important relationships in my life, and how to make them even stronger than before. I intend to regain the trust of the people I love and respect, and move towards being a leader in that sense. I have not maintained my leadership status recently, and that is the opposite of what I want. So this coming semester and the rest of my senior year will be dedicated to taking my academics, activities, and relationships to the next level, and hopefully become more of a leader for Arapahoe High School.
With all that I have learned throughout LINK crew, I hope to become a better person in every aspect. I know what it takes to be a great leader, and have been given all the tools to become that myself. Now, I must work on each individual aspect, and exerciser the characteristics of a good leader, to be the leader I know I can be.
Mollie Scheer:
ReplyDeleteAfter being in LINK Crew for two years, I am happy to be continuing on to college and taking my leadership skills with me to apply to anything that I can in my next four years of higher education. LINK Crew has not only taught me the importance of being a role model but throughout LINK Crew I have placed a greater importance among relationships, activities with others and academics.
When I go off on my own, I will create new relationships with people and still hold on to the great relationships I have made while being in high school. Relationships that I have built here are not only friendships, some are sisterhood and others are relationships regarding school and just being there for someone if they need help. During my two years in LINK crew I made relationships with many people of many different social groups and backgrounds. I love meeting new people and I am very outgoing. I hope for nothing but positive things in my future during college. I am excited to continue on being a leader not only throughout my years of education but in my career as well.
During my freshman orientation Mrs. Moritz said this “There are three types of people here at Arapahoe High School, and those three types of people are the ones that make things happen, the ones that watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.” To this day I have never forgotten those words and it makes me think all the time of what activities I will participate in, in the years to come. I haven’t decided yet, but sometimes I think that being part of a sorority would be very fun and sometimes I think of what clubs I could join in college. I really enjoy being a part of organizations and a part of activities, because I want to be the person that makes things happen and the one that watches things happen, I don’t want to be the one that wonders what happened.
Academics have such a bearing on everything today; what your GPA is, whether or not you have the grades and the standardized test scores to get accepted to college. In my years to come, I don’t want academics to be the driving force for everything anymore. I know that my wish for this, will most likely not come true, but maybe for just a day, I would like to go to school knowing that I could learn and participate to the best of my ability and I won’t be graded on it. There is no doubt that academics are important, but I see so a lot more pressure placed upon academics than I think there should be.
When I filled out my applications, I had so many extracurricular activities and I participated in sports and leadership, and when I was filling those boxes in, I told myself that I was going to get accepted somewhere and that I will be a very successful person and nothing will stop me.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of LINK Crew, without it, I would not be the leader that I am today.
While this first lesson I have learned was not directly taught in class I think it is important to include because it is the one that has changed me the most and will affect my future the greatest. Speaking in front of large groups of people was never really my strongest attribute. I would become really nervous despite what setting I was in and always end up standing at the front shaking. Nobody ever would have guessed how nervous I really was. Over the past two years of participating in the Link Crew Program as a leader for two years and a commissioner for one year, this has completely changed for me. On orientation day, during my first year of Link Crew I remember being so scared that I was going to mess up on an activity with the group; my fright seemed to rub off on the group as I did not get as much participation from everyone. However, this year, orientation day seemed so less frightening as I had experience. Then leading into teaching class throughout the semester, my whole fear completely went away. After teaching the first class I have not experienced that anxiety ever again. Overcoming this nervousness has really helped me to be more relaxed in different settings. I do and will continue to apply this in both meetings that I run at the district level along with doing my field experience for Teacher Cadet next semester. Looking into the future, because of this experience I will be able to make more of an impact on those I teach someday. As a student I see that when you are not giving off a vibe of nervousness your classroom environment is much better and the students tend to learn much more and respond to you better.
ReplyDeleteConcerning relationships, I will never approach a group of individuals younger than myself with any sort of avoidable judgment. Starting this second year of Link Crew, I really started out focusing on the fact that the more I make the students feel as though they are equal to me, the more I will be able to connect with them. While my group consisted of a large variety of people, throughout this semester I have been able to see each of their strengths in different areas of life. When they have reached out to me for help I have been able to really help them because I feel like I created an environment where they felt like they could trust me. Looking into the future with college, I really need to keep that at the front of my mind when I enter the campus next fall. Not everyone is going to be exactly like me, but the more I am able to appreciate different aspects of each individual the more relationships will grow strong and the more I will be able to connect and grow with those relationships.
Regarding activities and academics, I think these two run together. I need to make my priorities stronger in the year ahead. Throughout high school I have been able to slide by with certain priorities not always putting schoolwork first. Sure, I had no problem getting the schoolwork done despite this, but I think that in college I really need to organize and stick to my priorities starting out at the beginning of fall semester. This will help me not only to succeed in college, but I think it will keep me from forming bad habits throughout college. Similar to what was spoken about in class several times also, I need to make sure what I think my priorities are, actually align with my real priorities that I am acting upon.
Simply looking into next semester it is my goal to remain strongly committed to Link Crew through my commissioner role. I intend to assist in the passing on of this Link Crew to the next Link Crew leadership group as I think that it has not only helped me grow throughout high school, but has prepared me for college in a way that no other class could have. Link Crew has at times tested me, tried me, and stressed me, but for that I am thankful. The Link Crew Program not only welcomed me into high school, but has given me the skills to leave high school, and lead a successful life in the years to come.
After being involved in Link Crew for two years, I have definitely learned and relearned many skills. During these two years I have not only helped many incoming freshman, but I have also helped myself become a better person overall, and especially a better leader. After high school, I will be heading off to college, in order to find my purpose and to live my life. From what I have learned in Link Crew these past two years, I will definitely use all the skills in all the activities and relationships I encounter in my future life. Academics have definitely been a big focus for me throughout my time at Arapahoe, so I will be focusing a lot on that after high school as well. Academically I believe I will be able to help myself with problems, as well as others. Being a Link Leader has given me the skills to recognize when a student is in need of assistance, and with two years of being a leader, I am able to help those students very well. I believe that I will be helping a lot of students that may be struggling during college, academically and socially. The first year of Link Crew, I learned a great deal about creating and maintaining relationships with freshman, friends and family members. During college I will have to make new friends and meet new people, and therefore I will definitely be using my relationship skills to help make as many new friends as possible. Link Crew has also taught me how to maintain those relationships that I have with everyone, and since there will be a lot of people at the university that I will be attending, being able to make new friendships and maintain them will be a very large part of my life, socially. Also, the friends I have in high school now will still be my friends in the future after high school. Therefore staying in contact with them and working to maintain those friendships will be a huge part of my life in the future. If there is one thing I learned from my first year as a Link Leader, it is that relationships are extremely important, and take a lot of work to maintain. Therefore, in the years that follow after high school, relationships will definitely be an important part of my life, and through the skills learned in Link Crew, I will be able to maintain and better those relationships. During the two years of commitment to Link Crew, I have attended many events and activities such as tailgates and study sessions. Through these types of events, I have learned how to help people and be a good example of a leader. After high school I do plan on participating in activities such as baseball, football, and the many other activities that college has to offer me. Each activity has its own challenges, and with teambuilding exercises that we Link Leaders participated in during the days leading up to orientation, I have learned how to use teamwork to overcome problems. I have learned how to listen to others, and give useful advice when needed. These leadership qualities will definitely help me to better relate to my teammates in athletics and academics. Overall, in my future I will be using all of these strategies to better myself, and to hopefully become a real role model. The one main ability I have attained through my two years with Link Crew is the ability to lead, and I will be using that in every aspect of my life in the many years to come.
