For roughly 2o years, Peddie has sponsored a junior class trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since all juniors are required to take some form of United States History, this trip allows students to become more deeply immersed in the history they are studying, especially America’s revolutionary era. This year, however, plans shifted slightly from the usual itinerary.

On Monday, October 6, the class of 2027 departed from campus by 7:50 a.m. Just 5 days prior, at midnight, the U.S. government shut down due to a standstill reached by the Senate on how to extend funding and balance the national budget. As a result, government buildings such as Congress Hall and Independence Hall were closed to the public, hindering plans to tour the interiors. 

“We anticipated that [the shutdown] might happen,” said AP U.S. History teacher Mr. Treese, who oversaw logistics for the trip. He went on to clarify that, although being unable to go inside the buildings was disappointing, it wasn’t a major upset to the day’s schedule: students were still able to carry out other planned activities, such as exploring the Museum of the American Revolution or completing a scavenger hunt in the city. 

Those activities took most of the morning. Afterwards, the juniors were given a lunch break, during which they were allowed to explore the city in small groups. This freedom to have fun outside of school is another great aspect of the class trip. According to Mr. Treese, one of his favorite parts about the trip is “watching the juniors […] get to hang out outside of Peddie, and go to lunch, and just see Philly on a beautiful day.”