Program helps incoming students adjust

Incoming freshmen at Conneaut School District’s high school and fifth graders entering the middle schools, are getting some extra help acclimating to their new environments thanks to a new school transition program. The school is implementing a national initiative called the Boomerang Project, which revamps the traditional student orientation process. Conneaut’s middle- and high-school staff received three days of training to help them initiate the program. To kick off Conneaut’s orientation event, students were introduced to a peer mentorship program called Link Crew that connected the incoming students with existing students. According to an article in Meadville Tribune about the high school’s event, the students who attended interacted during more than three hours of activities at the school including tours, games and other team-building exercises. The goal was to help new students feel more comfortable and supported, and to establish lasting friendships that will continue throughout the year.