ReplyDelete-Jeff Rasmussen
This semester of Link Crew has been very eye opening to me about what it means to truly be a leader and an example for others. Being a good example and doing the right thing doesn’t always get a lot of praise, which can sometimes make it hard. This however, means that it’s even more important to step up and show others that you genuinely care. Link Crew has definitely shown me that even the smallest thing can have a bigger impact than you would ever imagine. You can never judge a person because it’s hard to know what is really going on in their life. I want to do a better job of doing this in my future because I think that it would not only benefit others, but it would also benefit me and how I choose to live. I want to live out my faith on a daily basis and walk the walk. I am not expecting to be perfect, but I hope that every day I get a little better at becoming the person that I’m meant to be.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s next for me? Well, I hope to be a leader in whatever I do! I will be attending CSU next year for college and I plan on being a leader in my dorm, in my classes, in the sports I play, and in the youth groups that I will be attending. CSU is a lot bigger than Arapahoe, which means that I won’t be able to see the impact I have as a leader as much as it was evident here. As I think about it though, it’s not my goal to impact a lot of people as much as it is my goal to just affect one person who can affect another. I hope to start a chain reaction of leadership. There are many ways to do that by getting involved at CSU which I plan on doing. I also want to study abroad as much as I can in college and this will give me even more opportunities to use the skills that I have learned from being in Link Crew.
One goal that I have with my future academics is to not just do enough effort to get by, but put in the effort to really be successful so that someday I can have a career. I want to play intermural volleyball at CSU which can get kind of competitive. I have learned from playing competitive volleyball for four years that it’s important to be a leader out on the court, which I was given the ability to do this year as captain. I want to use those leadership skills with my team at CSU. I also hope to make great relationships with all of the new people that I will be meeting at CSU! It will also be important to keep the friendships that I have now a priority, so I plan on keeping in contact with many of my friends now as well. Creating good relationships is definitely something that is important and is one of the most important things about life. The fellowship we have with other people and how we treat them is key to being happy and being successful. I strive to continue this next year and for the rest of my life!
Thank you so much for allowing me to have this opportunity this year! It is incredible how much you can learn about what it means to help others in only a semester’s time. I wish Link Crew the best of luck next year and I hope that everything goes well!
Shannon Jones
ReplyDeleteAs a Link leader of two years, there is a lot that I have learned in this class that I can apply to my future. I think this year, as a returning leader I was able to work much better with my group of freshman and I had really great contact with the majority of them. This success came because I was much more willing to take risks and put my personality forward. Initiating conversation with people who I did not know very well was a big challenge at first however I think it is the key to great relationships. Once I reached out, they were willing to grab on.
The main trait that I learned from Link Crew that I want to use in college is the importance of healthy relationships. This year we talked about our Johari Window. I learned that people do not know everything about me, but I know a lot about myself. I would like to become better at opening up to others. I am thinking about going to the University of Michigan next year. In a school with that many students, it is easy for people to get lost and fall behind because they feel alone. I want to make sure that I connect with some of those people. By talking to a variety of people I will not only help them feel included, but I will also ensure that I am not someone who is left behind. On orientation day the sponsors talk about how there are three different types of people in this world. I want to be the person that makes things happen.
Another skill that I am going to use is a focus on academics. This year Link has really stressed time management. I understand that it is important to mix academics, athletics, and clubs however I really enjoy academics. This quality sets me apart from a lot of people because I enjoy learning, I do not just go to school because I have to. I want to. I will be able to lead others through academics by the example I set. Also through Link because we contact our freshman a lot and we hosted the study session, I learned that I really enjoy tutoring. I like knowing that the time I put into academics, although my grades only show my knowledge, the skills that I learn in class can help others succeed as well. I think that leadership is best received by others when it comes across in the form of self initiative. This is a trait that I hope I do not possess. It is easy to force others to follow you, but a true leader, a leader that I want to be, sets an example that other people desire to follow.
I struggle with activities. I am the “Yes man” and I often find that I have taken on much more than I can handle. In college I am going to major in engineering and I would like to join a sorority. These two activities alone will be very time consuming and I am sure there will be more clubs that I want to participate in. Link has taught me that balance is extremely important and if you are too busy and overload your plate you end up disappointing others. Next year, a challenge for me will be to budget my time carefully. I would like to have success in my academics and find a club where I can make new friends and hopefully rise to a leadership position within the club before I graduate. I think that I am naturally inclined to be a leader when I find success. I also hope that there is an organization I can join, not exactly like Link, but more along the lines of Big Brothers Big Sisters where I can help people find their niche and work with them on their weaknesses outside of just the people that I am in class with.
I am sad that my two years in Link have come to an end; however it is an experience that I will not forget. I am now sitting with people I barely know on off hours and lunch. I am compelled to meet new people and get everyone involved and I cannot wait to meet a new collection of people from all over the country. I will share my Link experiences and the values that I have gained with them and hopefully they can share theirs with me.
Taylor Hamilton
ReplyDeleteLink crew has taught me new ways to become a positive leader among my peers. It taught me how to be a leader in my academics, my activities, and my relationships. Just because link crew class is now over, that doesn’t mean that I am going to disregard these new ways. I will bring them into my everyday life.
I was taught how the whole school looks up to you in everything that you do in link crew; so having good grades was something that had to happen. I have the best grades this semester; thanks to the way that link crew taught me how to be successful. I am going to keep prioritizing my life, and putting school first. That helps me get all of my homework done and it helps me do it correctly and completely. I will also keep in mind that the freshmen are looking at me, and every move I make weather I am in link crew or not. If I blow off a class and don’t try hard, a freshman might think that because I am doing it, it makes it ok for them to do it. I don’t want to be that person that negatively impacts someone else. Using the study techniques that we came up with will help me study for my first semester finals, and all the other tests I take in the future. They will help me keep my grades up and even make them better. I will stay a leader in my academic area of life.
Activities are a blessing. They are something to help you take your mind off of everything else. Showing my school spirit is something I love to do. It also helps me show that I am always there for the students. I will keep going to the games and activities that are put on by Arapahoe and cheer on my fellow class mates as they show Colorado who the Warriors really are. Although academics are always first, activities for me is a close second. I manage my time around volleyball and student council. I am very involved in Arapahoe and plan on staying that way. Even when I go to college, if I am not already playing volleyball I will sign up for a sport. I do all of this so I can show my school how to be a successful student.
Life is based on relationships; having a good relationship with someone can help you through everything. Keeping a good relationship is the tricky part. Always keeping in contact with the person is the most important part. If you stop talking to them, your relationship will be nonexistent. When I go off to college I plan on staying close with my high school friends, because when I come home, they will be there for me and I will be there for them.
I will continue to practice the leadership techniques that I was taught this semester in link. These will help me become a better student in my school, and person in my community.
My second year in Link Crew has been very successful. The second year really gave me the opportunity to excel as a Link Crew leader to my students and to my peers and enforce my leadership skills for another year. I wanted to come back to Link Crew because I knew that I needed to do a few things differently. I knew exactly what needed to be done in order to become a better leader to my freshmen. Link Crew has provided me with new friends and new circumstances. My future relies partially on Link Crew because I plan to become a teacher one day and mentoring and making kids feel comfortable is a crucial role. Throughout this experience I have found what really intrigues me and what I am passionate about and that is helping others. Knowing that I can make an impact on someone’s life is meaningful to me. Like Link Crew, in high school, I plan to continue in the mentoring programs where ever I may go for college. Link Crew has taught me how to fill people’s buckets up with water, drop by drop, knowing that every drop has significance. That is how I view my relationships now; wondering how I can fill a person’s bucket up today. I will always remember the importance of a healthy relationship and strive for all my relationships to be that way. In college, from what I heard, you have to balance your time just like in high school. By getting involved with a mentoring program and any other clubs that I plan to join I will have to learn to balance my time all over again. This year in Link Crew especially has been very important regarding academics. After discovering the freshmen that were struggling, it broke my heart to hear. From this experience in Link Crew I will forever continue trying my best in school because we are so fortunate to have this opportunity where as kids around the globe don’t. I am so thankful for this opportunity and I am so sad to be leaving such an amazing program.
