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Throughout Fall 2020, high school students in Rachel Murat’s AP Government and Politics class at Maine-Endwell High School used the ‘Let’s Talk About Election 2020‘, a national youth media challenge, as a framework to develop their own commentaries.
The KQED Youth Media Challenge: Let’s Talk about Election 2020 gives middle and high school students an opportunity to put their persuasive skills to work and have a real audience for the issues that matter to them most.
WSKG launched the Youth Voice media education initiative in June 2012. Through the power of media, high school students in the Southern Tier of New York State investigate topics they feel are important to them and their communities. Students produced their own NPR-style radio segments, offering the community a chance to experience an often-unheard voice of local teens. The Project:
Each student creates a storyboard and script, records, edits, and produces a short-form audio segment on a topic of importance to them. Students learn how to produce a National Public Radio-style story in the category of News, Arts & Life, or Music. Students’ short-form audio segments broadcast on WSKG Binghamton (89.3 FM) and WSKG Ithaca (90.9FM). We are proud to share these young voices with our community!
Last spring, four Ithaca area students worked together to write a script and submitted their radio drama to WSKG’s An Ear for Drama project. The judging committee unanimously selected it as the strongest entry. From here, the students visited WSKG and worked on voicing techniques and strengthening the script. In addition to writing a winning radio drama script, the students each took part in recording it at WSKG Studios alongside local professional voice actors. The students answered the following interview questions to share their perspective on the experience.
Path To Graduation: Putting Out Fires
Written & Produced By:
Nicole Keili, Graduate, Class of October 2015; and
Lennon Kruckow, Graduate, Class of June 2015 (and current Corning Community College student!)
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and
Corning-Painted Post Area School District
“One morning in high school, I got called to fight a fire at 4:00AM. The call lasted into the late morning, causing me to be late to school by a few hours,” explains Lennon. “I was spending a lot of time working at the fire department while I was in high school. More often than it should, the job interfered with my school work,” says Lennon. “Between calls early in the morning or late at night, it would effect my sleep sometimes.
Path To Graduation: Complexity of Confidence
Written and Produced By:
Mika Evans, Grade 12; and
Cody Scott, Grade 12
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and
Corning- Painted Post Area School District
It’s hard to think about how much someone’s confidence can affect their abilities in school. But your confidence affects everything: Answering questions in class, asking for help on an assignment, and even forming friendships. “In the traditional high school, I was bullied, rumors were spread and, because of that, I had no self confidence,” shares Mika. “I didn’t care about going to school or getting my school work done. But after attending an alternative school, my confidence blossomed.
Path To Graduation: Alternative Success
Written and Produced By:
Christian Ackerman, Grade 12, and
Brooke White, Grade 11
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and
Corning- Painted Post Area School District
According to the 2015 Building A Grad Nation Report, 81% of students in the United States are graduating. However, this leaves the remaining 19% of high school students who don’t graduate. What happens to them? For some students in Corning, New York, there is such a thing as a second chance. The High School Learning Center is just that: a second chance to be successful in high school.
Path To Graduation: Journey To Success
Written and Produced By:
Corey Hoover, Grade 12, Class of 2016; and
Joey Usma, Graduate, Class of October 2015
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and
Corning- Painted Post Area School District
The national high school graduation rate is 81% according to the 2015 Building a Grad Nation Report. In New York State, the average graduation rate is lower at 77%. One way to increase the number of students who successfully reach graduation is through alternative high schools. Alternative high schools are an educational option that allow students to work in an entirely different atmosphere, with different methods of learning. “The regular high school is different because the teachers there, they just want the students to pass, they want them to get A’s on their tests,” explains Joey.
Path To Graduation: Harassment in High School
Written and Produced By:
Faith Sutton, Grade 11, Class of 2016; and
Ryan VanAmburg, Graduate, Class of October 2015
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and
Corning- Painted Post Area School District
Sexual harassment at school is more common than most people realize. Nearly half of high schoolers in a 2011 study experienced it in a single year. And female students are much more likely to be the victims of harassment. In a school setting with large classes, it’s easy for this kind of thing to go unnoticed. “With the larger schools, I think a lot of things are under the radar and most people can’t really catch onto it,” explains Faith. “Unless it’s too late or there’s a lot of people involved, rather than just one person.
