POST FALLS — Meeting new people in a big group can be awkward and a little uncomfortable.

But after engaging in icebreaker games and sharing some laughter, that discomfort melted away and bonds began to form between sixth, seventh and eighth graders as newcomers to the Titan Leadership Team started to feel more at home.

"That's the point of TLT," eighth grade teacher Janey Ortega said during a leadership class April 22 at River City Middle School in Post Falls.

"We want to make this a place where people like to be, starting here and hopefully making our goal to extend it even further so that every kid who walks into River City feels like they have a belonging and a place to belong." 

More than 30 sixth graders will participate in the Titan Leadership Team as seventh graders. To ensure they're ready for the challenge the first day of next school year, they have been working two days a week with seventh grade TLT students on basic leadership, what it means to be a servant leader and the expectations of being a leader of their school. They will also explore which "cadre" they want to join next year: Yearbook, Media Production, Student Athlete Leadership Team, Assembly/Climate and Culture, Marketing, Celebration and Entrepreneurship. 

The April 22 class was the first group meeting with the sixth graders in preparation for next year. 

Open to seventh and eighth graders, the TLT program has a theme each school year. The theme for 2025-2026 is "Ohana," a Hawaiian word for "family." Next school year's theme will be "Take the land."

"Any time we say, 'Take the land,' it means be brave, be bold, go out there to the school and do whatever needs to be done to help improve our culture," leadership teacher Ryan Heasty said.

Eighth graders Tanner Leiser and Mia Sharf are in their second year of leadership. They said they enjoy helping out the school and being good friends to other students.

"It makes me feel super good to help other people and to see other people younger than me in seventh and sixth grade looking after me and trying to do the same thing," she said.

They discussed their experience welcoming the sixth graders.

"Based off the answers they were giving us, I think they're going to be the right fit for our program," Mia said.

"Definitely very confident," Tanner added. "They know what they're doing. They ought to be leaders."

Eighth grader Peter Ratcliffe said he likes meeting new people through TLT.

"I like the lessons we do and I like applying them to my daily life," he said.

Sixth grader Hadley Glover was enthusiastic to be introduced to the team.

"I like being a good role model for my school," she said. "Leading is just something I like to do."

Sixth graders Gavin Rosenthal and Ryker Heitman were similarly stoked.

"I'm very excited," Gavin said. "I'm looking forward to becoming a leader."

"I've been waiting for this," Ryker said.

    Titan Leadership Team seventh grader Karli Blankenship stands on a chair next to eighth grader Peter Ratcliffe as they participate in icebreaking games with sixth graders April 22 at River City Middle School.
  

    Sixth grader Harper Payne, left, and eighth grader Ellie Ruth hold up their hands to each other April 22 as they find something in common during a leadership game at River City Middle School. It was the first day sixth graders who will be in leadership next school year were introduced to the whole Titan Leadership Team.
  

    Eighth grader Brilynn Hazlitt, left, and sixth grader Hadley Glover press hands during an icebreaker game April 22 during a River City Middle School Titan Leadership Team activity.