Wrapping up the first semester, students and preparing for midterms—many students for the first time. Taking a full round of testing can bring stress but groups like Link Crew is ready to help.

Link Crew advisor Andrew Taylor can not wait to reconnect Link Crew leaders with their group of freshmen in the new year.

“Study and Snack is the second week of January,” Taylor said. “On Wednesday and Thursday after school.”

Collaboration between younger and older students is a large part of what Study and Snack is for.

“A lot of us in this building haven’t taken an exam yet, especially freshmen,” Taylor said. “It’s important to really psychologically emphasize that (midterm exams are) a big deal and more than just part of your grade.”

Although this Link Crew event has been run for many years, not everyone has been able to participate. Link Crew officer Kate Ozar ’24 missed her chance to participate freshman year, but can’t wait to help the new class of freshmen.

“I am very excited to both help them and experience it myself,” Ozar said, “I never got to do it with COVID and everything else, so I’m very excited to just be able to help freshmen.”

Looking to your Leader for help is an amazing resource. Ozar also gives another source of information to get help from in the stressful time of exams.

“I think teachers are helping out a lot,” Ozar said. “A lot of classes are doing a whole week of studying, so just pay attention.”

Learning how to take an exam and prep for one are valuable skills that the class of ’26 are invited to learn with their Link Crew leaders.

“Get some ideas of how to organize your notes and how to actually use the review packet,” Taylor said. “The leaders will have some tips, but a lot of it is making it clear they are a big deal.”

For the first time ever, the name of the event has changed. Originally called ‘Cocoa and Cram’, student leaders and teacher advisors voted to rename it ‘Study and Snack’ for many reasons.

“I don’t like the idea that we’re saying cramming is normalized,” Taylor said. “You’re not supposed to be cramming; you’re supposed to be studying. It’s trying to rebrand to be more accurate of what we want people to do: study.”