Cooper Dean is one of the first pioneers. It may not seem like that to him. After all, kids have been going to school for centuries.

But Cooper and 21 of his classmates are pioneers in the eyes of Bishop Hendricken High School President John Jackson.

The reason? The boys aren’t old enough to be in high school, yet like other Hendricken students they’re walking the school corridors, can be found in science labs, and are actively a part of band and other school activities. They are the first eighth-graders at the school.

Cooper’s mother didn’t hesitate when she learned of the 8th Grade SELECT Honors Institute. Cooper was the first to be enrolled in the program, which Jackson said could nearly double in the years to come. And as the first, Cooper got to cut the ceremonial ribbon welcoming the new program.

Speaking at a Mass of Welcome and Dedication, Jackson noted that 56 years ago on Sept. 9, there was another group of pioneers who started the school.

Jackson pointed out that this group of students, who only gained admission after intense testing, is starting high school a year earlier than their peers.

“A whole world is going to open up for them,” he said. “Their options are going to be tremendous.”

But they aren’t high school students, as Principal Joseph Brennan reminds.

“We’re not treating them as little high-schoolers, but eighth-graders,” he said.

Brennan said teachers know they are dealing with younger kids, and “that’s a big difference.”

Activities are planned for the eighth-graders, such as dances in cooperation with Bay View Academy and field trips that are not available to high school students. The eighth-graders can’t compete in Rhode Island Interscholastic League athletics. They will be able to participate in the Catholic Athletic League (CAL), and 13 of the group have signed up for the CAL cross-country team.

In an interview, Jackson said the diocese was concerned about a full-scale junior high program and therefore restricted the SELECT program to an enrollment of 40 students, with no more than two of those students coming from a single parish school. Of the initial class, seven of the 22 are from parochial schools.

According to a release issued by the school, “The SELECT Honors Institute is an innovative, five-year program for academically high-achieving boys entering the eighth grade.”

It goes on to say the program “will set new standards for Catholic 8th grade curricula in the region, with a rigorous academic track and opportunities in later grades for university-caliber coursework in subjects ranging from engineering to philosophy.”

The program is further described as featuring a forum to span grades eight and nine, which will use experiential learning and trips to museums, performances and cultural events to educate students about local and regional society. It offers a seminar-style courses with a humanities approach in American and European studies that will blend themes from English, history, and theology in grades 10 through 12, and an advanced math and science sequence through all five years.

“What we were hoping would happen is happening,” Brennan said in an interview. He said the students are excited about being in high school while still in eighth grade. He expects the program will give the cohort of students a “notch above” their peers in preparing them for high school.

And further, he doesn’t imagine them to get left behind or lost in the process.

“These young kids should expect to have 900 big brothers,” he said.

Cooper said upperclassmen have been helpful in showing him around and making him feel welcome, although “it was overwhelming the first few days.”

And what has he learned for far as a pioneer?

“I’ve got to try a lot harder in school,” he said.

The SELECT program is named for the Institute’s six core tenets:

l S: Scholarship: Students will study a rigorous curriculum in mathematics, science and the humanities, including many university-caliber courses.

l  E: Excellence: Students will train to seek the highest achievement in areas in and outside the classroom, including Catholic values that form them as faith-filled young men.

l  L: Leadership: Students will develop the confidence, critical thinking and communication skills to grow into their generation’s most valued decision-makers.

l  E: Expression: Students will discover their unique talents and voice against the backdrop of classical and modern arts, languages and history.

l  C: Community: Students will grow in awareness of significant issues in the neighborhoods, state, country and the world through volunteer work and knowledge of Catholic teaching.

l  T: Technology: Students will employ state-of-the-art tools to prepare to thrive in a constantly shifting global economy.

Families who wish to learn more are encouraged to attend Hendricken’s fall Open House on Sunday, Oct. 18 from noon to 3 p.m. There will be special presentations about the SELECT Institute throughout the afternoon. For more information about the SELECT Honors Institute, please call Cathy Solomon, vice president for institutional advancement, at 401-739-3450, ext. 163.

PROCESSION OF PIONEERS: The new eighth class at Hendricken lines up for Friday’s welcome and dedication ceremony. (Warwick beacon photos)

FIRST TO ENROLL: Cooper Dean was the first to enroll in the SELECT Honors Institute, and therefore cut the ribbon at Friday’s ceremony.