[Munchskull]

^ Beat me to it.

The best advice I can give IMHO is make sure that students understand the stress that can a company build season. Also what I found personally helpful when I was an eight grader (four years ago) was I ended up shadowing older members of the team for most of the season, (this may be because I was a special case for our team barring me from operating any machines and large powertools), the experience that the new students can get from shadowing is very educational.

That said the team environment for me was the most important factor in how enjoyable and rewarding ever things were. I think that making new students feel welcome and among friends is just as important as teaching new skills. That way they will stay for the years to come ( it sure worked for me).

TL;DR : What I enjoyed as an eight grade on my team was shadowing older students and learning from them, and the welcoming environment that lead to many friendships.