OGDEN – The first day of school of the new year is back in action for students in the Ogden school district.

Ogden High seniors began the morning with a “Senior Sunrise” where they came together for a pancake breakfast on Friday.

“Capturing the Moment” is this year’s theme at Ogden High.

Anthony Martinez, a 12th-grader at Ogden High and student body president, said it seems like just yesterday he started high school.

As he led the school into its final year together on Friday morning, he took the time to look back while also looking toward its bright future.

“I really appreciate it and I’m a little sad and a little happy at the same time,” Martinez said. “I’m feeling a lot of emotions.”

New this year is Ogden Tech, better known as “OTECH,” a unique new program. The district-owned school is located on the campus of Ogden-Weber Technical College.

Jer Bates, a spokesman for the Ogden School District, said this means students will complete their high school courses one day. The other day, he said, they will complete a career certification program through Ogden-Weber Technical College in trades and specialty areas.

“It’s not a traditional high school model. Instead, it’s a competency-based model,” Bates said. “That means that once a student is able to demonstrate mastery of any subject, they can check that off and move on to the next subject.”

Bates said this also gives students more room to learn at their own pace. If a student needs a little more time in different areas, they can do that and receive individualized instruction.