It's a test they passed with flying colors, literally. In changing hues, the New Year’s Eve ball ascended atop a pole perched at One Times Square in preparation for its world-famous drop Tuesday night.

A pair of public school teachers and their students will be doing the honors of flipping the switch just before midnight Tuesday, setting off the 60 second countdown.

“It’s nerve wracking, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m very grateful for this honor,” said Daniel Soto, a senior at Bronx Latin School.

Each year, the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment select a theme for the ball drop. This year, it’s climate change awareness.

“We’re honoring science teachers around the globe and the students and the young people that they teach who are really the key to climate change in the future in addressing it,” said Tim Tompkins, Times Square Alliance President.

Two city public school teachers will take the stage: Aida Rosenbaum from Bronx Latin School and Jared Fox from Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School.

Both are recipients of Sloan Awards for Excellence in teaching math and science.

"We’re actually trying to take these really big issues and focus them down locally as much as possible,” said Fox. “Our students are acting as scientists and our history students are acting as historians, so we take an expedition and hands-on case study approach to our learning in our school, which is something I think we do pretty well and I’m proud about.”

That’s part of the reason their efforts are being showcased on an international stage.

”I was very happy about that, knowing that the work that I was doing was being noticed by other people,” said student Ricardo Herrera, a senior at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School.

Tomorrow night, they’ll be surrounded by the brilliance of a world-famous ball, illuminated by more than 32,000 LED lights and some 2,600 Waterford Crystal triangles, and a gigantic party.

They’re also setting up the stage where there will be performances by the Alanis Morisette, LL Cool J., the Village People, and Post Malone, among others.