The Bridge program hasn’t had many changes over the years, but with a new student leader comes a revitalized program, striving to create a seamless transition into the Upper School for new-to-Parker students.
Senior Hanna Bilgin is the 2023-24 Community Committee head, and after a not-so-great experience going through Middle School Bridge herself, she worked to change the program to be more inclusive, engaging, and overall more enjoyable.
Upper School Bridge is for incoming new-to-Parker freshmen to help them feel more comfortable with the transition to a new school. A program like this is especially important at a junior kindergarten through twelfth grade school like Parker, as many of the students know the school like the back of their hand.
Bilgin has spent six years at Parker after coming in sixth grade from the British International School of Chicago. She recalled her experience as a new student. “I was scared to talk to any people in other grades, and now people in other grades are some of my closest friends, but I was scared of them because the Bridge program wasn’t very good,” Bilgin said.
One of Bilgin’s additions to Bridge is what she called, “How to High School, with Hanna Bilgin,” where she kicked all the adults out of the room to create a safe space for the new students. She said it served as a tell-all about Parker where any questions could be asked about anything Parker related, like academics, sports, clubs, and Parker social norms.
“I also limited the amount of lectures that we had because last year had a lot of just sitting down, and they weren’t able to interact with one another,” Bilgin said. “I wanted them to be able to talk and make friends before they went on the retreat with the rest of their grade.”
Sophomore Ewuraesi Korankye attended Bridge last year when she was a new-to-Parker freshman, and she says it was vital to her experience. “Bridge broke down and read the ins and outs of Parker to a T,” she said. “It made me confident in my switch as an eighth grader to a high schooler in a different school, but it also further confirmed my decision to have chosen Parker and joined their welcoming community.” Now, she hopes that as a Community Committee representative, she can pass that feeling of belonging down as well.
Freshman Rohan Liew just went through the Bridge program led by Bilgin and gave a positive review. “Bridge was helpful with my transition because I thought that I would have trouble finding my way around the school and knowing how basic things work,” he said. “After Bridge, I now understand how Parker works with all the athletics, clubs, and groups.”
Bilgin plans to continue to revitalize the Community Committee. “My focus is still helping new students and doing a whole bridge program, but I’m going to include more meetings throughout the year to check in with the new students after bridge to see how their transition is going,” Bilgin said. She’s also looking to expand the Community Committee beyond new students and to have the entire Upper School benefit from it. “It’s my job to make sure that everyone feels welcomed into the Parker community.”
