PORT ANGELES — On a sunny, warm late summer’s day, 64 Port Angeles High School juniors and seniors filed into the school’s gymnasium for a long day of training.
“They’d probably like to be on a beach,” said John Gallagher, Rider Crew adviser and teacher.
Instead, they spent most of Thursday inside, working on leadership and teamwork exercises to earn the title of Rider Crew.
They didn’t seem to miss the sunshine too badly.
They had smiles on their faces as they passed their peers through giant spiderwebs made of thin bungee material strung on PVC frames, part of a ground-level confidence course.
Teams had to get every member through the web without touching the web or letting their chosen route close up.
The exercise was about decision-making, teamwork, planning and having a second or third plan — just in case their first choice became unavailable, Gallagher said.
Rider Crew members will serve as mentors for the 250-280 freshmen who are expected to walk through Port Angeles High School doors for the first time at 9 a.m. Wednesday for Freshman Rider Day.
The eighth annual Freshman Rider Day is a student-led activities day hosted by upperclassmen to introduce the new ninth-grade students to the school.
Juniors and seniors help freshmen find their classes and guide them through the school’s rules and culture before their first day of high school Sept. 1.
Rider Crew members continue mentoring their group of freshmen, six upperclassmen for each advisory class of 24 freshmen, through January.
For senior John Paul, 17, Rider Day has come full circle.
As a freshman, Paul was welcomed to the high school by the Rider Crew.
“It was pretty cool. They helped a lot,” Paul said. “That first week, I couldn’t find the 100-level halls.”
Having already met friendly, welcoming older students, it is easier for freshmen to approach the upperclassmen for help.
‘“I was intimidated by them,” said Owen Kays-Erdmann, a senior in his second year as a Rider Crew member.
Kays-Erdmann didn’t attend Rider Day and said he regretted missing a chance to get to know those older students.
Wednesday’s activities will orientate freshmen — and let them know the upperclassmen aren’t so scary, he said.
“That’s why we go into advisory classes,” he said.
Last year, Kays-Erdmann was assigned to an advisory group made up mostly of honors students, which were a relatively easy bunch of students, he said.
They were shy about getting involved in school activities but a bit wild in class, he said.
With the influence of the Rider Crew leadership, they joined activities and settled down, he added.
“We went back for part of the second semester because it was so much fun,” he said.
“Port Angeles schools are becoming more collaborative,” said Michell Gentry, YMCA youth development director.
The Rider Crew’s leadership training was a group effort, with equipment provided by Port Angeles High School, Olympic Educational Service District and Peninsula College.
Volunteers from the YMCA and AmeriCorps assisted with the training.
“The schools are letting us do so much with leadership development and academic support,” Gentry said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.