ReplyDeleteMy preconceived notions about leaders and leading by example was based solely on sports before Link, but know I understand how important having leaders is to a school and to people in general. It is always very clear and obvious who the leader on a sports team is, but in other social situations it can be difficult to differentiate between people. Being able to be a leader for awkward and uncomfortable freshman making a transition is a great thing, but if it stops their then what good does it do? I have learned that I can be a leader among my peers and I want to become a leader among strangers.
ReplyDeleteCollege is a big step in the life of a teenager, the first time you’re not living at home, fun, freedom, and lots of responsibility. I get excited by the fact that I can become whomever I want in college, and I want to become a visible leader by example to my peers. Even as a freshman next year, wherever I end up going, I want strangers to look at me and say, “He is doing it right.” Leading isn’t just about yelling at people and getting them to follow you. I think setting an example is even more important than strict discipline as a leader. I would rather follow someone that I want to follow because of how he or she is living, instead of being coerced by the power they posses. I want to be that leader to my peers next year, not only to student my age, but even to the older ones. Age for some reason has become a requirement to power. I agree that wisdom comes with age, but it isn’t required to set an example to people. I want people that are seniors in college to look at me and be impressed with whatever I am doing. College is a lot of responsibility, which gives a lot of room for error, or a lot of room for people to be impressed by your decisions. The more opportunities you get to prove you are being the example to your peers the more your peers will look up to you. Leaders also have to be relatable though. Seeing a leader that seems perfect or robot doesn’t make me want to follow them, it makes me want to distance myself from that person. College is supposed to be a fun time, and lots of people abuse that time and make it only fun and no work. A leader that is relatable needs to seem human with mistakes that he or she has made, but has learned and moved on. In college next year, I want people to look at me and be impressed, and want to mimic what I am doing because they think I am a good example.
Leading isn’t all about getting people to follow you. Connecting with your followers is just as if not more important. Being a link leader proved this beyond a doubt. Without connecting to your freshman there is no way they can look up to you and learn from what you have done. This goes along with being relatable and personable, because without these traits it is very difficult to engage with your peers. For me I would much rather look up to someone that I know on a personal level and have gotten to hang out with, over someone I have never met. Seeing someone outside of the pedestal that we put them on often times makes us place them on an even higher pedestal because we see how much like ourselves they are.
Link crew has taught me so many life lessons that I thought I already knew, but I had just touched the surface. I learned what it is to be a leader outside of the sports realm, and how powerful it can be. I learned what it is to be a leader and how important connecting with people really is as a leader. Looking forward to college with new people who are complete strangers makes me very excited because I can be a leader among them, even as a freshman, no matter where I go and what I end up doing.
I have learned a lot about myself in the area of leadership in the last two years as a Link Crew leader. I never knew that I could be the more outgoing, enthusiastic leader or that I could be a leader in all aspects of my life. Now that I have this new knowledge, I carry it on to my future next semester, in college, and even beyond.
ReplyDeleteI am a captain of the basketball team. I love basketball and I love being a leader on the team, but leading by example doesn’t always get the job done. On the court, I need to be vocal; I need to step out of my comfort zone and occasionally get on someone a little bit about the way they are playing. It’s not easy for me but different situations call for different kinds of leadership and I need to be ready to lead in every way that is necessary.
Next semester isn’t a time for me to check out completely. It is my last semester of high school ever! While this is an exciting time, it’s also a very important opportunity to lead by example. If the younger students see all of the seniors giving up at the end of the year, then they will too. On the contrary, we need to set good examples by being engaged in our learning and continuing to seek out relationships with under-classmen. Academics especially, are essential to keep working at. Grades are still important and the information is even more so. Mostly, it is very important that we leave a positive impact on Arapahoe so that each class behind us can continue to improve.
Another big part of this year for me is deciding where I will be next year. I am a very indecisive person so it’s hard for me to choose and be confident in that choice. When I am leading, I have to make decisions. People look to me for what to do. I can’t be indecisive. I need to carry this confidence over to my own personal life so that I am not forever stuck behind in a mess of problems that I refuse to face because of the decisions that they hold for me.
As a senior, it’s sometimes hard to reach out to try to meet new people or make new friends when I know that I will be leaving for college in less than a year but I don’t want to miss out on relationships with really awesome people because of my apathetic attitude. On the other side of relationships, I need to treasure the time I have left with my friends and my family. I can’t take for granted all of the people in my life right now, because next year will be completely different.
I have some pretty intimidating times before me; however, I will be a leader throughout them because I now have more confidence in my ability to lead in different ways. I will be a leader around Arapahoe and everywhere else that life takes me.
Link Crew has helped turn me into the person I am today. That sounds just overly dramatic, but it is the truth. Link has made me be accountable for my actions and keep myself responsible for my mistakes. In Link you are being looked up to so much, that it is easy to fall, but it also teaches you how to stand tall.
ReplyDeleteI have been in Link Crew for the past three years, starting sophomore year as an A team member then both my junior and senior year I have been a link leader. I have built so much integrity throughout link crew that will carry my throughout my life. This is integrity with how I treat people, how I react to people, and how I treat myself. Integrity is your ability to stand up for what is right and be honest in everything you do. I plan to take that with me through everything I do. I plan to be honest with my feelings towards others, be honest in my work, and be responsible for my actions and how people perceive me. The amount of integrity I have gained will carry me through my life and how I interact with people. Obviously being a link leader has taught me leadership skills that I will take with me everywhere I go. It taught me to have confidence in myself, so I can help others, This skill will never be taken for granted. Leadership is a quality not everyone has, but it a very beneficial quality. This will be brought into college, on projects or classroom assignments, on picking and choosing friends with the personalities I want to be surrounded with, and on voicing my opinion. College is right around the corner, and then real life starts, I know that if I take the leadership I have learned throughout link crew, I can go many places. Another big thing link has created in me is confidence. I knew coming in as a sophomore being asked to be apart of such an amazing program meant something. This just started the confidence building, because I knew that the sponsors noticed me, and saw the capability I had. Being a leader of incoming freshmen also created confidence. This is because the freshmen, still do, just appreciate everything you do, and practically idolize the leaders in this program. “Confidence is key” is something I hear a lot and I believe that whole heartedly. The ability to feel comfortable standing up for what is right is a very important thing. I have gained confidence that I never plan on losing. This quality will be with me forever. In college it will be my confidence that keeps me safe and out of trouble, my confidence that creates a feeling of acceptance for others, and my confidence that allows me to share my ideas, and listen to others.
Not only can I take all of these skills I have learned to college but I can also keep them past that, and into my life that will start after college. Integrity, leadership, and confidence, are three main characteristics that I have been lucky enough to learn and hold onto. Although my time as an Arapahoe High School link leader is over, the road ahead is nicely paved already with the things I have gained throughout it. There will of course be obstacles, but as long as I stay to who I am and what I have learned, nothing can bring me down!
Throughout Arapahoes fall semester, Link Crew has provided a variety of activities for both leaders and freshman to participate in. In specific, leaders were required to accomplish participating in a school function in which Link provided, a local project (dealing with the community) and a global project (TeachAids). These projects have given leaders an opportunity to grow and learn from different “communities”. Thus, leaders were required to connect their community serivice work to different areas. Although Link Crew is coming to an end this semester, it does not eliminate my duties as a leader for next semester. Therefore, I will continue my duties as a Lnk Leader through the different areas we have connected to this semester: relationships, academics and leadership.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Link Crew is unofficially finished this semester, I will continue to strive toward building relationships with my freshmen and the community. Furthermore, I will make it my job to “check up” on my freshmen by inviting them to take part in social opportunities possibly every month. Perhaps on one of their off hours, I could invite them to go to Starbucks. I also have the ability to catch up with freshman via facebook and text, possibly giving them reminders throughout the school year. I will continue to build relationships with the community through different clubs here at Arapahoe such as Key Club and National Honor Society. These clubs focus primarily on community service, therefore I will still have the ability to take part in something greater than myself and be involved within the community.
