Whitman Navigators hosted a celebration during lunch yesterday to welcome the freshman class and other new students to the school. The lunch included games, music and treats for students to enjoy while they got to meet one another.  

The Navigators are a group of student tour guides that direct 9th grade orientation, offer tours of the school and provide tutors for underclassmen. Their mission is to welcome new students to the community and provide students with a space to bond with each other. Starting last year, the Navigators have hosted lunches on the first Friday of each month.

 Freshman Ehan Umair, who attended the lunch to meet new people, was suprised by the large crowd.

“There’s a lot more people here than I expected,” said Umair. “It’s nice because I’m new here at Whitman and I came here to make friends. I think it’s good that the event is here for me.” 

While the lunch was held to introduce new students to the community, anyone could attend the event and enjoy the festivities. 

The Navigators invited their friends, people in the hallways and students eating alone to play icebreaker games and enjoy doughnuts, cookies and juice, Navigators sponsor Joan Cline said. As a result, there was a high turnout for the lunch. 

Cline began holding Whitman Navigator lunches last year and hopes to cement it as a new Whitman tradition.

“We hope this becomes a place where students looking to meet new friends can walk into a welcoming environment,” said Cline. “It’s a lot easier and lower pressure than trying to walk up to a group of friends that already know each other.”