Freshman year at Christ Church is full of change and mystery. The students have a fresh start in this new environment as they begin their journey in high school. One of the many perks of finally entering the Upper School is taking part in one of CCES’s finest traditions, the Freshman Mystery Trip. Various faculty members spend months planning a trip for the freshmen every year, and the freshmen are not told where they will be going. They pack for a bus trip and only learn their destination when they arrive. The trip is an opportunity for the class to get to know one another and help them transition into the Upper School.

The class of 2020 started their voyage off at 4 am on Tuesday, August 30 to an unknown destination. The young students were filled with anticipation as they could only guess where the charter bus would take them. Freshman Vasco Bracale said he thought they would end up in either Richmond or New York. However, neither city ended up as their final destination.

After many hours of driving, the freshmen arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following their arrival, the students and advisors spent the rest of the night at a Phillies baseball game. The ninth graders spent the following day touring The Liberty Bell and the Eastern State Penitentiary, viewing the Declaration of Independence, and running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art made famous by Rocky.

Freshman Nathan Depiero enjoyed the Eastern State Penitentiary and thought that “it was pretty rad because Al Capone was a prisoner there.” A group of freshman boys echoed praise of the Rocky steps, which the entire class ran up together. After a fun-filled trip, the students were now ready to start a great year as they drove back through the night, returning to school midday Thursday.

The experience was a great time for the Freshmen to bond as a class. The 2016 Mystery Trip to Philadelphia will always hold many memories for the class of 2020. It will be one of their first memories of high school and will be remembered not only for the many sights they saw but also the relationships they formed.