I will continue to focus on academics via my own schoolwork. School will always be my main priority. Thus, second semester I will not fail to disappoint in academic achievements and goals. As mentioned previously, I will also check up on my freshman regarding academics. Perhaps if a student struggles in a specific class that I have completed successfully, I will offer them my advice and advise them to talk to their teacher. Also, if Link Crew continued to hold PLC day study sessions for freshmen, it would be another great way for my partner and I to stay connected with our group. I will also make it my priority to assist my little sister (currently a freshman) with her school work. Middle school to high school was a rough transition for her and as a Link Leader and a sister, I think it would be beneficial for both of us to encourage one-another. Link Crew is more than helping an individual group of freshmen, but help
Next semester, I plan to continue my leadership here at Arapahoe academically and socially. It’s important to carry myself with dignity and grace in order to represent Arapahoe, the community and most importantly, my family. I will keep pushing myself even though it doesn’t seem worth it. I will also continue following my mission statement that I made earlier in the year. Although I’m not perfect, I will try the best I can to be a good role model for my two little sisters. Having a solid relationship with them is the most important thing to me. If I portray a positive message, hopefully it will carry on through them as students and through their personalities as well.
In order to continue my duties as a Link Leader, I will pursue the topics “Leadership Class” has discussed all semester. Next semester, it is my goal to work hard, while still continuing to keep my relationships strong with the people surrounding me in the community and at Arapahoe.
-Emily Rue
Matt Farley
ReplyDeleteAs I look back on the last two years of being a member of the amazing Arapahoe Link Crew, it is hard to believe that I will be walking away next year. As a senior in high school, I am planning to move on and attend a four year university, probably outside of the state of Colorado. So much of my life will change as I make this transition into a new chapter of my life, but one thing that hope will remain constant is my role as a student leader.
It seems funny that I will soon become similar to the freshman that I have helped the last two years when I enter my new school. I truly think that Link Crew has made me think so much about being a new student that this tremendous change will be seamless. Although I will be very willing to allow upper classmen to be leaders in my life, I hope to be a leader at whatever university I attend. Even as a freshman, I know that there are many mediums in which I have the opportunity to lead fellow students. I have learned so much from the freshman classes the last two years that will enable me to lead my fellow freshmen to put us in ideal situations for learning. I have learned that the best way to get to know people is to go out and participate in activities! Luckily, I will probably know more about being a freshman than many of my classmates! I will encourage my roommate and whoever I already know to join me to social events.
The 2011-2012 Link Crew year prepared me to be a leader by creating strong relationships with those who look up to me, those who I lead with, and, most importantly, myself. I learned last year in Link Crew about how every person is different and will lead and follow in his/her own way. I will strive to always understand people the best I can in order to get the most out of our relationship. One of my favorite days of leadership class last year was the class when we talked about comfort zones. Although I like to think of my comfort zone being pretty large already, I am sure that being in a completely new state with a completely new group of people will give me the opportunity to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I must admit that I have some anxiety doing this, as I have sat very comfortably at Arapahoe for the last three years or so. Arapahoe is truly my home and all of a sudden, I will be moving.
There will be so much going on that it’s possible that I will be overwhelmed. However, I believe that 2012-2013 Link Crew has given me the tools to be help me not only be a leader at my new school, but to continue to be a good student and human being. I learned this year that a good leader is a balanced leader. I think the biggest thing that goes into being a balanced leader is prioritizing. This year is the first year that I have truly had to make decisions on what was more important. This or that? was a question I asked myself many times this year. There are times when I believe I made the wrong decision, but mistakes happen. When I am making friends in college, I need to be sure that I am also starting strong in this higher level of academics. After college, I will be going off into the “real world,” so I better know what I am doing! This makes academics a top priority. By prioritizing, hopefully I will be leading by example. Being a leader is not easy, but prioritizing your life so that you can have time and energy to help others by leading is very important.
Link Crew has been of the most rewarding, valuable, and educational experiences of my busy high school career. I have learned so much about being a leader, about being a new student, and most importantly, about myself. I know how to work as a member of a team, big or small. I know that asking for help, though sometimes hard, can be the thing allows you to succeed. From last year’s and this year’s classes, I have learned what it takes to be a great leader, and I am prepared to do that as I move into this new chapter of my life: college.
Abbie DePlato
ReplyDeleteI’ve been able to get to know a lot of people I otherwise wouldn’t have, freshmen and Link members. I have had the chance to review who I am and the kind of person I’m becoming which is preparing me for future experiences in school, at work, and at home.
At school I have been effected in a few different areas, these experiences will help me in the future as I become a senior and even into college. This year I had the chance to really connect with a few freshmen in particular and their stories helped shape who I am. They taught me that sometimes it takes more than good leadership skills to actually lead. These kids need empathy, advice, and sometimes just a person to talk to. One of the biggest ways leaders leave an impact is by forming relationships. As I grow up and become a senior next year, I want to remember what it takes to truly lead, which is respect and relationships because everything else follows with that. This year we formed relationships with our freshmen before we even started talking about academics or activities. We asked them questions about what kind of person they are, where they’re from and general questions to get to know them. As orientation went on, we learned about the sports and activities they are involved in. Later on in this semester we began working with them on their grades if they needed help. If we did not have that relationship in the first place, it would have been very hard to confront our students about how they are doing academically. With our students, once we set up a relationship, everything else followed. Next semester and next year I will remember that it is important to set up a solid relationship in order to impact people’s lives.
Recently I started working at Jumpstreet and there is a very strange environment there where I feel like I rely on my Link Crew experiences. There is a huge mix of people at work; from college students, to high school drop outs. All the employees are relatively young and very unmotivated. I think it is the hardest to lead a group of peers because we are all on the same level. But, in Link Crew, I considered my freshmen to be peers because they are not that much younger than me. Link Crew taught me what it is like to lead people who are similar to me. Two of the students in my group are very unmotivated which made it difficult at times to get them to do what would later benefit them, like joining a club or sport or getting their grades up. Anna, my partner, and I worked through the struggle with them to try and motivate our peers. It is the same principle at work where I find difficulty motivating peers. Link Crew taught me that perseverance and good relationships are what makes the difference in leadership; I will continue to use these skills at work to make it a more motivated and friendly environment.
I have a brother who is a freshman this year who is also struggling with school, relationships and finding activities within the school. I have enjoyed watching as his Link Leaders work with him to make him more successful, but it has also taught me how to get through to some students. It is not enough to just send invitations to freshmen to get them to come to events, or tell them how important it is to pass their classes, but we need to go that extra step. Sitting down and working with our students on their homework in subjects they do not understand or actually seeing them face to face to tell them about an event is what makes the difference between a good leader and an excellent leader. In the future I am going to remember what it was like being with Tony working on his homework in an effort to bring up his grades and talking to him about what is going on at school and what events he should attend. These experiences will last with me as I try to help kids who are struggling.
I definitely look forward to next semester as I continue to work with my students, my coworkers, and my family to make them as successful as possible as well as working on my leadership technique to make myself more successful.
As far as relationships go, I will do my best to be a leader in all the ones I value the most so that they can stay strong. In a relationship, leadership isn’t necessarily about being the dominant figure. No one wants to feel like they are being suppressed in a relationship or feel like they are less important, rather being a leader in a relationship is more about doing what is right and good for both sides of the relationship. It’s a lead by example kind of deal. A leader in a relationship is willing to go to great lengths in order to benefit the relationships whether that be compromising or sacrificing some of your own time and talents. I was shown this on orientation day when a few of the transfer students wanted to leave; although I was not able to keep them all there, I was able to compromise with them and we went outside and played football and Frisbee on the baseball field. It wasn’t necessarily what would provide the best learning experience for orientation day, but the compromise kept many of the kids at orientation which resulted in being able to meet other new students and have some fun at their first day at Arapahoe. In relationships going forward, I realize I must continue to sacrifice my time and talents or compromise on some issues in order to better the relationships.
