Students gather at the RCHS freshman tailgate

Lynden Hall, Alice Li, and Allison Pierce • September 3, 2024

Junior Link Crew member Sydney Thompson helping out a freshman at freshman tailgate.

On Friday, Aug. 23, Link Crew hosted its annual freshman tailgate – this time for the class of 2028. The event took place in the main quad and was free for freshmen who brought their IDs. As 4:30 p.m. rolled around, more and more freshmen started crowding into school for the second time that day.

The freshmen attending were greeted with various activities and food to help them better their experience at the tailgate, as they socialized with one another. The activities included face painting that showcased the RCHS spirit, as well as backyard games such as Jenga, ring toss, and cornhole. The food consisted of barbecue hotdogs, chips, and drinks.

Michelle Paez and Toana Hong pose in front of a banner at the annual Freshmen Tailgate. (Allison Pierce)

Link Crew leader Kai Wener described how it felt to run an event like this.

“It was really fun planning the tailgate because everyone had a bunch of different ideas, and then we were able to bring them all together to make an enjoyable time for the freshmen,” Wener said.

Kai also described the outcomes he hoped students would gain from the event.

“I hope freshmen are able to mingle and make more friends, and I hope that they are able to make stronger bonds throughout the year with their Link Crew leaders,” Wener said.

Students also gave their thoughts on the freshman tailgate as well. Calleigh McCane, a freshman, talked about her favorite part about the tailgate. She said thought seeing her friends, making news friends, and playing games were the best part of the tailgate.

Freshman Uligai Fiame also talked about his experience at the tailgate.

“I just want to experience a lot of fun,” Fiame said.

He also talked about how he met some new people, including some of the freshman football players.

Towards the end of the tailgate, before the students lined up for the football game, Principal Azande Aikens had all the freshmen and Link Crew leaders gather around the tailgate poster for the traditional freshman tailgate picture.

According to Ms. Samantha Hudspeth, the Link Crew adviser, this picture will be shown at the end of the year for the 2028 graduating class.

About the Contributors

Lynden Hall, Staff Reporter

Lynden Hall is a freshman at RCHS and this is her 1st year in journalism. She is one of the Staff Reporters in the school newspaper titled The Cat’s Eye. Her favorite thing about journalism is being able to write and report many stories that can appeal to the student body. Outside of school, Hall enjoys fencing and listening to the 70’s group, Earth Wind & Fire. Favorite class AP Geography Enneagram Type 4

Alice Li, Staff Reporter

Alice Li is a freshman at RCHS, and this is her first year in journalism. She is a staff reporter. Her favorite thing about journalism is getting to write stories about interesting events that happen at Rancho. She likes listening to music in her free-time, and her favorite artist is Tyler, the Creator.

Allison Pierce, Staff Reporter

Allison Pierce is a freshman at RCHS, and this is her first year in journalism. She is a staff reporter for the school newspaper, The Cat’s Eye. The reason she joined journalism was because she loves writing and reporting. She hopes that she will be able to connect with the students and staff that way. When she is not at school working for the school paper, Pierce is off doing her extracurriculars, Soccer and Drums. She has been playing soccer for 11 years now, and Drums for 7 years. She also enjoys listening to music, going to church, writing poetry, and watching Grey’s Anatomy, drawing, and hanging out with friends.

The Cat's Eye

Students gather at the RCHS freshman tailgate

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