High school students today have lived through some historic moments. A new series follows a cohort from Cheyenne and Sheridan as they spent the past year getting an up-close education in civics, government and politics.

Students from Sheridan High School and Cheyenne South competed in the “We The People” competition. It’s similar to other student contests like the Scripps National Spelling Bee – but for the U.S. Constitution.

Their journey to the national stage with Cheyenne South social studies teacher Erin Lindt is one of the story lines of a new PBS documentary series called “Citizen Nation.”

“I tell my students all the time: This is the most important class you will take in your high school career,” Lindt said. “You need to know your rights. You need to know, if there’s an issue, how to solve a problem.”

“My students are perpetually always fighting this reputation of what people think of the South Side and our kids. But the second you step in here, we take care of each other, because we’re the underdogs.”

Citizen Nation premiers on Oct. at 8 p.m. on Wyoming PBS. There will be four, 60-minute episodes. Watch the trailer here.