LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – Middle school students in the Upper Valley are making their voices heard with a new podcast.
No matter what the topic is — the lunch menu, sports schedule, or anything else on their minds — students at Lebanon Middle School now have a say.
Eight grader Graham Sielicki says he joined the new podcast club thanks, in part, to his dad. “We usually take car rides down to the grandparents and my dad usually puts on podcasts,” he said.
The weekly round table is moderated by the 8th graders and covers current events from that week. “I really like talking to other people. It’s a stress reliever after a long day,” Sielicki said.
The club was started by Christian Terrym the school’s band teacher, who took an interest in the medium during the pandemic. A grant from the Byrne Family Foundation helped buy the equipment.
“I was leaving music one day and Mr. Terry came up to me and he just handed me a flyer for a podcast,” said Carter Breedlove, an 8th grader. She says it gives her the opportunity to fine-tune her thoughts. “I have an idea in my head about what I am thinking and then when I say it, I think something different about it. I might change my opinion after I think about it and hear everyone else’s opinion in there.”
On this day, the school principal is a guest host. It’s a chance for the students to learn more about him and for him to learn more about his students.
“What they generally enjoy, what they are not enjoying, and gives an idea for us as educators to have an inside idea of what they are thinking,” Christian said.
Not to mention, the kids are also learning the new technology, along with other skills. “it’s like building public speaking, you know, because you know that whatever you say is going to be out to the world,” Sielicki said.
The podcasters have been split into two groups because there has been so much interest. They record every Thursday and then upload their podcast onto their YouTube Channel every Friday.