COEUR d'ALENE - About 200 of this year's incoming sixth-graders entered Canfield Middle School on Wednesday like celebrated rock stars.

It was the first time the school has done this type of orientation for the newcomers, and it was a smash hit - due in no small part to Stu Cabe's charismatic motivational address to the students.

Cabe is a regular presenter on leadership, team building and making connections with others. He also has a son who is student at the school.

About 50 eighth-graders volunteered to come to school on a precious summer vacation day to ease the sixth-graders into their new school. School starts officially on Tuesday.

"These sixth-graders, they are walking into the school and they are not comfortable like you," Cabe told the eighth-graders in a private huddle in the school cafeteria. "Everything you do today is for the sixth-graders."

Eighth-grader and mentor Georgia Worrell remembers being a sixth-grader and coming into the school for the first time and it was really scary.

"I kind of wanted to make this experience better for someone else," Worrell said.

Cabe ordered the eighth-graders to form two lines at the cafeteria door. As the sixth-graders poured into the room, grinning the whole way, they got high fives from their new upper-class mentors.

Meanwhile, the rock band Journey's timeless hit "Any Way You Want It" blasted over the sound system.

With the full group as his audience, Cabe advised the sixth- and eighth-graders "to be here every day" and make an effort to "make things happen," encouraging them to get involved at every opportunity and make the most of their experience at the school.

After Cabe's presentation, the eighth-grade mentors took sixth-graders around the school to welcome them to their new learning environment.

"With my sixth-graders I want to show them how to open their lockers," said eighth-grader mentor Kait Hunter. "Because on the first couple days of school I couldn't really figure out how to open my locker."

Hunter also wants to make sure they can navigate their way around the school.

"It's a much bigger school than an elementary school," she said. "And it's a lot more busy."

Among the many tidbits of advice that eighth-grader Max Peressini, and likely other mentors, planned to deliver to their shorter peers was, "Always try and get to your classes on time. Lots of teachers will chew you out if you do not."

Nick Lilyquist, the school's principal, said he was proud of his young student mentors.

And he really appreciated Cabe's efforts.

"Stu does a great job engaging kids, he relates well to kids, and he just knows how to draw them in," he said.

Lilyquist said the orientation - the idea to conduct this type of one was Cabe's - is a great way to take some of the fear and nervousness out of entering middle school.

"The real benefit is just to get them in here and meet an older kid, an eighth-grader, and for them to realize they're not big bad people," he said.

A lot of the sixth-graders have never met each other either, as about a half dozen elementary schools feed students to Canfield.

"A lot of these kids have never met each other before, so it's a good opportunity for them to branch out," he said.

The orientation took place in the midst of major construction at the school. The school is getting a 12-classroom addition and a second gym, and the final phase is expected to be completed in late December, Lilyquist said.