If you asked junior Cam Shelton a year ago, if he would be attending college in the fall, he would have looked at you like you were crazy. A year ago, Shelton did not know about a program that would put him in a college classroom his junior year of high school and would have him on track to earning an associate’s degree for free.

“I was one of the last people to know about it,” Shelton said. “I heard it over the intercom and I just went down to where they said they were taking the test to get into it and I took it not knowing what to expect.”

The other students he tested with didn’t know what to expect either. What Shelton was testing into was the first of its kind for the high school. It was an early college program. Students enrolled in it would go to high school for five years.  At the end of the fifth year, students graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, all at no cost to the students.

Being able to pack four years of high school and two years of college into only five years means that students start taking college classes their junior year of high school.

This year Shelton, who is studying to be an industrial designer spends his first two hours of school at Muskegon Community College’s Grand Haven campus. It’s at the community center. Then he drives back to the high school for third through fifth hour.

“It works, but it’s kind of weird,” Shelton said.

In total, 20 students were enrolled in the program for their first semester of college. Eight of those were from Grand Haven. The other 12 were from Allendale, Coopersville and Spring Lake High Schools. Cumulatively these 20 students had an average college GPA of 3.05. As these students continue into their second semester, the program is looking for more students to join for next year.

“I hope to just get more students involved,” Dean of the Northern Ottawa Early College program, Melissa Bultema said. “It’s a great program. I know everybody is a little nervous to be the first ones to try it so I think that is why were small this year. I just see the program growing.”

A meeting about the program was held to give parents and students more information about how to sign up for the program. If a student or parent who is interested missed the meeting, they can get more information in student services. Principal Tracy Wilson feels that interest in the program is growing.

“A lot of seventh and eighth grade parents are calling and asking questions about the program,” Wilson said. “This program is really enticing to first time college goers. They are saving a year of time, saving the tuition of that degree, the cost of books and fees. It’s a carrot for kids who don’t think college is affordable.”

To Wilson and Bultema, giving students a chance to get a college education for free is what makes this program unique.

“Certainly there are students in the program that are going to college,” Bultema said. “This program is designed to help students that not only wouldn’t be going or students that are maybe unsure.”

But for Shelton, he is sure he made the right choice.

“I think it’s great because I’m not going to be as in debt as I would be and it is getting me to think more about my future,” Shelton said. “It gets me started earlier than I would and it’s pretty cool.”