Student leaders step up at River City Middle School
Students from River City Middle School and adults from The Core Project work on a leadership and team-building exercise Thursday at the Post Falls Boys and Girls Club. From left: Emilee Hundrup, Kaitlyn Miller, Karmen Rivera, Maylee Stuart, Derek Dickinson and Karli Blankenship.
CAROLYN BOSTICK/Press
Paisley Roberts and Ashlynn Chambers do a buddy exercise during a talk about empathy at the Post Falls Boys and Girls Club. The students are part of the Titan leadership team.
Leadership students at River City Middle School picked up trash Thursday morning before participating in team-building exercises at the Post Falls Boys and Girls Club. From left: Isabel Heath, Nicole Harvey, Aubrey Heath, Lathan Black and Lucas Hunter.
Greg Sommers of The Core Project speaks to Titan leadership students Thursday about how they can get out of their comfort zones and connect with people that are feeling left out in their school.
River City Middle School students picked up trash before a leadership talk Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club in Post Falls. The student leaders participate in team-building and acts of community service to learn how they can help their peers and change the world around them for the better.
Teacher Ryan Heasty addresses River City Middle School students during a leadership and team-building exercise Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club in Post Falls.
POST FALLS — For River City Middle School students in the new Titan leadership team, this month’s theme has been all about empathy.
The Core Project speaker Greg Sommers brought students through team-building exercises and a series of discussions about not judging other people and including others.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Sommers said.
Being a leader in the community often means uplifting others who may be feeling left out, he said.
“I’m in this for you, you’re in this for me,” Sommers said.
Seventh grader Peter Ratcliffe said he has been focusing on how to cultivate a more inclusive community in school athletics through the leadership program.
“I’ve learned how step out of my comfort zone more I talked to new people,” Peter said.
Although she’s only been in the leadership program for a week, sixth grader Allie Garver is excited to gain skills to make the area a better place to be.
“It’s about getting to be part of groups and have a purpose,” Allie said.
The program emerged out of a need for student leaders to help classmates thrive instead of just survive, teacher Ryan Heasty said.
“They make them feel part of our Titan family,” Heasty said.
Currently, there are 90 students in the program ahead of the 2025-2026 school year.
Sixth graders joined the program earlier this month. Katelynn Clark, one of the new inductees, views the leadership training as a way to learn how to make other people feel comfortable at school and with one another.
Mentorship is a large part of the leadership program and students participate in cadres specializing in skills such as yearbook or athletics.
“We want sixth graders to learn those jobs before the eighth graders leave,” Heasty said.
Although the program is still fairly new, he said students have made a lot of progress.
Some students are brought into the program because they already have leadership skills they can share. For others, it’s a chance to grow into the well-rounded community members their teachers see in them.
It’s been all about new opportunities for student Dominick Buss.
"I’ve grown as a person to be able to see outside of my opinions and see other people’s perspectives,” Dominick said.
Paisley Roberts and Ashlynn Chambers do a buddy exercise during a talk about empathy at the Post Falls Boys and Girls Club. The students are part of the Titan leadership team.
Leadership students at River City Middle School picked up trash Thursday morning before participating in team-building exercises at the Post Falls Boys and Girls Club. From left: Isabel Heath, Nicole Harvey, Aubrey Heath, Lathan Black and Lucas Hunter.
Greg Sommers of The Core Project speaks to Titan leadership students Thursday about how they can get out of their comfort zones and connect with people that are feeling left out in their school.
River City Middle School students picked up trash before a leadership talk Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club in Post Falls. The student leaders participate in team-building and acts of community service to learn how they can help their peers and change the world around them for the better.
Teacher Ryan Heasty addresses River City Middle School students during a leadership and team-building exercise Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club in Post Falls.