Friends of Sean Sandmann recently gathered in the atrium of John Stark Regional High School in Weare, where they quietly paid their respects and wrote heartfelt messages on a small memorial.

This fall, Sandmann would have been a senior at the school.

According to police, Sandmann, 17, was riding a 2009 Kawasaki motorcycle east on Reservoir Drive on the afternoon of July 27 when he crossed over the center of the road on a corner and collided head-on with a 2006 Ford F-350.

Rescue personnel performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but Sandmann died at Concord Hospital.

Senior Matthew Gonthier, 17, said he has known Sandmann since the fourth grade.

“Here at the high school -- the atrium – this is where we hung out during lunches, breaks … he was always around,” said Gonthier.

He said Sandmann always made time for others.

“Sean was very outgoing; he would even laugh just to make you feel good, you know what I mean? He’d tell a stupid joke and he’d laugh along with you,” Gonthier said, pausing to compose himself.

“He would listen. You’d come in and be like, ‘Aw, dude, I had so much homework last night,’ or, ‘I couldn’t do this because of that’ or whatever it was … he’d just sit there and listen to whatever was going on with you that day.”

Principal Michael Turmelle described Sandmann as being a “fairly quiet, unassuming kid,” who went about his business and had a lot of friends.

Turmelle said Sandmann was also an avid mountain biker.

Kyle Morin, 16, and Zach Russell, 17, said Sandmann loved riding his mountain bike for fun and in downhill-style competitions.

Morin said he’d always remember a camping trip he took with Sandmann. “One time we were camping out in the woods by his house and he found a spot; we set up a tent, made a fire and we hung out all night in the woods,” Morin said. Russell chuckled, adding: “Then it started to pour and we had to run inside. We all camped in his basement.” “It was just great to be with him, and we talked about everything,” Morin said.

Beyond the walls of John Stark High, a steady stream of people who knew Sandmann stopped at the crash site on Reservoir Drive.

There, students put together a memorial featuring roses, cards, notes and several white crosses and gathered to talk about the impact Sean had on their lives, Russell said. “I don’t think there is a kid that didn’t like him,” he said. “We made a memorial for him at the crash site, and (Monday) night there was probably 40 people there and not one of us really knew each other.”

Sandmann was the son of Randall Gardner and Jean Elizabeth Sandmann, and brother to Ryan Sullivan Sandmann.

Memorial donations can be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 814 Elm St., Suite 300, Manchester, NH 03101.