National History Day Regional Competition Selects Champions CENTERVILLE (Lancaster Co.) Approximately 300 sixth to 12th grade students from Lan caster and surrounding counties showed off their history skills and knowledge at National His tory Day’s regional competition on April 6. The Heritage Center Museum coordinated the compe tition at Centerville Middle School, Lancaster. Recipient of the local history junior award is Rebecca Stumpt, who receives her award from Kim Fortney, direc tor of education for the Heritage Center Museum. Farm Accident Victim Will Speak At Somerset Farm Safety Day SANDRA LEPLEY Somerset Co. Correspondent SOMERSET (Somerset Co.) This year in Somerset County, farm kids will have an opportuni ty to participate in Farm Safety Day Kids Camp from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at the Berlin Community Grove. In 2000, Farm Safety Day was held at Scheffel Equipment in Somerset and focused on farm ers. This year the emphasis will be on a child’s role in safety on Planners for the Farm Safety Day Kids Camp in Somer set County discuss the event scheduled for. Saturday, April 20, at Berlin Community Grove. Bill Blough, left, a local farmer and chairman of the Somerset Farm Safety Coalition, explains how a simple mistake cost him his arm in a farm accident. With Blough are Miguel Saviroff, Som erset County extension agent with Penn State University, and Connie Oshop, field inspector with Schneider’s Dairy in Pittsburgh. “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” was the theme for this year’s competition, in which students’ works were judged by teams of professionals worldng in history-related fields. The stu dents entered individually or in teams of two to five and chose from one of four categories for their entries: historical paper, ex hibit, documentary, or perform- the family farm. The event was not held last year. “When you stop and think about safety, many, many times it is an adult involved in an farm accident, but it is more than like ly a child will find that adult,” reasoned Connie Oshop, field in spector for Schneiders Dairy in Pittsburgh, event sponsor. “Most farm kids are running heavy equipment at a young age so they are definitely at risk.” Somerset Farm Safety Coali- . ance. In creating their entries, stu dents follow detailed rules and perform all research and prepar ation themselves, without any adult assistance. “The young people who partic ipate in History Day devote months to researching and devel oping their entries,” says Kim Fortney, who, as the Heritage Center Museum’s director of edu cation, coordinated the regional event. “Much like the Science Fair, the regional competition of National History Day provides a forum at which the students can present their work for objective review.” Award winners in first, second, and third place in each category will advance to the state competi tion, to be held at Penn State University on May 8-9. Capping the awards program was a special award for the Best Local History Entry in the junior and senior divisions, sponsored by the Oxford Foundation and V. Ronald Smith, respectively. Stu dents were eligible to receive this award if their entry related to the history of one or more of the three counties in the district: Lancaster, Lebanon, and Berks. Local history topics this year in cluded Thaddeus Stevens, the Underground Railroad and the Fulton Opera House. tion and Penn State Cooperative Extension in Somerset are also program sponsors. According to Miquel Saviroff, extension agent in Somerset County, each year in the U.S., children experience fatal and nonfatal injuries associated with production agriculture. Primary causes of these injuries include tractors, farm machinery, live stock, building structures and falls, Saviroff said. Children are also exposed to many of the same environmental hazards as those experienced by adult workers, including pesti cides, fuel, noxious gases, air borne irritants, noise, vibration, zoonoses and stress, said Saviroff. In 2000, 25 percent of farm-re lated fatalities in Pennsylvania affected children ages 19 or younger, according to Penn State statistics. National Safety Council statis tics show that tractor rollover, truck-related injuries, machinery entanglements, and drowning are the leading causes of death for agricultural workers under age 25. “Our primary purpose is to avoid accidents and create awareness in children, an atti tude of prevention,” stressed Sa viroff. “It can happen at any mo ment to anyone. Children must have respect for the equipment, follow safety measures and man uals and abide by the safety rules. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of accidents on the fami ly farms and even if one child is saved, then this event was worth it.” The program workshops will include the following topics: Accidents That Can Happen, first-hand accounts from local Gerald Huesken, senior winner of the local histoiy prize, displays his exhibit for Judges at the National His tory Day, Centerville. farmers; Bicycle Safety by the Berlin Police Department; Electrical Safety, Rural Electric Association (REA) and Pennsyl vania Electric; Farm Chemicals, Melanie Barkley of AgriKing; Grain and ATV Safety, Randee Ankeny, Department of Health; Life Saving Knowledge, Berlin FFA; Machinery Entanglement, Scheffel Equipment; Med-Star (helicopter), Conemaugh Hospi tal; Personal Protective Equip ment, Miquel Saviroff, extension agent; Power Takeoff (PTO) En tanglement, Bill Blough; Skid Steer Loader Safety, Scheffel Equipment; Sun Safety, Colleen Muscho, Department of Health; Tractor Rollover, Jim Harvey, Penn State University; and Smoke House, New Centerville Fire Department. Parents will be expected to ac company the children to Farm Safety Day. There will be a pizza party and ice cream afterwards. According to Dr. Dennis Mur phy, professor of agricultural en gineering in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, 44 peo ple died in accidents on Pennsyl vania farms in 1996. Annually, injuries serious enough to cause lost work time occur on about 10 percent of Pennsylvania farms. About two percent of these injuries leave the victim permanently disabled. Penn State is running farm safety coalitions in three counties: Somerset, Huntingdon and Juni ata counties. Penn State contin ues to be an educator of farm safety issues, mainly through Dr. Dennis Murphy, who is known on an international basis, and also through strong interest from the state’s Department of Agri culture. Penn State has several farm safety demonstrations to exten sion offices and ag high school classrooms. Penn State in collab oration with Pennsylvania De partment of Agriculture also runs a FFA and 4-H farm safety quiz bowl competition with the entire group competing at Ag Progress Days and the runoff competition at the Farm Show in January. “Too many times, we show kids how to use equipment or chemicals and we expect them to understand because it is second nature to us,” said Connie Oshop with Schneider’s Dairy, “how ever, it takes only a simple mis take to change everyone’s lives on the family farm. That is why this will be an education day for everyone.” For Bill Blough of the Jenners town area, a simple mistake on his family farm in 1967 radically changed his life forevtf*. “It could have bed worse but the power takeoff daft pulled my arm in up to the shoulder,” Blough said. “It was a cold day, Dec. 16, and the shaft was frozen fast to the cover when I put my hand on it.” That simple mistake caused Blough to lose his right hand and he now uses a hook to maneuver. “It takes only a second,” said Blough, who will give his account of his farm accident at the Kids Camp event on April 20. “In the past when I serve as speaker for these events, I have asked kids to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with one hand. They soon realize it’s almost impossible and it makes them think. We hope to make an impact on every child who attends this year’s Farm Safety Day and if we cause just one to stop and think before they make a mistake, then it was well worth the time.”