Ryan Ringenberg – GKOM club sponsor

What are GKOM’s goals as a club? It’s to help freshmen transition from middle school to high school, but at the same time to create more of a family culture within the freshmen center. Part of (the need for the club) stemmed from some bullying incidents over 10 years ago. Administration was looking for a way to foster more of that caring environment and using junior and senior mentors was kind of the answer to that.

Why do you think students should join GKOM? In many ways, the program benefits our juniors and seniors as much as it does our freshmen. It’s a leadership position; it’s a way for them to really help foster that Carmel High School culture.

What role does the GKOM Council play in making decisions for the school year? Instead of being in the classrooms, (the GKOM Council) are more on the back-end, planning for the actual orientation day, the freshman orientation day as well as the training day for new GKOMs. Then during the school year, they are the ones planning the connection sessions, taking attendance and ensuring that the GKOMs are supported throughout the year.

Katerina Folkin – GKOM Council Member

What role does the Council play in decision-making for the club? The Council members regulate and create activities for the connection sessions, assist in leading GKOM training, maintain & promote social media, visit middle schools, design T-shirts, and run Greyhound Kick-Off.

What are GKOM’s plans for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year? We have a lot of great, interactive activities planned for Greyhound Kick-Off including touring the school, playing lots of games, snacks, scavenger hunts and more. For the school year, we would like to implement more engaging and interactive activities for the freshmen to help lead them towards the right path at CHS.

Why did you choose to join GKOM? When I found out about GKOM my freshman year, I knew I wanted to make the same impact my GKOMs did, be a role model, and help freshmen adapt to high school.