Local students got to experience history face to face this week- when the Erie PAL (Police Athletic League) took a bus down to Philadelphia.

Around 20 high schoolers and a handful of program mentors drove down on Monday, explored the city all day Tuesday, and are driving back to Erie this evening.

“You know, this is where America was basically first started. And it’s amazing. It’s like, it’s not something we get to do every day,” said Alejandro Miranda, a graduated senior in the program.

PAL connects local students with police officers for summer camps and other events. While it builds trust between communities, officers also aim for it to let students travel.

“We feel it’s important for these kids to know the world is bigger than Erie,” said Tom Lenox, captain of the Erie City Police and leader of the program.

The city of brotherly love has lots of fun things to do, but also lots of history– especially with exhibits responding to America’s 250th birthday.

“You know, we all need to learn our history and where we began. Some of the ugly, which results in some of the significant things that’s happened in our country,” Lenox said.

An Erie News Now reporter joined the fun for part of Tuesday– and got to pick students’ brains on what they were learning.

“Stuff that I’m learning here, I learned in school already. But it is something that I didn’t learn, like about the cracked bell. I didn’t know nothing about that for real for real, because they never talked about it in schools,” said Jayquan Myers, another program senior.

Myers said that even for topics he learned about in school, there are more details and a different experience when learning those topics at museums and on site.

“Right here–” said William Przyblski, while pointing to Independence Hall behind him, “–is literally where it started. Out over there. That building right there, started the whole country.”

The trip exposed students to history, but it also had a bittersweet note. It was the last trip for seniors, some of whom have been with the program since its beginning, when it started 10 years ago.

“I stuck around for the dodgeball,” Myers joked. “Once we start getting close to each other, it definitely changed me. I’m not as quiet, like I used to be. And I’m more open. It pushed my comfort zones.”