ReplyDeleteSome leadership roles need a more dominant stance though, such as in activities. At the late start tutoring for the freshmen I was working with a freshman named Collin and helping him with his history essay. In this activity, compromise would not have worked because Collin didn’t seem overly motivated to be getting work done after having already done an hour and a half of missing assignments so compromise would have led to him getting no work done. Instead, I had to stand up a little bit and assert the fact that if he wanted to get his essay done he needed to get working. In the end he came within a sentence of finishing the essay because he was able to stay focused and work throughout the last half hour of the study session. While it is alright to reach out to others as a leader in activities, sometimes it is best to be more assertive and rely on one’s leadership abilities in order to lead everyone in the best path. I plan to be in a couple leadership roles next year with sports and clubs so this lesson I learned in Link crew should help me in these roles. Whether it is the hockey team or a club, I hope not to be a tyrannical leader, but at the same time show enough leadership that things may move forward.
Many of the same things can be said about academics where it is not always best to be an absolute authoritative figure, but leadership is still a very necessary component in keeping academics moving forward. Usually this means giving others free reign, but if need be reeling them in if need be. Times where people need reeled in may include when they are messing around, but even small stuff like editing. At Cramfest I was helping a couple of guys with their English project. Their project was very good and I let them take the project in which ever direction they wanted to go with it. However, when I saw spelling and grammar errors or small details that could enhance the presentation I didn’t hesitate to step in and give them advice. I feel like providing organization and putting someone on the right course when they stray is the best way to lead in academics. Going forward I plan on being a little bit more of a help for others in these two areas. For example organizing study groups for tests or just editing someone else’s paper can have a sizable impact on someone else’s academic experience.
The future is fairly daunting, but using leadership skills in order to get through future challenges is a very effective way to face the coming times. The skills I learned in Link will definitely help me to be a better leader and therefore hopefully give me and others a bright future.
Over the semester of Link Crew we’ve learned a lot about leadership and responsibility that could help every single person through life; however moving forward for me and looking at roles of leadership the most important lessons to me will be, bringing large groups of people together, different personalities, and balance.
ReplyDeleteFirst, as I continue through life I hope to work hard enough to earn top positions in careers and in the communities that I will have to bring large groups of people together, whether they know or like each other, to work towards a goal. As I pursue a career in the engineering field, after several years of college, I aspire to be successful to the extent that I can become a head of projects so that I can build a team that all helps each other work towards the goal. The skills I have learned here will most definitely help me in joining a group of people who could be unfamiliar and make a team that can put aside any differences and come together to build towards the same goal. Also, I hope to become a coach of hockey to help players come to love the game like I have, improve their skills, and learn the responsibilities to continue to participate through high school or even college. Again this skill will heavily benefit as I try to build a cohesive unit of players and help encourage them down a good road, balancing education, fun, and all aspects that build that character. Though I’m not sure exactly how the future will play out I hope for these opportunities to bring people together arise, as well as many more that might not be apparent at this point in time.
Next, the class brought to my attention different personalities for work habits and how to work with each person as each personality has certain approaches that will be more successful in working towards the overall goal of a group or individual project. When I’m successful in becoming a leader in a career or even next year at college the ability to work with several different types of work habits will not only benefit the group and myself but also the individual. I see now that any help that you can provide will more often than not benefit the individual you help whether they think it does or not. As when we were working with freshmen over the last two study sessions even the small amounts of help that we could provide in the limited time, I feel made larger improvements and will translate into semesters to come.
Last, everyone always says balancing your time is key to being successful and until now I hadn’t thought about how key it was, I just ran around and did my different tasks without thinking about it because I had the time. Now that time seems to be running low and moving towards college, one of the hardest yet fun times of your life, I need to make sure to be balanced. I feel prepared after the lessons in this class to be successful and handle everything that gets put on my plate. I know as I move towards being a leader there is going to be a lot to tackle to be successful and help other do the same, but because of this class I feel completely prepared to take on this load that this class exemplified at times balancing my education, my responsibilities, and trying to mentor freshmen.
The future is looking bright and on the way to being a leader and I know feel more prepared than I was before the class ready to work with putting large groups together, working with people of different work habits, and balancing time.
At some point, we have all been affected by Link Crew in one way or another. Whether you are a sponsor, a commissioner, a leader, a teacher with students involved in Link Crew, a parent of an incoming Freshman, or a freshman yourself; you have been affected by Link Crew. I began myself as a freshman with my own Link leaders. The next step was followed by being a leader my Junior year, and then a commissioner my senior year. Looking back I have loved being a part of such an inspiring outreach program. However, it is not what I have done within Link Crew these past two years that has affected me most, but it is what I have learned about academics, activities, and relationships, that I will carry with me, and apply to my future and the next big step in my life; college.
ReplyDeleteLink Crew has prepared me for the academics that are to come in college. I plan to go to Westmont College, in Santa Barbara, where they offer many rigorous academic courses. Through both the study session and cram fest Link Crew hosted, I realized the benefits in reaching out with other students and getting help. There are so many students that are strong in your weak areas, and can help you. I also learned that although you need to value your academics and focus on them, you must prioritize everything in your schedule and within your classes so that you can be successful . When I get to college and my work load in suddenly much larger, I will be able to use prioritizing techniques we learned in Link Crew to help me manage my academics successfully with a healthy balance.
Activities will always be an important part of my life, and I will always be busy doing some sort of activity. In the future I plan to be participating in track and field and youth groups. Most people are busy with some sort of activity or hobby. Link Crew taught me the value of balance within activities. I know in my future that doing the activities I enjoy is healthy, but letting it interfere with either academics or relationships, is unhealthy. Spending two years in Link Crew, especially being a commissioner, has been quite a commitment. I have learned more about being a leader than I could have imagined. Sometimes, you need to step up as a leader if you are able to make a contribution that others cannot.
Relationships are present throughout our whole lives; relationships with friends, family, classmates, co-workers, etc. Link Crew from my Junior year definitely highlighted relationships and showed me how to maintain various types of relationships throughout my life. It was very special to have relationships with the freshmen and get to know them over the course of two years. Throughout being involved in Link Crew, I learned how to deal with relationships that are not by any means perfect. I learned how to be a leader in relationships and step up and be the bigger person. We did skits and activities dealing with different personality types. College and the rest of my life will be filled with a huge variety of people, and I am thankful that I feel confident handling that.
Throughout the course of my two years participating in Link Crew I learned more about myself. I learned how to take care of myself and manage and balance my time so that I can set a positive example and be a good leader for others. There are so many valuable skills about balancing academics, activities, and relationships in my life that will continue to have a positive impact on who I am, and who I am as a leader. In college and my future, I will keep a list of priorities, as we made in Link Crew class, to help me make sure I am getting done what is most important and not feeling so overloaded and overwhelmed.
Taryn Phipps
The future is anything past now. That is truly the only thing that can be said about the future with 100% certainty that it will actually occur. We can always speculate and plan as to what we would like the future to hold for us, but the truth is we just don't know.
ReplyDeleteMy time in Link Crew has been great and the lessons it has taught me will not fade. It has taught me leadership, organization, creativity, compassion, and many other qualities. But what's the use of acquiring these traits if I never apply them? It is like training for a job and then never actually starting the job. Link Crew is not the end for me, it is merely the beginning; it was a small stepping stone. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of Link Crew, and it means a lot to me, but I know in the scheme of life Link Crew itself will be a very small aspect of my life, but the lessons it has taught will carry on forever.
This January the Senior Class Student Council will be attempting to launch a Sox Drive in order to collect winter gear such as coats, hats, gloves, and socks, which we will donate to Sox Place. From Sox Place the homeless in downtown Denver will have access to what they need to stay warm. We are also attempting to make this Sox Drive a tri school competition between Heritage, Littleton, and Arapahoe, which we are hoping will boost donations. For our drive I have already needed to apply the organization Link has taught me, and now in the near future I will begin to utilize the leadership and communication skills too as we begin to develop our tri school competition. This activity will be a create challenge to apply what I have learned from Link Crew, and to learn even more along the way.
