(La Porte, IN) - A La Porte teacher and over 30 students are in Washington D.C. again today.

The eighth grade and high school students along with teacher Greg Samuelson and about a dozen parents are traveling to various stops together on a charter bus.

They also brought a banner wishing La Porte County Sheriff’s Deputy Jon Samuelson well in his recovery from being shot last month.  They’ have displayed the banner at many of their stops, including Philadelphia where they slept on a battleship and posed beside a statue of Rocky Balboa, the boxer in the classic hit movie Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone.

“That was great because Jon’s a fighter, just like Rocky,” said Samuelson, an eighth grade science teacher at the Kesling campus.

Samuelson, the officer’s uncle, said he’s been going on the annual trip for close to 30 years.

“I didn’t know if I was even going to be going on this trip because of what happened to my nephew.  We’re thankful he’s in recovery,” he said.

The group will begin their trip home on Monday.