Even their professors are impressed.

"My professor found it interesting that I was in dual-enrollment," said Victoria Weichel, a senior at Wareham High School who is currently enrolled in two classes at Bridgewater State University — Oral Interpretation and International relations.

Starting in September, Weichel and two other Wareham High students, including senior Jeffrey Cifello and Victoria Weichel, took two classes apiece at the university, giving them what can be viewed as a head start on their peers.

“Having experience is going to help a lot,” said Bonfiglio. “It’s going to be a way easier transition.”

Last semester, the students attended classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This semester, they will be joined by senior Rebekka Blanchette, who has taken college courses at Bristol Community College.

So far, the students seem to have adjusted to the rigor of the academic life.

“Initially, I was intimidated — college was presented as all Advanced Placement classes (in high school)," said Cifello. "But taking two at a time, it makes classes really manageable. It was like taking classes that were in between honors classes and AP classes."

Wareham High Principal Scott Palladino said that going to college as high schoolers is giving them valuable experience — and in more ways than one.

“They’re saving themselves a good amount of money,” said Palladino.

As part of the program, the students only pay $200 per class, much less than they’d pay if they’d already graduated high school.

“Some of their friends are coming out of college with hundreds of thousands of debt,” he said. “(The $200 per class is) an incredible deal.”

“Dual enrollment decreases debt, and it allows them to start their Master's Degree a year earlier,” added Assistant Principal Debbie Freitas.

Bonfiglio, who took English 101 and United States History: Reconstruction Era to the Present, is the lone junior in the program. He anticipates wiping off an entire year of college courses by the time he graduates from Wareham.

For Cifello, who took Introduction to Folklore and Elementary Statistics, the experience has also prepared him for the difficult time some students have transitioning from high school to college.

“In college, they’re not going to tell you how to do certain things,” he explained. “They don’t tell you how to cite papers — there are zero instructions. You have to figure it out. There’s a lot more independence to the learning process.”

Palladino echoed Cifello’s statement.

“One of the toughest parts about attending college is the transition from high school — they haven’t eliminated it, but they’re coming close to it.”

“We know the reality of what we’ll have to go through,” added Blanchette. “We kind of know what we’re getting into before we go.”

Freitas said the program as it stands would not have been possible without the cooperation of Bridgewater State, which for the first time ever covered the education costs for the students — a major factor in the students' participation.

“They have embraced the community of Wareham,” she said. “We were able to bring this partnership together, and we’re hoping to grow the partnership. The goal is to grow the program.”