As “Party in the USA” blasts throughout the Main Gym, “Welcome Freshmen!” banners and bright turquoise-clad Link Crew leaders greet the Class of 2026 on Aug. 10.

Welcome Day is an annual event hosted by BOHS Link Crew that introduces and guides incoming freshmen prior to the first day of high school. This year, 88 Link Crew leaders (a selected group of upperclassmen who are trained to assist freshmen throughout high school)  led Welcome Day for nearly 375 freshmen.

Due to COVID-19, Welcome Day was modified for the past two years, (in 2020, Welcome Day was held on Zoom and in 2021, it was held outside in the quad). After COVID-19 cases decreased and mask mandates were lifted, Link Crew was able to organize the first “normal” Welcome Day since 2019. 

“It was nice this year to be back in the gym and be able to do several activities all together with both the Link Leaders and the freshmen,” Kara Dietz, Link Crew Advisor and Skills for Success teacher, said. 

Games like Count Off (a collaborative game involving counting) and Name Tag (a game that encourages everyone to memorize their group member’s names) were played in Link Crew groups which consisted of two leaders and about six to twelve freshmen. “The activities were aimed to encourage collaboration and teamwork, which are necessary skills for high school,” Catherine Chiu, Link Crew president, said.

Followed by the activities, was a tour around the campus. Each group dressed in different themes during the tour ranging from Disney to Superhero themed gear. On this tour, freshmen were able to find where their classes were and ask for their leaders’ advice on each class.

“[The Link Leaders] pointed out which buildings would have each subject and what kind of classes were upstairs and down. I felt a lot more confident getting to my classes on the first day of school,” Melia Tafua, freshman, said.

For Link Crew leaders like Rachel Lim, seeing her freshmen feel more comfortable about high school throughout Welcome Day made her feel “proud”. 

“I remember being nervous to come up to the high school, so now as a Link Crew leader, I want to help the freshmen have the smoothest transition possible,” Lim said. 

This year’s Welcome Day was a “success” and “involved happy faces from both Link Crew Leaders and freshmen,” Dietz said.