There are the weekly assignments and a grueling term paper. Classmates eagerly discuss the upcoming presidential election and debate political strategy.

But in this college class, grades get sent home to mom and dad. And a discussion about Iraqi prisoner abuse is interrupted by an announcement from the principal’s office. The Central Maine Community College course is held at Lewiston High School.

“It’s in a setting that’s familiar to you,” said 17-year-old Strout. “It’s not intimidating.”

Taught by Professor Karl Trautman, “The Race for the Presidency” is the same political course taught at the community college in Auburn, with the same professor and the same requirements. In the class at Lewiston High School, though, teenage opinions often meld with college-level analysis.

During one recent session, a student deemed President Bush a “crackhead.” Moments later, the class was embroiled in a debate about the media’s influence over presidential candidates.

“When we see the humanity in them it kind of scares us,” said senior Nicole Willey. “What one person can run the country?”

Trautman, who heads the college’s social sciences department, said he enjoys the energy and enthusiasm that the 16 high-schoolers bring. He teaches the same course at the community college and hasn’t changed any of the requirements for the high-schoolers.

But Trautman has kept his discussions lighter and has tailored his lecture examples to fit a high-schooler’s mindset.

“It’s kind of fun. You can have a little bit of being a teenager,” said Trautman, whose community college students are often in their 30s and 40s.

The high school’s PA system, which sometimes interrupts class, took a little longer to get used to, he said.

College-level work

Students could have taken the political science course at Central Maine Community College, but officials agreed to offer a section at the high school. They wanted to get more Lewiston high-schoolers thinking about higher education and they didn’t transportation or scheduling problems to get in the way.

“We wanted to show them they can do college-level work, that there is no mystery in it,” said Central Maine Community College President Scott Knapp.

So far, it seems to be working.

Sixteen high school juniors and seniors are enrolled in the class, which started in January. They meet every other day for more than an hour in a spare science classroom. As with many college courses, this one relies heavily on classroom debate.

“It’s a point, counterpoint kind of thing,” said senior Patrick Poulin.

Students who pass earn one high school credit and three college credits, which can be used at a Maine community college or transferred to a University of Maine campus. Each student’s $200 tuition is paid by the high school.

More than a third of the students will be the first in their families to go to college. Many said the political science course gave them their first peek at higher education.

They like what they see.

Said 18-year-old Alisha Spear, a senior who wants to major in media studies in college, “I’m not a government freak, but I like the way it kind of gives you a feel for what a college course will be like.”

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