MANCHESTER — The start of a new school year brought a new beginning to the Manchester School of Technology, as the school welcomed the first underclassmen to what is now a four-year program.

The school will integrate academic subjects into projects centered around traditional and technological trades.

“It will give me a head start,” said first-year student Andrew Pinkerson. “I'll have a trade and I'll have a diploma.”

The state Board of Education approved MST as a four-year high school in the spring. Gov. John Lynch toured the school Thursday with School Superintendant Thomas Brennan and Mayor Ted Gatsas.

The governor quizzed students about their plans and encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities the school offers.

The transition from a two-year technical program to a four-year high school is being phased in. The Class of 2016 will be the pioneers as the school expands, with larger entering classes over the next few years, while the existing two-year program for juniors and seniors continues.

Enrollment is projected to grow during the transition. The school accepted all 90 applicants who qualified.

Traditional high school subject matter will be taught with trade subjects as a laboratory for applying academic disciplines.

“It is a new way of learning,” said student Jollisa Mobley. “Coming here will be different.”

That new way of learning includes letting students work at their own pace to reach competence benchmarks in academic subjects.

“It will be competency-based,” Brennan said. “They'll move at the speed of thought.”

Students were briefed on their first projects when school opened this week.

“I gave them a list of all of the competencies they would have, from art and algebra and geometry, from science and from English,” said Principal Karen White. “It's not just taking a test, it's demonstrating they know how to write, they know how to read and how to analyze.”

Not being tied to the traditional classroom pace will allow students to master the academic course objectives and begin working at a more advanced level. As they become upperclassmen, they will be able to move into job shadowing, internships and college credits.

Many of the students starting this week had identified trades that they want to turn into a career path. Some said they look forward to the opportunity to gain expertise in evolving technical fields so that they will graduate with the ability to keep up with change.

“I wanted to go to the Manchester School of Technology because it would help me prepare for my field in mechanics,” said a student quizzed by Lynch about why he chose the school. “With technology going the way it is, I figure the way cars are progressing, in the future everything will be electrical and technological.”

A lot of interest in the program comes from students who, at the age of 14 or 15, are already looking toward their life's work.

Many MST first-years show a level of motivation not often seen among high school freshmen. For some, the motivation comes because they know what they want out of school.

“I didn't want to be in a big school, I wanted to do public law and safety,” said student Tony Palladino.

White said the four-year program will allow students like Palladino to satisfy the competency requirements early, so they can continue to learn in real-life situations.

“Why have a student sitting here when they really want to be a chef or really want to do collision repair?” White said.

City leaders share the enthusiasm of school staff and teachers. Gatsas challenged students to make the honor roll and promised to return to personally congratulate those who do.

“This is something that is going to resonate with the rest of the state.” the mayor said. “People are going to be keeping a very close eye on these 90 students.”

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Bill Smith may be reached at wsmith@unionleader.com.