Students enrolled in the Early Start program felt first day jitters twice.

Early Start students attended their first day of high school Thursday, Aug. 13 or 14 and their first day of college classes Monday, Aug. 24.

Many seniors are taking advantage of the Early Start program offered through Lewis and Clark Community College, where students can take two classes for half the cost of normal tuition.

Lewis and Clark started classes virtually on Monday. Some morning classes were conducted via email, due to a worldwide Zoom crash, but Lewis and Clark has many other platforms where teachers can share information and contact students.

One of the primary platforms is Blackboard, which students said they have had difficulty navigating.

Senior Jon Zarr said he experienced issues setting up his Lewis and Clark account. His social security number was forgotten three times, and he had to change his username and reset his password multiple times.

Zarr is taking a music appreciation class; he hopes it will help become a better musician. During his first class, Zarr’s computer crashed, adding to his first day jitters.

Senior Madelyn Davis is taking two classes to get a head start on her general education requirements for college. Davis said the Early Start program has made her transition to virtual college classes easy so far, but she wishes that her teachers explained the virtual learning part of her classes better.

Despite the difficulties, Davis is excited to start her classes.

“I think it’s a great program and a great opportunity.”

Feeling similarly, senior Anna Keune started her class, Social Media Marketing, at Lewis and Clark on Monday. She is using the Early Start program to explore potential college majors.

“I’m just excited to start and try something new,” Keune said.

While seniors are excited for this new opportunity, it is not new to the school. Nelson Campus manger Tim Bell said the Early Start program was in place long before the pandemic. It was created to help seniors who graduate early transition from a high school to a college learning environment.

Zarr thinks the Early Start program “… would help students get an advantage in their college career.”

Keune, Zarr, and Davis, think this program should be advertised more actively at EHS. Davis said she thinks it is a better alternative to AP classes, and Keune said she would have made use of the program regardless of the pandemic.

Davis said she sees potential for the Early Start program.

“I think they’ll realize how much participation they’ll get this year and they’ll expand it.”