Article published June 14, 2006

Mars teen makes history
He wins national award

MARS — At first, history was just a passing interest to Matt Cesare.
But learning about the Battle of Gettysburg in fourth grade piqued his interest.
At 12, he started working with the Mars Historical Society and its efforts to restore and relocate the Mars Train Station.

Just last year, the now-18-year-old started volunteering with the Strand Theater Initiative in its efforts to renovate the old Zelienople theater.
His love of history was rewarded in May when the History Channel network named him the "Save Our History" Student of the Year.

The national award, which is part of the History Channel's history education and preservation initiative, also includes a $5,000 scholarship and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the awards ceremony, which was held last week.

For Cesare, the award was a shock.

"I was just thinking, 'Oh my gosh,'" said the Adams Township teen.
Beating out 460 other students across the country, Cesare said he is honored by the award, but added there are many other people who do work for both organizations who receive little credit.
"I'm not the only one out there that does this work with the two buildings,"he said.
But Cesare said the best part about the award isn't the financial assistance — it's the national attention his two projects are receiving.
Since winning the award, a film crew from the History Channel has followed the future Geneva College student around his alma mater, as well as the train station and theater, which has received the same attention as Cesare.

"That's even greater for me,"he said.
The film, which was shown during the awards ceremony, was viewed by guests that included first lady Laura Bush.

Roberta Tritch, Cesare's guidance counselor at Mars, said the application for the national award took a lot of work from a high school senior who was already involved in many activities.
"It's pretty exciting,"she said.
She said national awards like the one awarded to Cesare are tough to apply for.
Tritch said applications not only take a great deal of time — Cesare entered a scrapbook that included an essay and photographs of the relocation and restoration of both historic organizations — but also face enormous competition.

"You're competing against a lot of people," Tritch said.
Cesare said he didn't really consider the competition when he applied for the scholarship.
Instead, he said he applied for the award, which he found while browsing the Internet, because the award could go toward financing his college education.
And after reading the application, he thought he should apply because of his familiarity with the subject: history.

"It sounded pretty easy," he said.
For Cesare's father, Dominic, watching his son receive the national award was a proud moment.
He said as much as he wanted to see his son win, he still can't believe it happened.
He said Matt has always had an interest and a passion for history, which likely set him apart from the rest of the competition.

Cesare will study history at Geneva College in the fall.
While there, he hopes to continue working on projects, including a nearby train station, which he plans to work to restore, just like he did while in high school.
His intentions are no surprise to his father.
"He's beyond his years in things he's gotten involved with," Dominic said.