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Rainier Athletes Frequently Asked Questions
Rainier Athletes affirms students with a deeper sense of purpose and belonging by intentionally connecting a community of teachers, coaches, families, and mentors.
What is Rainier Athletes (RA)?
Rainier Athletes is a long-term mentoring program that begins supporting students and their families in 4th and 5th grade and continues through middle, high school, and beyond. The heart of Rainier Athletes is community engagement and mentorship.
To help uncover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ that drives Rainier Athletes, please watch our (4min) video.
What are the benefits of joining Rainier Athletes?
Once a student becomes a Rainier Athlete and through elementary and middle school, the student is paired with a volunteer mentor who is responsible for aligning the student’s core community of teachers, coaches, and family in support of the student. RA students also participate in organized youth sports and extracurricular activities. In this way, sports and activities are used as a vehicle to engage more deeply with students and their families.
Rainier Athletes works to connect RA students and families to resources in the community, including partnering with organized activities and youth sports teams to offset the costs. This includes registration fees, equipment and other related costs. RA’s partnerships ensure that RA students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports and extracurricular activities year-round, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, football, drama, robotics and more!
How are students and families selected to join Rainier Athletes?
Rainier Athletes is looking for 4th-7th grade girls and boys in the Bellevue School District who:
Are willing and interested to engage with a mentor, someone who will build an ongoing relationship with the student, their family, teachers, and coaches.
Are interested in participating on organized activities and youth sports teams and engaging with the community.
Have parents/guardians who are willing to be involved, communicate, and reinforce RA expectations and commitments with the student.
***Please note, the RA Application will ask about Free or Reduced Lunch program qualification. A family that does not qualify for F/R lunch, may still apply for Rainier Athletes and will be asked to explain how and why they would benefit from Rainier Athletes and therefore financial and community resources.
Students and their parents/guardians should be aware that joining Rainier Athletes means a long-term commitment through middle and ultimately high school graduation and beyond. When students and families join Rainier Athletes, it is expected that they prioritize Rainier Athletes in their lives.
How long does the Rainier Athletes program last?
The program supports selected students through high school graduation and beyond. The RA goal is to keep students engaged for life – we encourage selected students to come back as mentors and coaches and support future generations of Rainier Athletes. For this reason, we are very particular in the students and families we select.
I’m only interested in playing one sport, can I still be a Rainier Athlete?
Rainier Athletes recommends students participate in more than one sport and activity to ensure they are engaged year-round and in 4th and 5th grade, participating in multiple activities is a requirement. As students enter middle school, they can make an informed decision about interest in a specific activity but all students are encouraged to expand their comfort zone and try a variety of sports and extracurricular activities throughout the year!
I’m only interested in playing sports and I don’t want a mentor, can I still be a Rainier Athlete?
No, the heart of Rainier Athletes is mentorship and therefore all students that are a part of Rainier Athletes have a mentor! The mentor is responsible for aligning the student’s core community of teachers, coaches, and family in support of the student and most importantly, building a relationship with the student by meeting at least once a week. If you have no interest in a mentor, we can help connect you with sports organizations directly that offer scholarships and discounts based on financial need.
How can I apply to be a Rainier Athlete?
If you are interested in joining Rainier Athletes, you must attend an information session before completing an application.
After attending an information session, you will complete an application that is available either online or printed on paper in both Spanish and English. If you complete the printable form, you can return it to your school counselor or administration. You can also mail it to the RA office (RAINIER ATHLETES; 3120 139th Ave SE, 5th Floor; Bellevue, WA 98005). After applications are submitted, RA staff will contact you directly to learn more about your interest and either suggest other athletic, mentorship, and/or community engagement opportunities or schedule an interview and ultimately pair the student with a volunteer mentor.