Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — Normally, students from Terre Haute North Vigo, South Vigo and West Vigo high schools want to beat each other’s teams.
On Monday, they worked to build teams.
For the first time, Link leaders and staff coordinators from each high school gathered for a day-long opportunity to network, exchange ideas and gain leadership skills. About 190 students and 34 staff coordinators met in Hulbert Arena at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
The guest facilitator for the day’s workshop was Phil Boyte, developer of the Link Crew Mentoring Program.
“It’s our first countywide Link Crew workshop,” said Annette Miles, district coordinator for the Project Gems grant. “We thought it was a great way to bring them together in a
noncompetitive way.”
Link Crew is a peer mentoring program that partners upperclassmen with incoming freshmen to help the freshmen transition successfully into high school.
Boyte led the group in building leadership skills and developing a community of caring across Vigo County.
Boyte has previously worked with individual high schools to “break down the walls” and cliques that separate students within a high school. On Monday, he worked with all three high schools to break down the stereotypes they may have about each other.
Once they got to know each other, they were able to share ideas about mentoring freshmen. Boyte also talked to them about their role in the community and how to treat other people.
The countywide workshop was made possible through a Vigo County Education Foundation Grant. Boyte’s visit is supported by Project GEMS, a Smaller Learning Communities grant, from the U.S. Department of Education. North and South benefit from the GEMS grant because of their larger enrollments.
West Vigo has a Link Crew program, but no GEMS funding because of its smaller size.
Boyte had the students involved in several team-building activities that included such names as “Scenes in a Minute” and “Here’s Looking at You.”
In one episode of “Scenes in a Minute,” they had to take turns using pantomime to act out things people do or see at a beach, and the goal was to do as many as possible in a minute. In one group, one person pretended to swim, another did the hula, someone else laid out on the beach while another drove a jet ski.
Anna Ross, a South Link leader, said the countywide workshop enabled students who may view each other as rivals to instead make new friends.
Colleen Curley, a West Vigo Link leader, said, “We get to come together and actually see that we’re the same in a lot of ways.” It also helped her learn to meet new people, something she’ll be doing in college.
North Link leader Kevin Boling said the event “certainly opened my eyes as to how easy it is to make new friends if you try.” It also “breaks down the stereotype of North, South and West,” he said.
Miles said this is the last year for the school district’s GEMS grant and that local officials aren’t yet sure if they’ll be able to obtain additional funds through that program.
“We don’t know what will happen after June 30,” Miles said. “We’re looking at creative ways to sustain what we’re doing.”
Adult coordinators are committed to keeping the program going, and the summer orientation program will continue, she said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
