When Nicholas Vincent entered middle school, he could never remember his locker combination.

Determined, he wrote down his combination on a small piece of paper, kept it with him and most importantly tried not to lose it.

Now an eighth-grader, Nicholas felt confident enough to offer the advice to incoming sixth- and seventh-grade students during a new-student orientation at CY Junior High School.

That was about the only thing carried over from previous years at the school's official welcoming to newcomers.

The 2007-08 school year begins Monday.

Although about 130 new students still toured the facility, received their schedules and tried out those sometimes tricky locker combinations, they also got advice from older students and made new friends.

It's part of the school's new Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program for those new to the junior high setting, pairing older students with new students, said Randy Bower, one of the teachers in charge of the program.

The eighth-grade science teacher said the relationships students built during the day should last the school year.

Nicholas Vincent and other mentors had to attend 10 hours of training earlier this week.

"It's offering positive role models and positive influences," Bower said. "The mentors will be able to help them throughout the year, whether they are getting bullied or can't find stuff."

Each student is part of a small team consisting of about two mentors and eight students. Throughout the morning Friday, the group members got to know each other through activities.

This takes away some of the anxiety new students have about not knowing anyone, Bower said.

Anxiety was seventh-grade transfer Cody Hall's main concern.

"I am worried about people not liking me," said the former Paradise Valley Christian School student. Although he wasn't sure if the new orientation day would help ease his worries, he said he was already getting to know the dark-haired boy sitting next to him.

New sixth-grader Morgan Sanford knows she is going to have to adjust from elementary school to middle school.

"I am coming here with only one friend," she said. "At Crest Hill (Elementary School) we had only one teacher per class and now there are two. The classes are doubled here."

Students at CY Junior High come from every elementary school in the city, said principal Dean Braughton.

"Sometimes they have friends and sometimes they do not," Braughton said. "It's incredibly important for students to have someone they can relate to and feel comfortable with."

Braughton said these mentor and team relationships will foster a more caring environment in the school.

The school officials first heard about the California-based WEB program at a statewide education conference. The school sent Bower and instructor DeAnn Rochelle to a Washington workshop to bring the concept to Casper.

Before the WEB program, orientations consisted of parents and new students receiving their schedule and taking a tour. Older students were on hand to answer specific questions but weren't directly encouraged to form long-lasting relationships.

Friday's orientation started off with loud cheering and clapping in the gymnasium. Students didn't seem to mind it was 8 a.m. during the summer.

Bower led the group in several activities including a balloon-pop relay and some sing-alongs. As silly as some of the games were, they each had a lesson.

"One of the coolest things about this school is everybody has their own style, has their own way of doing things," Bower told the group.

Stephanie Lee stood out from the group, wearing a sparkled headband around her head and a handful of colored beads around her neck.

"I like to be a leader," she said. "I will be there and tell them not to worry, to find friends and to be proud of who they are."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@casperstartribune.net.