The newest members of the Rip Tide made a splash on Friday.

They are the River Islands High Class of 2029.

Most of the 304 ninth graders took part in freshmen orientation that morning.

They were led by upperclassmen in ASB Leadership and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – otherwise known as STEM, which is integrated with the CTE program.

The upcoming 2025-2026 school year will mark the first time that River Islands will finally be a comprehensive high school, made up of all four grade levels.

“Students can now have the full high school experience,” said Assistant Principal / Activities Director Nikki Seibert, who helped organize freshmen orientation.

The first day of school for River Islands and the RI Academies is Wednesday.

River Islands High Principal Carey Simoni is planning once again to have a school-wide Pledge of Allegiance to kick-off the morning.

According to Executive Director Brenda Scholl of the RI Academies, the total attendance – included here are three RI Technology Academy, NextGeneration STEAM Academy, EPIC Academy, and, of course, RI High – is 3,280.

Of that, 859 is the number of students at the high school.

Scholl has been there since the inception of the academies in 2013. She was brought on a year earlier, coming in as an administrator at Manteca Unified.

Scholl, meanwhile, is amazed at the RI growth and the culture, crediting the many folks – administrators, teachers, staff, campus monitors, etc. – involved in the academies of the Banta Unified School District throughout the years.

“It’s an amazing group,” she said.

The newest members of the Rip Tide made a splash on Friday.

They are the River Islands High Class of 2029.

Most of the 304 ninth graders took part in freshmen orientation that morning.

They were led by upperclassmen in ASB Leadership and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – otherwise known as STEM, which is integrated with the CTE program.

The upcoming 2025-2026 school year will mark the first time that River Islands will finally be a comprehensive high school, made up of all four grade levels.

“Students can now have the full high school experience,” said Assistant Principal / Activities Director Nikki Seibert, who helped organize freshmen orientation.

The first day of school for River Islands and the RI Academies is Wednesday.

River Islands High Principal Carey Simoni is planning once again to have a school-wide Pledge of Allegiance to kick-off the morning.

According to Executive Director Brenda Scholl of the RI Academies, the total attendance – included here are three RI Technology Academy, NextGeneration STEAM Academy, EPIC Academy, and, of course, RI High – is 3,280.

Of that, 859 is the number of students at the high school.

Scholl has been there since the inception of the academies in 2013. She was brought on a year earlier, coming in as an administrator at Manteca Unified.

Scholl, meanwhile, is amazed at the RI growth and the culture, crediting the many folks – administrators, teachers, staff, campus monitors, etc. – involved in the academies of the Banta Unified School District throughout the years.

“It’s an amazing group,” she said.