Megan King

King and o ther staff members felt there was a need for a new student orientation program that goes beyond the first few days of school. As a solution, King designed the "Link Crew" program to ease the transition between middle and high school for the nearly 600 freshmen at St. Paul Central High School each year. The "Link Crew" establishes an ongoing relationship between new students and upper-class student leaders. Faculty advisors will actively seek over 60 students that represent a diverse mix of the school's population. The school will train student leaders prior to the start of the following school year and the program will kick off that fall. Student leaders will be assigned 8-10 freshmen to mentor during the school year through a series of school-sponsored activities. The program will help new students combat the underlying causes for school failure by having access to a positive role model the entire year. Also, student leaders will continue to build upon their leadership skills, increasing their chance of success even beyond high school and creating a mutually beneficial program for all. In addition to King, the "Link Crew" team includes staff members Ryan Backman, Steve Collins, Teri Lentsch, Ellen Merlin, Lindsay Peifer, and Steve Yernberg. King lives in St. Paul.