Regarding academics Link Crew has not done much for my academics, but has opened my eyes to the world of academics. For me academics have never been extremely hard, and so I never thought much about them, but this year when we found out 200 some freshmen had at least one D or lower I was astounded. I had never even heard of anyone getting below a C, I thought it was impossible, but that's just because I was off in my own little world. Once this bubble popped I realized how lucky I was to not struggle with academics, because if I did struggle with academics there was no way I would have the time to participate in all the activities I participate in. Looking forward I now know not to take my academics for granted, and that receiving a D or a F is in fact something that could happen; it is not just an imaginative threat to do well. With this knowledge I would also like to donate some of my time to tutoring those kids who do need help in subjects I spend relatively no outside of class time on.
The last focus of this year was relationships. I do not believe Link taught me anything more about the relationships I already have, but it taught me ways in which I could start new relationships quickly. It has taught me easy ways to start new relationships and to make them more meaningful. I will most certainly be using this skill next fall when I enter into a school of no one I know, and also with the rest of this year as I work on planning Sox Drive with our sister schools.
As a returning Link Leader it did not seem like I was a returning Link Leader. The lessons we had in class were all different from the ones we had last year (which was disappointing at times because it meant I could not reuse my projects from last year), and being a transfer student leader is a whole different task, and more fun. I participated in Link Crew for two year because I liked what Link Crew was doing. The concept of helping new people fit in is something I wanted to be apart of. I wanted to be there for new students when they needed someone to talk to, or when they had questions. Ultimately I just wanted to make their time at Arapahoe as enjoyable as mine.
Through Link Crew I learned the importance of balance. I learned that even though it is very easy to narrow your focus onto one thing you want to succeed at, neglecting all other aspects of your life, doing so actually limits success. In the future I will not only be conscious of all aspects of my life but I will try to balance them.
ReplyDeleteIt was very easy to say I did not have time for certain Link Crew events but the rewarding feeling after each event made them worth the time. So, the rewarding feeling and the knowledge of doing something for someone else will motivate me to never neglect the relationships aspect of my life. I will stay up until 12:37am helping one of my best friends study for her math test even when I have to be at school at 6:20am (as I did last night) because those are of the upmost importance. The acts of kindness will be remembered even when rationalizing exponents is not. I will be kind, courteous, and humble in my relationships because it is those types of change lives.
Academically I will keep on top of my studies but equally important I will talk to my freshman about their understanding of their classes. In order to help them push through until the end of their freshman year, I will encourage and advise my freshman.
I have also learned how important it is to do purposeful activities. I will keep participating in purposeful activities because the rewarding and unique experience will benefit me more than I can imagine. Most importantly I will never forget and always be striving to fulfill my mission statement.
As a student at Arapahoe high school I have been blessed with many experiences and opportunities that have created the person I am and will be. My experiences through LINK Crew have been extremely important to me, as I plan to continue with leadership in all aspects of my life. Not only in my final year of high school but also in college and beyond.
ReplyDeleteThough it seems very far away, my senior year of high school is rapidly approaching and brings many opportunities for leadership. In my senior year of high school I have many plans to continue being a leader not only at Arapahoe but in all aspects of my life. At Arapahoe specifically, I plan on being involved with LINK Crew again next year. Whether as a leader or a commissioner, I want to be a strong leader to the freshmen. I find it very important to give freshmen and even transfer students, a great first impression of Arapahoe, even from before the school year begins. I want to give these students the amazing opportunity they deserve and welcome them at orientation with smiles, offer them the skills they need to succeed and then continue to help them as they journey through their school year. I have noticed a pattern that the students who feel more comfortable and accepted, seem to do better with academics and relationships; While, those who do not, seem to really struggle. Students often look for guidance and to find their place the first year of high school and as a LINK leader I want to be able to offer that guidance. As Leadership is not a role that can come and go, it is a constant mindset that should be lived at all times. A LINK leader for example should not only be a leader during LINK activities but all the time; in the hallways, at lunch, away from school, everywhere. Next year, I want to see the senior class be strong leaders and role models for the rest of the school and I will achieve that by starting with my own interactions and hopefully spreading it to others. Outside of school next year, I plan to be a leader at my dance studio. Though there are no technical designated student leaders, the senior take on that role. I want to show my leadership by interacting kindly with all of the other dancers and mentoring and helping them in any way possible. Using the skills I have learned on building relationships, I realize the importance of everyone having a friend and role model. I hope to be this person for as many people as I can but I realize in leadership quality matters more than quantity.
Although I am unsure of where I will be after high school, I know I want to be a leader. I strive to live everyday with an open attitude and to constantly inspire everyone around me to reach their full potential. I do not want to ever lose that attitude, I want to continue to lead and inspire people for the rest of my life. Whether in college athletics, a sorority, or some other unknown, I want to lead. I have a hunger for knowledge and a hunger to achieve greatness. I think leadership is a mindset and as long as I set my mind to it, I know that it can be achieved. The one part of my future I am certain about is that somewhere down the road, I want to be a mother. I believe parents are some of the most crucial leaders in life. Parents raise their children, teach them ever skill they can, and nurture them. Parents work selflessly to give their children a good life and a good example. Ultimately, this is the leader I hope to be. I hope I can provide my children with a life they deserve and I hope to lead them into a future where they can be anything they want.
Though I may not know where life will take me, I do know; I want to be a leader and not a follower. Using the skills I have learned on academics, relationships, and activities I have what it takes to lead others. From my senior year in high school to the rest of my life, I will strive to be an excellent leader. A leader is not a person who is a role model but one who inspires their peers to be the absolute best they can be. Leadership is a mindset and a constant lifestyle choice.
In the future, I will utilize my link crew leadership skills to become the person I aimed to be in my mission statement: more outgoing and helpful to others. Specifically in the school room, I will not be afraid to answer questions, ask questions, and speak up in the classroom, because I will be a fearless leader when academics are at stake. In the classroom, I will volunteer and be engaged in the knowledge at hand, so to lead others in doing the same. As far as activities go, link crew has changed my perspective on involvement substantially. For example, before link crew started, I would go to a home game or two and call that being involved. However, my time in link crew has shown me what true involvement in activities is, and I will carry that level of involvement in the future. I will attend my friends' games, varsity games, school concerts, school plays, go on the Toys for Tots drive, attend link crew activities, and any more that I can attend. I will be a leader by attending even the small events, showing supports, and hopefully encouraging my friends and others to do the same. Another take away from link crew was learning how to better manage my time, balance activities, and prioritize. These skills will help me in the future when I try to attend as many activities as possible, I will need to know where my priorities lie and how to manage them. My future relationships will be different for many different reasons. Initially, meeting new people will be easier because I have practiced this in link class, link activities, and with my freshmen. I was shy when it came to meeting new people, however, now I will be outgoing, friendly, and again, fearless. I will take the initiative to walk over to someone alone and talk to them, and possibly create a new friendship. I have learned the amount of effort it takes to maintain a good relationship through link crew, and I will repeat those skills with present friends, family members, and with creating new relationships in the future. Practicing these skills in high school have, and will set me up for the far future, in college and beyond. I will continue my leadership skills with academics, activities, and relationships. I will go out and be fearless in meeting as many new people as I can, developing new friendships, and attending as many activities as I can manage. After college, my dream is to go to a poor country and either teach or help build houses. Without the leaderships skills that link crew has blessed me with, that would not be possible. My leadership skills have developed and grown stronger throughout the semester, and I will utilize these skills everyday from here on out, and I will strive to fulfill my mission statement everyday.
ReplyDeleteI can attest that when I first came into LINK crew versus how I am today, there is a huge difference. No longer am I the slightly immature lower classmen that needed to be guided by a leash to do the right thing, but today I am the strong, confident junior who can look to the future. LINK crew has helped me to do so. Being thrown into a situation where I have to be the one to guide sometimes clueless freshman has forced me to grow up very quickly. I have found new traits that I didn't think I could have. My new sense of empathy, confidence in my leading, and determination will help me to lead at the very best of my ability, and reach the highest potential I can have.
