Lincoln-Way East High School continues to welcome new students to school and make them feel comfortable as they adjust to their new surroundings.
On Tuesday, the school’s Student Ambassadors held a pizza party for classmates who transferred to East over winter break as well as those who joined the school in the fall.
“I know how it feels to walk into a new school and know no one,” said Lincoln-Way East junior Ariel Palcisko who transferred to Lincoln-Way East High School last March from Michigan.
As she munched on pizza with other transfer students and Student Ambassadors, Palcisko recalled how relieved she was when she first entered Lincoln-Way East and was introduced to student ambassador Nicole Pratl.
“She helped me a lot,” said Palcisko. “She ate lunch with me, introduced me to people and helped me find my way around the school.”
The girls remain friends today and now help others as they enter Lincoln-Way East for the first time.
“We try to take a large school, like Lincoln-Way East, and make it feel small and manageable – right from the start,” said Lincoln-Way East social worker Peggy Nowak.
The Student Ambassador Program is a tool used at all four Lincoln-Way schools to welcome new students to the district and student body. The goal is to assist them as they transition into a new school.
Dozens of Student Ambassadors participate in the program each year, welcoming students from neighboring communities and states. Each ambassador is a former transfer student who is well aware of the thoughts and emotions that new students experience.
“I was so nervous when I transferred to Lincoln-Way East from Queen of Peace two years ago,” said Pratl. “But then I met a Student Ambassador and she made everything so much better.”
“Their firsthand knowledge of student concerns has bred compassion and encouragement within our program,” said Lincoln-Way North social worker Jeanne Schaefer.
“Many of the students are not only experiencing a new school, but perhaps a new community,” added Nowak. “In the life of a teen, these are major adjustments and the goal of this program is to provide a support system at this time.”