Students and educators from the Muncaster Challenge Program undertook a journey to freedom on October 8-11, reenacting a segment of the Underground Railroad from the Potomac River to Baltimore.

They were accompanied by filmmakers who captured the students' travels for one of the Discovery Channel's 26 episodes of "American Journey."

During the filming, students walked, biked, and boated to visit Underground Railroad sites and relive experiences associated with slavery and the quest for freedom along the Potomac Watershed. Stops included historians and local reenactors.

The Muncaster Challenge Program, designed to serve disruptive youth, incorporates cooperative and experiential learning. Muncaster maintains a Partnership in Education with the International Network to Freedom Association in its study of the history and modern day interpretation of the Underground Railroad. Also working in partnership with the program are the Montgomery County Department of Recreation, the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, and the city of Gaithersburg.

Discovery's "American Journey" series is expected to air during the first quarter of 2000.