For the first time in two years, East Union High upperclassmen enjoyed the in-person experience of linking up to young newcomers on campus.

This was part of the Link Crew program’s freshmen orientation that kicked off Tuesday in the Dalben Center.

“It’s fun getting to know and do ice-breaking games,” said Leannie Rodriguez of the ninth graders in her group.

She and fellow senior Nalee Canela are among 60 Link Crew leaders.

Link Crew advisor Denise Runyan noted that the school’s Class of 2025, with an enrollment of about 400, is “one of the biggest” in her eight years of spearheading the program at EU.

“We had to do things a bit differently,” she said, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Included was a freshmen-only roundup – sophomores, juniors and seniors conducted their pre-first day of school business via online – where young students spent a portion of their morning picking up class schedules, books, taking ID photos, and getting a tour of the campus.

The first day of school throughout Manteca Unified is today beginning at 9 a.m.

Link Crew leaders are hoping that freshmen will be comfortable enough in their new surroundings by then.

They engaged them in a variety of Link Crew activities along with sharing their own experiences of acclimating to high school.

“You got to go to the football games – those are a lot of fun,” Canela said.

She and Rodriguez will be available to their newly-assembled group of Lancers throughout the year.