Western Pennsylvania truly experienced its golden age when it had the small town appeal, the little family-owned stores on every corner, and of course the rise in coal mining.  One can only imagine the struggles all coal miners, young and old, face every day.  Andy McAllister of Ligonier Valley, Watershed Coordinator for the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR), illustrates these struggles in his documentary “Out of the Ground.”  Featuring music by Ken Bonfield, “Out of the Ground” is set in the Pittsburgh area and shows the true colors brought out by coal mining in the past century.  The documentary was presented to the public in the Center for Student Creativity at the senior high school on Thursday, March 4 at 7 P.M.

Mr. Wetzel, a social studies and Capstone teacher at GLHS, made it possible for McAllister to present his work within the school.  “One day I was reading the paper and came across a story on the documentary since it was playing at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve.  I went to watch it there and thought that it was my role as the Capstone teacher to bring the flavor of local history to show to the class,” said Wetzel.

McAllister benefits greatly from publicity, because the more people who view his documentary, the more potential it has to be successful.  “After he agreed to come present to my class, I thought I would reciprocate by opening it to the public here at the high school.”  All students and community members in attendance enjoyed the presentation.