This year the responsibility of Link Crew members will extend beyond the month of August with the goal of establishing lasting relationships between the club members and their freshmen and sophomore counterparts. 

“(Continuing the relationships) is why we have the Link Crew MRTs now,” Ms. Kristen Szafasz, social studies teacher and co-sponsor of the club, said. 

During their MRTs, Link Crew members are either in Ms. Szafasz, Mrs. Brianne Sabaitis, science teacher, or Spanish teacher Ms. Maria DeRosa-Bellahcen’s room planning for the club’s future, or are in freshman or sophomore MRTs, building connections with their groups and discussing opportunities within the school.

“I think (these relationships are) what makes high school fun,” Mrs. Sabaitis said. “If you look back on your high school times, what makes you smile or remember things is not certain lessons teachers taught but relationships that you can build. It goes beyond just the curriculum.” 

Ms. Szafasz and Mrs. Sabaitis originally attended Link Crew training in March 2020, but plans were soon stopped short a day later when school shut down. This year, one of the club’s goals is to instill the four characteristics of a MHS graduate—leadership, collaboration, citizenship and life-long learning—a concept that was developed in the wake of student surveys regarding students’ opinions on peer relations. 

“What we’re trying to do is instill respect and the feeling of being connected in all Munster students,” Mr. Mike Wells, principal, said. “(We’re) having Link Crew talk about some of these things, help students become leaders, talk about collaboration and (speak on) being a lifelong leader. Then we can see, hopefully, over time kids showing each other more respect and also becoming leaders within the school.”