Published: February 08, 2009 11:07 pm      

Students crafting history lesson

NORTHERN CAMBRIA — Students at Northern Cambria High School are trying to preserve a piece of American history that is often forgotten.

Fifteen students are working with the Coal County Hangout Youth Center to research, develop and write five detailed presentations on the Chautauqua-Hastings Labor Movement in celebration of its 85th anniversary.

Deacon Ann Staples, president of the CCHYC, said the movement was started by labor unions in the eastern part of country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“The unions were trying to make their workers happy, so they sponsored all types of educational and entertainment events,” Staples said. “Workers would get a week vacation to attend one of these chautauqaus all in the hopes of raising education levels.”

Locally, chautauqaus were held in Hastings, Nanty Glo and Cresson.

A $3,000 educational grant from the state Labor Education Center at IUP is being used to fund the project.

“The whole thing is for the students to take a creative look at the time period and explore what life was like,” Staples said. “The time period we are looking at was around the Great Depression, so students can see how everyone coped and learn from that.”

Students are working on their projects through June and will present their findings to Northern Cambria Middle School pupils in the fall as part of a state history lesson.

The project will be topped off by Anne Feeney, a labor organizer and entertainer, who will present a chautauqau-type program.

The performance will begin at 7 p.m. May 6 at CCHYC and is free and open to the public.

Student projects also will be on display so people can see their work.

The project is the 17th in the ongoing Cambria Re-Coal-lections series, which is sponsored by CCHYC .

The goal is to keep the history of coal mining alive through various types of programs.