NHMS eighth graders explore history at Oakland's Carnegie Library

Last week, North Hills Middle School eighth graders students on Team Heinz stepped beyond the classroom walls and into the rich history of their community.

Over three days, February 17-19, approximately 110 students traveled to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Main Library in Oakland to conduct research for their oral history projects. Working alongside library staff, students explored historic newspapers, analyzed photo archives, reviewed government reports, examined rare collections, and checked out books to support their work.

The visit provided hands-on experience in primary source research, allowing students to dig deeper into local stories and perspectives. Their findings will be combined with oral history interviews conducted with community members. Using both research and firsthand accounts, students will create either a short documentary or a children’s book to share the stories they uncover.

In addition to their time at the library, students visited the University of Pittsburgh for lunch to complete their day in Oakland.

This immersive project has been supported for several years through funding from the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) Community Engagement Award Grant. The grant helps provide students with meaningful, real-world learning opportunities that connect academic research with community storytelling.

Through collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, Team Heinz students are preserving local history — one story at a time.