WESTPORT — A crowd gathered at the Compo Beach waterfront early Thursday to mourn and pay tribute to the memory of Max Harper, an 18-year-old Staples High School student killed in a crash a day earlier on Old Hill Road.

The gathering of several hundred people, most of them fellow Staples students, quietly consoled each other as flower petals were scattered on the water.

Harper, a senior, died from injuries he suffered after the dirt bike he was riding collided with a dump truck at a curve on Old Hill Road, near Partrick Road, shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

At the Thursday morning gathering, Staples students were joined by students from Greens Farms Academy, where Harper had attended classes for the first two years of his high school education.

Groups of young mourners sat on a stone wall near the beach cannons, or gathered together at the waterfront, tears evident on many faces. Some were accompanied by adults, offering comfort to those upset by the tragic incident.

Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Lt. Eric Woods, the police spokesman, were on hand to monitor the gathering.

Woods, who confirmed that an investigation into the accident is continuing, said there was no new information available.

“Today is a day for mourning,” he said.

Staples opened two hours later than usual Thursday “to ensure that our faculty and staff are fully prepared to appropriately receive our students,” Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice said in a statement Wednesday night.

“The entire faculty will come together, grieve and be provided guidance and language on how to support our students when they arrive, when they see them in Connections and also throughout the day,” he added.

“This loss is heartbreaking for our school and extended community,” Scarice said of Harper’s death, “and I know many of you, along with our students, will feel its impact in the days ahead.”