UCC student leaders, in yellow, and students about to enter Grade 9 took part in a half-day orientation program, Lancer Link, on Thursday morning. The program matches senior students with new students to mentor and engage them during their first year of high school.
From the moment they entered the school doors, Grade 9 students at Ursuline College in Chatham were met with upbeat and excited senior students and staff, eager to show them what being a UCC Lancer is all about.
For the eighth year, UCC hosted a Grade 9 orientation half-day program on Thursday, bringing over 300 new students together with senior student leaders and staff as part of the Lancer Link program.
Booming music at 8 a.m. greeted the newbies in the school gym, as did a line-up of neon yellow shirted student leaders, high-fiving and welcoming them to the event. Lancer Link staff representative Jim Dunlop facilitated the morning activities that included games designed to engage the students and give them tips on how to make the transition to high school a successful one.
After pumping up the crowd with shouts of “Lancer loud, Lancer proud,” UCC principal Ray Power said the high energy is exactly what they want.
Power said the Lancer Link program is unique in Chatham-Kent and features five trained staff and senior students who apply to the program and receive two days of training.
“Lancer Link is an extremely positive program. All the games and fun are very purposeful,” Power said. “We want our Grade 9s to walk in and feel comfortable. It’s a big transition from Grade 8 to high school and there are some students that are shy or anxious about it.”
The principal said Lancer Link is students helping students, and each student leader is matched to five or six new students, following them through until March and encouraging them to take part in extracurricular activities, answering questions and mentoring them.
“The mentors check in via text, or personal visits to offer support,” Power said. “There are lots of ways to connect so they are not alone.”
The leaders’ lockers are also interspersed amongst the Grade 9 students so there is always someone around who can answer questions or point students in the right direction.
“We want them (Grade 9s) to be excited. The expectations in high school with homework and grades ramp up, but we want them to have fun as well.”
