"Fretz is such a wonderful place to learn and grow, even the bears are knocking the doorsdown to get in," Principal Tina Slaven joked

A Pennsylvania middle school encountered a very unlikely student wandering their halls last week.

At Fretz Middle School in Bradford, Penn., security footage captured the wild moment a young black bear broke into the school around 9 p.m. on Sept. 19.

According to Erie News Now, the bear shattered a thick glass door to get into the front hallway, and continued through the front foyer to roam the building.

“He wanted to see what’s going on in here. It was kind of neat to see him. He was kind of looking around. I think he wanted to stay,” Principal Tina Slaven told the outlet.

The video shows the bear walking up and down the hallways, before spooking himself after looking at his reflection in a glass door. Just three-and-a-half minutes after he first entered the school, the bear ran off and exited through the entrance from which he came.

“Fretz is such a wonderful place to learn and grow, even the bears are knocking the doors down to get in,” Slaven joked.

Jamey Miller, the school custodian, told the outlet that it’s not too surprising that the bear was in the area, as Bradford is deemed “bear country” and the woods are close by.

“Whether it’s deer, coyote, bobcats, I’ve seen all kinds of things coming in in the morning, but never inside. Never inside,” Miller explained.

However, this isn’t the first time the school has dealt with the animal in the past, Erie News reported.

The school was placed on lockdown last year after a mama bear was pacing in front of the school while her black bear cubs were above her in a tree.

Before sharing footage of the recent bear break-in with the world, the school was going to keep the unusual experience to themselves.

However, school officials came to the conclusion that the visit was too special to hide from the public.

By Georgia Slater