The halls are filled with the buzzing conversations of students. The fluorescent lights above light the path everyone walks. Everyone, students and staff alike, walk with purpose knowing exactly where they are going. And yet, some of these students that form part of the large sum, feel like they’re lost in a maze. Classrooms here. Classrooms there. The question is, the right one

Every year, there is at least one new student who enters a new school environment. With that transfer, sometimes they must learn their schedule and their new environment without any help from anyone.

“In my old school where I transferred out, it was more like they just threw me into my new classes, I just learned my schedule, I didn’t have anyone to walk me around the building to teach me my schedule,” senior Alexander Velazquez said.

But some schools help new students all the time. Well, they help their freshman students get accustomed to the building, but transfer students are sometimes left to figure it out. That is where the Wildcat Ambassadors come in. 

Wildcat Ambassadors work similarly to Link Crew in the sense that they take time out of their day to help students learn the building and their classes.

“They’re pretty similar. Ambassadors is more grade level so it’s a bit different,” junior Madilyn Fewkes said.

Wildcat Ambassadors was structured that way specifically to help new students learn the school. But this club is not anything that is particularly new.

“Around six to seven years ago, students thought it was an opportunity to be positive role models, help out new students, and look for ways to increase their own involvement.” Department Chair and Ambassador sponsor Steve Lamberti said.

SInce then, the wildcat ambassadors have been working as hard as they can to help their new students feel like they have a place within the school, and every year they tried to do something different.

“It was different every year, it was a student-led thing. One year to start the year we had a lemonade stand and they were just passing out lemonade. We would give out gifts, little drawstring bags with pencils and notepads… some of the ambassadors for football games, new students would want to go, but they wouldn’t know anybody. So the ambassadors meet with them in the parking lot and go together as a group,” former ambassador club sponsor Christina Florence said.

Despite the main goal of Wildcat Ambassadors being to help out the transfer students, it helps out students in the club as well.

“I like being around people. In general I get my energy from people… and I think I’m good with people, so I thought that I’d be a good ambassador for the new students,” junior Jonny Van Ham said.

However, despite the well structured organization, and the readiness of the ambassadors, this year has proven to be very difficult in the sense that not many students have gotten to work as an ambassador at all this year.

Despite this, ambassadors have not yet given up hope, and are still ready and waiting for their time to participate with some even ready to return to the club next year.

“I do plan on continuing to do it next year, even if I don’t get a single new student this year,” Van Ham Said.

Fewkes also noted her desire to return to the ambassador club for her senior year as well as how “funny” she finds the club sponsor. 

The Wildcat ambassadors club is also helpful for those who seek to improve their transcript for colleges and is open to anyone who is interested in joining.

Applications for those who are interested begin in the spring and an email will be sent out to English teachers to inform their classes. 

So as the days change and the environment becomes unknown, new students will soon realize they are not alone.