Sixth-grade students from Sharon, Farrell and Hermitage in the Quality Enrichment Studies program for gifted students are researching local history.

The students will be giving presentations on local topics such as Tara, Shenango Dam, Westinghouse, the Vocal Music Hall of Fame, McKeever Environmental Learning Center, the Buhl family, Sharon Country Club, tornadoes, City of Hermitage, Mercer County Courthouse and the Buhl International Rifalry. Students must conduct an interview to collect an oral history as part of their research for their QUEST project.

To introduce the unit, the students spent a day at the Caldwell One-Room Schoolhouse in Delaware Township with teacher and curator Mae Beringer.

The students dressed in the styles of children who attended a one-room school and also packed old-fashioned lunches. Students wrote letters to Mrs. Beringer prior to their visit, introducing themselves and asking questions about the school.

Denny Puko, member of the Shenango Valley Conservancy, conducted a historical tour of Bigler House, Kidd's Mill Bridge and the canal locks in Sharpsville.

The students learned that William and John Bigler grew up in Mercer County, attended the Caldwell school and then became governors of two different states -- John of California and William of Pennsylvania.

Joan Mooney, from the Victim Witness Protection Program, set up a tour of the row offices at Mercer County Courthouse. The students learned how to research deeds, wills, marriage licenses, birth and death records. Mrs. Mooney also arranged for the students to participate in a mock trial with Assistant District Attorney Brian Ferrone and Attorney Patti McBride.

Loretta DeSantis, president of Mercer County Genealogy Society, taught the students how to complete ancestry charts and trace their family history. Students will also research their family history and illustrate it in a unique way as part of the project.

The students toured Oakwood Cemetery. Greg DeMonoco, director of the cemetery, explained to the students how to use cemetery records to trace family history.

Students did tombstone rubbings of some historic markers.

The students also toured Tara and Buhl Mansion. A history of the Buhl family was included in the Buhl Mansion tour.

Students also toured the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Logan Rock, a sixth-grader from Hermitage, was able to see the song her great-uncle Joe Rock wrote for the Skyliners, who were inducted in 2002.

The project was organized by QUEST teachers Nancy Bires from Hermitage, Marlene Weisberg from Sharon and Jenna Santell from Farrell.