The "Middle College" concept, first developed at LaGuardia Community College in New York and successfully replicated at 18 other colleges around the country, brings a group of high school students onto a college campus where they receive some or all of their high school education. By exposing students to the college environment, such programs seek to encourage them to attend a community college upon completion of high school. In September 1990, the Fenway Middle College High School opened on the Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) campus in Boston, becoming the first program of its kind in New England. The decision to initiate the program was based on the fact that Fenway's graduation rate was 88% (28% higher than the Boston city-wide average); that Fenway's existing relationship with Children's' Hospital, allowing students to work in a health care setting, fit nicely with BHCC's health care degree programs; and that both schools had similarly diverse student populations. To encourage acceptance of the program at BHCC, memos were distributed, and faculty and staff were invited to the program opening to meet the Fenway teachers. In addition, a task force was established bringing together teachers and staff from both schools. To implement the program, BHCC provided office and classroom space, access to college services, and limited enrollment in college-level courses. Financed by the Boston Public School System, the program began with 150 high school students. Accomplishments in the first year included a joint mentoring and tutoring program and a teach-in on the Persian Gulf crisis. A currently enrolled Fenway student's perspective suggests that the program has the potential to instill a sense of freedom and responsibility in participants. (PAA)