Davis High welcomes first foray of Class of 2019, lets teen trainers lead the way

Walking onto a high school campus that first time tests the nerves. Teens leading the Davis High early orientation said they remember those fears, and volunteered to help 20 incoming freshmen get their bearings and make some friends.

That was the plan for the inaugural Summer Bridge program, a time to figure out where the classrooms are and get to know a few familiar faces – including his, said Principal Mike Rich.

During the week, kids went on a scavenger hunt to learn to navigate the campus, taking selfies to show they had found it.

“Involving the Associated Student Body leadership was a great way for students to connect to classmates and learn about all the ways students can get involved outside of the classroom,” Rich said last week.

Incoming freshmen had the incentive of keeping their school-issued Chromebook laptops over the summer if they attended the orientation, which also helped them set up their passwords and learn computing basics.

The high school is Modesto City Schools’ only campus at which every student is issued a laptop. Assignments are given and handed in online.

The first day at the school included a lot of frustration, Rich said, standing in the Davis Little Theatre during Summer Bridge Week. “See, you guys are past that. You can help the others in your class,” he told students.

“It took kids 45 minutes to figure out how to get on,” said teacher Mark Viss, who led the weeklong morning sessions that ended June 12.

Happily tapping on keyboards and swiping touchscreens during a game show segment testing Davis High trivia, friends Maria Davila and Angela Hernandez said they were glad to have time to get used to their computers, but that was only part of what they got out of it.

“When I was thinking about high school, I was really nervous,” Davila said, but added, “There’s a lot of nice people. It’s easy to make friends.”

Senior Janice Espindola, one of the class leaders, said that was the biggest hurdle for her. “I didn’t know anyone. I was shy and scared. I’m trying to tell these kids to join clubs so you meet people,” said Espindola, who got active in drama, dance and student government.

FFA was the ticket for Davis grad David De La Cruz, who volunteered his time before heading to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. “FFA builds communication, work ethic, skills, responsibility,” he said, the same character traits that Davis High trains in its students.

Leadership volunteer Monte Bates, a sophomore, said he started school last year worried high school would be too hard, that he might not pass all his classes. “I did,” he added quickly, with a B average.

But it took work, he said. “It’s not like junior high where they give you time and let you complete your work. It’s faster paced,” he said as the group took a short break.

Bates is in the Public Safety Academy at Davis and said he connected with a couple of incoming freshmen heading to the same program. His advice for all the newcomers was to join clubs and sports.

Looking back at the week, Bates said he would like to see more students in the program next year. “It really helps the freshmen to know our program and be comfortable in our school,” he said.

This story was originally published June 19, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Davis High welcomes first foray of Class of 2019, lets teen trainers lead the way."