ReplyDeleteHaving empathy was a must in my LINK group. There were so many times I just wanted to shake my freshman and get it into their heads that they can’t fail six classes, or put friends before academics. However, I had to take a step back and see what these fourteen year olds were going through before I got angry at them any longer. When I could look past the outside, I saw helpless children. I have talked to many of my freshman on a personal level. Whether it was their pressure from parents, or their lack of parents, extreme problems with suicidal boyfriends, or simply their stress to get a homecoming date, I had to understand. It was hard not to keep the same standards for them, that all of my honors peer groups kept for ourselves. However, I have gained one thing from my crazy LINK group; empathy. Empathy is an important trait that I obviously lacked before LINK. It’s incredibly important for relationships to strive and be healthy. Because of the empathy I gained with my freshman, I can strive to make my relationships far better than they were before. For example, when it comes to my family, I don’t always get along with my little sister, Ivy. I have always questioned why she did what she did. But now, I can hopefully take a step back and understand the problems she may be having and act accordingly. I know empathy will also help with leadership. I can use empathy to connect with those I am leading to become an even better leader. I can understand and be flexible instead of holding those I’m leading to impossible standards. Hopefully, in LINK crew next year, I can start the year off having empathy with my freshman and being able to understand their problems.
Having the opportunity to be in LINK crew has boosted my self-confidence immensely. Katie Franks can lead? Yes she can! Before LINK crew I always felt as though I wasn't good enough for the people I was leading. However, I now have even more confidence. I feel as though I can attempt to be a leader for anything. For example, in cheerleading, I was always wary in trying to be a captain. As if I wouldn't be good enough for my team. I can now try and hopefully lead in confidence. If I do become captain, I will know how to lead, and what to do in rough situations. I will have the leadership experience to do so and be the best I can be. I will have the confidence to lead at the best of my ability, and be the very best leader I can be. I will try to be a leader more often as to boost my confidence and experience even more.
Having strong will was also incredibly important in my LINK group. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to give up. No matter how hard it was sometimes to deal with some of my Freshman, I gained an ability to push through. Strong will in both the LINK crew class and with my freshman helped get me through this semester. This strong will I gained through LINK will help me to be an academic leader. Whether just getting through my homework, or getting up every morning for a zero hour class, I can lead by example. I will have the strong will to get through and hope my peers will eventually gain the same.
LINK crew has been an incredible experience for me this year. I have gained empathy, confidence, and strong will from one class. An organization that can do that, can do anything. My freshman have helped me to learn so much and be the person I am today.
This semester in Link Crew I have learned the values of building relationships, participating in activities and building strong academics as well as becoming a better leader too. I have learned the patients that is required in some aspects, like building relationships that I didn't have before hand. I have also learned several skills that will help not only myself, but help myself help others. Even though the semester of Link Crew has ended I the skills that I am developing will not be out of use as I move forward in life and also in developing the skills even further.
ReplyDeleteIn the future, the skills I have developed from the academics aspect of Link Crew will help me achieve academic goals of my own in the future. Although I still have another year ahead of me at Arapahoe High School I know college is just around the corner as well. I plan to use the studying and time management skills from Link Crew throughout the remaining of my academic carrier, one of the most important being time management when it comes to school. During Link Crew I realized that I have decent time management skills, I get my school work done well and on time but I learned that it could be better. When I reach college and have more work than I know what to do with I will know that prioritizing and the study habits that were discussed in class to help the freshman will help me now and also in later years.
Activities were also a big part of Link Crew this year and I developed multiple skills that I will use in the future. One of the toughest parts of the Link Crew was getting the freshman to come to them, like the t-shirt decorating party but as the semester continued I found skills that I didn't even know I had. As Link Crew progressed I became better at encouraging my freshman to come and eventually, they did. I look forward to using these skills in the future because I never know where I will be, what I will be doing but if there is ever a time that I have a function I will have those skills from Link Crew to show the value of participating in activities that will be in the future.
One of the most important categories that my skills developed in during Link Crew that I look forward to using in the future is in relationships. Throughout Link Crew one of the main goals was to build strong relationships from even the most out of touch people. I learned the importance of reaching out, patients and not giving up on people when building relationships during the semester and these skills will help me immensely in the future as one of the potential job choices I will make is counseling with those who seem the most out of touch from the world.
Although the semester of Link Crew was short the skills that I've learned are ones that will never be forgotten and used often. I truly enjoyed my time this semester and look forward to the new time to come as I grow as a leader and also a person from this experience and what I learned as well.
Next year I leave for college, which will put me in a world that I'm not at all comfortable in and a world that is completely new. To get through the trying times, I will depend on all that I've learned through my experiences in high school. Although I've done many things, Link Crew has taught me the most about being a strong leader. Link Crew was a fun experience, but it was also instructional in that it also taught many lessons about how to be a leader in academics, activities, and relationships, which I will use in the future.
ReplyDeleteAcademics are a major personal concern, but Link Crew has taught me to be more concerned about others' academics. In college I plan to be more helpful towards others in regards to their academics. Rather than just being selfish and only worrying about my own grades, I can help out others also. I'm not saying that I'll be a full-time tutor who hardly does anything with my own grades, but I can help within my own studying. For example, I can hold study groups with others for something that I was planning on studying for anyways. Not only would this benefit me, but also others who might be struggling in the class. Through Link Crew, I've learned that each person is different, so each person learns a different way. I will be more understanding in the future of others' learning strengths and weaknesses. When helping someone learn, I will try various methods of teaching if something is just not getting through.
In activities, I've seen what does and doesn't work in getting others to enjoy what you enjoy. I've seen that being very positive is the key to making something fun, even if that something is picking up trash in the bleachers after a football game. I plan on exuding, as much as possible, positive vibes when I'm doing something so that others can enjoy it as well. I will do this by flashing my lovely gap-toothed smile, dishing out high fives and tenacious chest bumps, and relating the activity to those participating. I hope to participate in volunteer opportunities in college, so positive energy will be important to get through activities that don't seem that fun.
In my relationships with others, I hope to just be myself with others. Through Link Crew, I've learned that my freshmen appreciate me the most when I'm just doing what my own mind is telling me too. In college, this will be important because I will have few or no friends the first day of school. To win the friendship of others, I plan on being myself and being honest with others about who I am. I will also not fake who I am to befriend others because this leads to weak friendships.
In conclusion, Link Crew has taught me a lot about how to be a strong, virtuous leader. In college, I plan to implement these values in all that I do, including academics, activities, and relationships.
Link Crew has changed my perception about Arapahoe. During the PLC late start morning I had a transfer student tell me how he thought it was remarkable that teachers and students actually cared about other students. He did not quite understand how we would put time into something that had no impact on our lives. I think this is a great reputation that Arapahoe has and I look forward to continuing it next semester and next year. As we focused on academics in Link Crew I was reminded of how many students struggle in school and could use additional help. I want to remember this so that I can help my freshmen to get a better start next semester. Focusing on myself I will plan ahead as school becomes more difficult to hopefully relieve myself from the stress I put on through procrastination. As I watched the freshmen who were struggling I realized that in a year and a half I will be adjusting to a new environment like they did this year and that the tips from Link Crew will help me even in college.
ReplyDeleteThe first six weeks the topic of focus was freshmen, I hope to stay in contact with my freshmen throughout the rest of the year. No longer offering as much guidance but instead just being another friend for them. As I look to next year I am excited to reapply to Link Crew and be able to help and mentor another group of freshmen but this time with more experience as I will have already had one year in the program. I know now more ideas for when freshmen are rejecting help how to still connect with them. I think this will help me to be a better link leader and a better leader in general.
