In the hallways of Cambridge-Isanti High School, 425 incoming freshmen descend upon the gymnasium in a throng of nervous chatter and excited whispers.

Inside the gymnasium over 200 staff gather to form a gauntlet and anxiously await for the doors to open.

Clint Lundeen, physical education teacher/Link Crew Coordinator at CIHS, instructs the staff to clap and cheer as soon as the students enter the gauntlet and to continue to cheer until every last student has walked through.

It is Sept. 2, the first day of school at CIHS for the freshmen entering high school. The entire school day has been dedicated to the freshmen and new students, with 10th through 12th grades beginning classes on Sept. 3.

As the doors of the gymnasium open and the cheers erupt, the students enter with a mixture of amazement, to excitement, to nervousness on their faces. After picking up their name tag, the students fill up the bleachers and await further instructions.

Lundeen, the MC of the program, leads the teens into a number of “getting-to-know-you” exercises that include: rubbing the back of the person to the right, popping balloons by hugging, and rearranging themselves by birth date without talking.