"Northside, we really get criticized for a lot of things but honestly this right here is a start to a new beginnings because Harvard is a top notch school" says Northside Senior Aaliyah Solomon
Harvard University and Northside High are now partners in educating these nine seniors via an online extension program.
The school is one of 32 in the nation selected by Harvard University to take part in dual enrollment courses.
"We're really lucky to be able to take this class in which we study poetry in a way that is really appealing to the students because its rooted in the most influential American poet, Walt Whitman and takes us through today," says the students' English teacher, Elizabeth Sonnier, who is taking the Harvard class alongside the high schoolers.
It's drawing student interest to poetry, but more importantly to opportunities many of them didn't believe would be in their cards.
"This is an earth shattering change for these kids because a lot of them may think college is out of their reach and here we get to bring it directly to them," says Sonnier.
"Usually our school doesn't get these type of acquirements or partnerships, so it kind of made me feel special that we were partnered with a top notch school like Harvard,"
The students in this class say their younger counterparts have been asking how they can get involved down the road, and they're now feeling the push to look for ways to advance their learning in other subjects like math and the arts.