SOMERSET — America’s County again is in the limelight – this time as seen through the eyes of young historians in a 60-minute PBS video.
Stories covering topics from the dramatic rescue of nine men trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine to the promising green energy of enormous wind turbines unfold in “Our Town: Somerset – The Kids’ Cut.”
The documentary will premiere at 7 tonight at Somerset Area Junior/Senior High School.
It is part of the WPSU-TV “Our Town” series that will air on the PBS station at 8 p.m. March 5.
“The whole video was done from kids’ point of view,” high school adviser Sharon Warner said. “They filmed places they want to go, contacted the people to interview, wrote the scripts, and did the voice-overs and editing.”
About 35 freshmen and seventh- and eighth-graders scoured the county to ferret out its history – some spiced with a little intrigue.
From November through this month, they filmed 16 locations including the Flight 93 Memorial, Quecreek Mine, a maple sugar farm, the Inn at Georgian Place and the wind turbines.
The historic Summit Diner, Somerset Historical Center and Leader Dog for the Blind also were highlighted.
The students worked the phones and knocked on doors as they interviewed residents and county officials.
Seventh-grader Ravi Desai was drawn to the rickety former jail near the courthouse.
It was there he discovered the county’s dark past. Ravi tells the story of David and Joe Nicely, who lived around 1890 and were hanged after a robbing a man of thousands of dollars.
“They robbed a farmer and they killed him,” Ravi said. “They were hanged at the jail at the double hanging gallows.”
Planning each shot for the documentary taxed the students’ organizational skills.
Eighth-grader Amanda Barclay said the hardest part was organizing all the video clips for editing.
She and three other students – Matt Barndt, Hannah Fortini and Mary Lynn Retassie – filmed a segment on the elegant Inn at Georgian Place, a 22-room mansion built in 1915.
“We took turns with filming the rooms and asking questions,” she said. “But first we had to get background information so we could ask the things we wanted to know about.”
With a plethora of ideas from students, whittling down the list of ideas was important, freshman Aubrey Stull said.
“We brainstormed about the things we were interested in in Somerset,” she said. “You have to have your ideas etched in stone so you’re not all over the place.”
In all, the students committed 1,500 to 2,000 hours to the project.
Warner said the school was contacted by PBS about filming an “Our Town” segment and was given two high-definition cameras to use.
“We think this is a wonderful educational opportunity for students as well as a great partnership opportunity with the school and community,” Greg Petersen, director of programming services at WPSU-TV in University Park, said in a statement.
The project taught Stull and her friends valuable lessons about meeting deadlines.
“We had such a short period of time to do it (and) that worried me,” she said. “I think it would be fun to do it again if we had more time.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Somerset Area Junior/Senior High School students (from left) Joe Thomas, 16, Aubrey Stull, 15, Ally Link, 15, and Lora Skylling, 15, set up video equipment to film a science project, “Chain Reaction Contraption,” as part of a documentary for WPSU-TV called “Our Town: Somerset – The Kids’ Cut.” Submitted Photo
Discussion
Somerset students film documentary for WPSU-TV
- Local News
-
-
Johnstown man charged with giving fatal Methadone dose to girlfriend
A Johnstown area man has been charged in the death of his girlfriend, who died in August from an illicit drug that he allegedly gave to her while she was a patient at Indiana Regional Medical Center.
-
Somerset County teacher accused of using insulting names
School board members and administrators say they’re still investigating whether a teacher called her eighth- and ninth-grade algebra students names like “retard,” “idiot” and “moron.”
-
Seward tax preparer set to plead in federal court
A Westmoreland County tax preparer is scheduled to plead guilty or no contest to charges that he filed fraudulent income tax returns for his customers and asked some of them to lie to Internal Revenue Service investigators.
-
Blogging with heart
Anyone else have this issue: The more I know, the more I want to learn.
As I am writing my heart month stories for this week’s packages, I occasionally come across a term or description unfamiliar to me. So I look it up. And then the definition or article has something else that sounds important, so I look that up. -
Police probing financial irregularities at Indiana County parish
State police say they’re investigating financial “irregularities” at a Catholic parish with five worship sites in Indiana County, after the local diocese reported the problems to police.
-
Video: Young bear, wolf play together
It’s like something out of a children's book: A bear cub meets a wolf cub and they become the best of friends. Even though they are different species and ferocious predators, the unlikely couple stays pals for life.
-
Two Cambria district judge offices to be cut
Two of Cambria County’s 10 magisterial districts could be eliminated as President Judge Timothy Creany looks at realigning boundaries to cut costs while taking into consideration caseloads of the district judges and population changes.
-
Westmont couple inseparable, even in death
People who knew James and Marjorie Landis of Westmont said the two were nearly always together.
-
Company buys valuables from people ready to unload
Jan Hagerich’s buffalo nickel was “healthy” – which was unhealthy for her finances.
-
Special Olympics return to region
More than 300 athletes eager to show off their skills, along with 135 coaches, will be coming to the region to take part in the 2012 Special Olympics Pennsylvania Winter Games.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Johnstown man charged with giving fatal Methadone dose to girlfriend
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
