MANITOWOC, Wis. (WFRV) – It was an iconic scene from the 80’s film ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High.’ High schoolers visiting the county morgue.

Students in Manitowoc County did the same thing Tuesday as part of the ‘Youth Government Day’ organized by the American Legion.

“There are a lot of myths out there on how things go and how things are happening in the county,” said Manitowoc County American Legion Commander Chuck Augustine. “This will give them kind of an idea of how the process works and getting something accomplished.”

About 100 students took part. Most of them are juniors and seniors. But there were some freshmen and sophomores.

After being dormant for a couple of years, The American Legion says it was happy to see interest in the program had not faded.

From the hallowed hallways of the historic courthouse to the echoey hallways of the Manitowoc County morgue, the local high schoolers got an eyeful.

“There was a discussion about the drug issue in Manitowoc County. So, I turned into that,” Lincoln Junior Echo DeGrand told Local 5 News. She says after doing a firsthand tour, it reinforces her only aspirations about getting into law enforcement. “My dad’s a military man and I know my friend’s parents were police officers. So, I think being a sheriff would be cool.”

The students were up very early and spend all day on the tour.

And even though it took a fair amount of concentration to fully understand the roles of the county clerk and register of deeds, you could tell something was getting through.

“Like when you look at it from the outside, you’re like it’s just their job,” explained Valders sophomore Nicole Braun. “When you get into it you see wow do a lot. It’s a lot of responsibility.”