ODESSA, Texas — The first day of school is always filled with excitement and nerves, but for students at Idea Yukon College Preparatory in Odessa, this year brings a special milestone.
Idea Yukon College Preparatory Principal Stephanie Eisenmenger said that "this is the first day of school, but it's more excitingly the first day of high school at Idea Yukon. We've never had a high school here, so we are really excited."
Idea Yukon first opened its doors in 2021 welcoming kindergarten through second grade and sixth grade. Each year, they've added another grade level, furthering their mission of getting students to and through college.
“We’re really excited to have kids starting their AP journey," Eisenmenger said. "They're starting some of their more advanced classes, starting to plan out what their life is going to look like in just a few short years.”
Helping guide students through this journey are dedicated teachers like Mr. Elmer Bolalin who teaches Geometry and Algebra I.
“I was here back in 2021, so I had this first set of students that are not from when they were in 6th grade in 2021," Mr. Bolalin said. "Now they're in 9th grade, so I'm really excited and happy to have them back again and being part of their journey in high school.”
Even with all the preparation, high school can still be hard. Ninth grader, Kelsy Jarvis has been going to Idea Yukon since 2021 and she said it's nice to be the founding class on campus, but the nerves for advanced classes are still there.
"These are all AP classes and everything's above what the actual class is supposed to be like," she said.
Despite the nerves, there is a strong sense of support at Idea Yukon.
"Say you're having a rough day," Kelsy said. "[Teachers] are always there to tell you, 'If you need to talk about this just let me know and we can talk about it, or they just make sure you understand everything before they move on to something else.
Mr. Bolalin spoke to how proud he is of the students he's watch grow and mature and how much of an inspiration they are to him.
He said, "every single student should go into and through college, so that's what really gives me the passion to teach every single day - to wake up every single day and prepare my lesson plan to the best it can be so that I can provide quality education for my students so that what drives me for, you know, every single day.”
With a focus on academic excellence and a supportive environment, Idea Yukon is paving the way for a new generation of college-bound students.