I look forward to continuing to use the techniques taught in Link Crew about how to be a balanced leader. As I become busier next semester I will prioritize my activities so I can accomplish both what I enjoy and what I have to do. We were reminded that throughout the semester “a good leader is a balanced leader” and I plan on keeping that in mind even when Link Crew is over to not only help myself but to be a good example for others. Balance is often hard to maintain as different priorities arise but I plan to look back on the mission statement that we wrote in the beginning of the year to remind myself what is important to me. I am a quite leader, but through Link Crew I learned that a leader can lead through actions just as much as words. We were looked up to this year and will be next year, making it important to be good role models and to represent Arapahoe the best we can. I will live up to the reputation that Arapahoe students truly care about one another by applying the skills that I have learned through Link Crew to keep the reputation.
Warren Bennis once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” From the first day I stepped into Arapahoe on Link Crew Orientation Day, I knew that Arapahoe was going to be an amazing place where I could surround myself with remarkable people while also developing and growing from a naïve high school freshman to an experienced senior. Arapahoe has opportunities for all students’ areas of interests. As a natural born leader, Link Crew intrigued me from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI was very excited to be accepted as a Link Crew Leader when I was a junior and then again as a senior. As I began learning more and more about Link Crew, I enjoyed everything that the organization provided. It acted as a template to becoming a better and more experienced leader in ways that most students don’t ever get to experience. It isn’t often that you get to actual sit down and learn about leadership and get to reflect on how to strengthen yourself as a leader and then turn around and put what you have learned into action by leading a group of freshmen.
When I heard Mr. Trotter say for the first time that, “Link Crew is the only organization at Arapahoe, that every student experiences”, it amazed me to think about it this way. Through helping freshmen with academics, to planning events that helped better our relationship with them, Link Crew is definitely an important organization in helping freshmen succeed. Being in involved in Link Crew has taught me so much about how to become a better leader and learn how to work with different people in different situations. I am grateful to have been apart of this organization that has not only helped me grow as leader, but also allowed me to help freshmen grow at Arapahoe High School.
As I finish up my Link Crew Experience at Arapahoe, I hope to get involved with a similar organizing in college. I have a passion for leadership, therefore whatever I am doing, I am going to take what I learned form Link Crew to help me lead in the future. As the captain of the basketball team, this allows for another area for me to lead. Often people look at leading as a job, while I look at it as a challenge and enjoy leading in a positive way. I plan to get involved in several clubs in college where I can continue building my leadership skills. Also, I plan to continue heading up volunteer activities where I can lead a help create positive change in the world. Lead Crew has helped me to expand myself as a leader and I look forward to continuing having a leadership role as I move forward.
Link Crew has taught me some life changing skills, and now the choice of how to use them is up to me. Let’s say that I decided to make use of these skills; where would I start? The three specific areas of focus in Link Crew were academics, activities, and relationships. Not everyone will use these skills, but I plan to help others benefit from the just as much as I have.
ReplyDeleteIf I wanted to focus on the academic skills that I have learned, I should find a way to help others learn those skills as well. I could tutor students who are having a hard time with their grades, and teach them study tips and good habits. I could decide to start a new club that focused on the different aspects of academics and taught students to succeed. This club might not be particularly popular, as many see clubs as an escape from their academics. This wouldn’t matter, as the point of this hypothetical club would not popularity, but to teach as many students as possible how to succeed in school. Even if only a handful of people joined, the club would be worth it, because the knowledge I have gained won’t just be locked away in my head, it will slowly spread.
In school, academics are the primary focus. Link Crew taught me that activities, such as clubs and sports, are equally important. Activities are needed to balance out academics. I personally view activities as an escape from school, a place to temporarily forget stress over academics. Balancing academics and activities is like the old saying about work and play. All work and no play will not result in a very satisfying life, just as doing schoolwork constantly would do no good. All play and no work will result in laziness and an aversion to working. Sometimes I think that teachers forget, or overlook how important activities are. I’ve had this idea about starting an activity here at Arapahoe for a few months, but haven’t seriously thought about it until I was a few months into Link Crew. My friend had raised money for her school by having a dress swap. Girls would bring in their old dresses and trade them for someone else’s dress. I can’t remember the amount that they raised, but it was a huge success. They helped their school and the girls were excited about it. I think that this is a great activity, not just because it would help the school, but also because it provides students with another activity that they can participate in. By providing a temporary break from academics, students will be able to still focus on their schoolwork by taking those necessary breaks. So in an indirect way, if used properly, activities should improve academics.
The final area of focus in Link Crew was relationships, which I believe is the hardest skill to learn and to teach. People sometimes struggle with relationship their entire life, despite their efforts. I can’t really think of a formal way to teach this, because each individual’s relationships are different. The best way for me to teach the importance of relationships to others is to lead by example. I will try to live as a positive person, and put effort into each of my relationships. Hopefully, they will realize the message I am trying to send. By putting effort into a relationship, I am showing each person that our relationship is important to me. If they understand that, I am hopeful that they see the other message I am sending is that all relationships are important.
Link Crew could teach us all the life lessons we need to know, but the choice of how to use them is up to us. Some Link Leaders probably walk out of the forum on the last day and never think on those lessons again. I think that if they do so, they have just wasted their entire semester. There is no point to learning something unless it is applied. I’m happy to say that I won’t be one of those Link Leaders, I will remember these lessons and do my best to live by and teach them.
After being a Link Crew leader for two years I have learned many ways to help myself and to help others as a leader. Now that I am moving on I don’t’ intend for much to change, but I hope to refine my skills and become a positive influence for all people and realize the larger effect of all of my choices. I plan on attending college in the next four years and during that time I hope to lead in the areas of academics, activities, and relationships.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where I am attending college, but I do know that wherever I go the main purpose is to become further educated through academics. In the chaos of applying and thinking about my future at a university I sometimes forget that getting a degree is what I am really trying to accomplish. Therefore I should not worry about having the perfect location, or the perfect extra curriculars because I know I should go somewhere with an area of study that I am excited about and then as a leader adapt to where I am and go all out and make the best out of where I am. To lead first I have to learn, going in as a freshmen again I must control academically only what I can control. The light at the end of the tunnel will be far away once again, so as a leader I must be humbled and be accepting of the help I am receiving by the upper classmen or faculty as they try to put me in a good spot to succeed. Academically, all I can do is try my best to put myself in a good spot for the future and then take what I learn and when the time comes be able and willing to help people who with the same struggles I once had. This method worked well with Link Crew because I controlled my education first, became comfortable with the system, and then was able to help the under classmen with my knowledge.
Activities are always fun and are a great opportunity to lead. In Link the idea was to be involved and I talked about giving it my all and being involved with people during activities, because it is not much of an activity without those two aspects. In the future, I hope once again to control what I can control. I want to sign up for many different activities find the ones I enjoy find and find the people I enjoy. When I find activities I want to pursue that is when my leadership will come in. How can I get the most out of this activity and how can use this activity to make my life better and other lives better? If I ask those questions I am on my way. As a leader I want to be happy and excited to do what I do. When that happens, hopefully I can make others feel the same way. With activities I want to see the bigger picture and make sure what I enjoy is benefiting others and the world. In Link Crew sometimes in my activities others were not happy, in the future I hope my activities lift others up more than I am lifted up and then when I fail to do that be a lead and admit my mistakes.
As a leader and as a human, relationships are the most important part of this life. In the future I want to form solid relationships with people. It starts again with what I can control. I need to know what I believe, stay consistent, and back up what I believe. Once I do that, relationships with people will be
much easier. I want to know what I stand for, so others know what I stand for. Relationships are important to me, so why not have good relationships. In Link it is pretty easy to form relationships with kids because I know what to believe and what to stand for and I stride to make relationships with those standards. In life I must set my own criteria, and as a leader I think it is my responsibility to set a criteria that is positive for all people. I am not positive what my relationships are going to look like in the future, but I know I want to become the kind of person that people want to have relationships with.
Link Crew has given me a solid foundation for my future. I hope as a leader I can control what I can control and then use my skills, especially in the areas of academics, activities, and relationships to be a positive influence on all people and realize the effect I have on the world.