Path To Graduation: Teaching Students on the Autism Spectrum
Written and Produced By:
Jordan Phillippe, Grade 10, Oneonta High School
Students on the autism spectrum face challenges in school. They often learn differently than others. Joseph Yelich is superintendent of the Oneonta City School District in Upstate New York. Mr. Yelich describes how he makes sure, as a superintendent, students on the autism spectrum in public schools get the education they need. “We have a strong evaluation program and very well trained professionals inside of classrooms and out,” says Yelich.
Path To Graduation: Future Plans
Written and Produced By:
Merissa Butler, Graduate, Class of October 2015; and Skyler Callahan-Miller, Grade 12, Class of 2016
In Partnership With:
High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; and Corning-Painted Post Area School District
Skyler Callahan-Miller had a problem with traditional high school. “I had a lot of problems with attendance. I’d either have work or just say, forget about it, and not even go to school. [I had] attendance issues due to getting a ride or catching the bus or having to work early in the morning,” confessed Skyler. “And I also had a bunch of study halls that didn’t really help me at all.
Path To Graduation: Testing
Written & Produced By Nathan Schwed, Grade 8, Oneonta Middle School
With 22% of students in New York State not finishing high school in 2014, is now a good time to start testing against new standards? I asked two community leaders their thoughts on Common Core standards. Senator James Seward represents the Oneonta-area in the New York State Senate. I asked Senator Seward his opinion. “Well, I have some grave concerns about the Common Core, in particular, the way it has been rolled out here in New York State,” says Seward.
Path To Graduation: Mentors
Written & Produced By Kieran Jennings, Grade 8, Schenevus Central School District
Did you know? Researchers at the World Bank identified mentoring as one of the most promising approaches to serve at-risk children around the world. I know mentoring works because I have mentors myself, like teachers and aides, who help me stay organized, make good choices, and work hard even if I don’t feel like it. “One of the really important things that good teachers understand is that their relationship with a student is what’s going to make the difference for that student in terms of success,” says Thomas Jennings, superintendent of the Schenevus Central School District in Upstate New York. Mr. Jennings thinks that all students could benefit from positive time with adults in school.
Path To Graduation: Literacy
Written & Produced By Caroline Carter, Grade 10, Oneonta High School
You might not think about it, but you use literacy skills all day long. When you are checking your texts, reading your emails, reading road signs, filling out forms, reading food labels, and taking tests… To do all of those things, you use literacy skills. But did you know, that according to a 2014 survey, 1 in 7 adults in the United States cannot read? “Literacy really is the foundation for educational success,” explains principal Thomas Brindley. “I believe it’s the foundation for success in life in general.” Mr. Brindley is principal of Oneonta High School.
What happens when five friends decide to rob a bank? You’ll be surprised where their minds will take them…! Stealing with Friends’, created by (and starring!) Xzavier Villie, was awarded ‘Best Comedy’ in the 2015 Rod Serling Film Festival. https://youtu.be/xkHlJHLRwyI
This video was scripted, voiced, and edited by Abreham B., class of 2014 graduate, at Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum.
Cayuga Lake is taking a hit by human waste
Produced by: Abreham B., Ithaca High School, Class of 2014
Video & photography by: Nancy Coddington & Solvejg Wastvedt
In recent years, human waste is having a negative effect on Cayuga Lake. Microplastics are one specific cause of problems. The ecology of the lake is being effected and some water animals, such as zebra muscles, are digesting these microplastics. Bill Foster is the Program Director for Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom. “When we take young people out on the lake,” says Foster, “we teach them about the ecology of the lake and how this system works that they depend upon for drinking water.”
This video was scripted, voiced, and edited by Ihotu Onah, class of 2014 graduate, at Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum.
Mobile Research Center on Cayuga Lake
Produced by: Ihotu Onah, Ithaca High School, Class of 2014
Video & photography by: Nancy Coddington & Solvejg Wastvedt
A great way to catch some nautical rays, the boat itself doubles as a mobile research center. The program offers public eco-cruises, group charters, and field experiences for school-age children. Their goal: Get everyone out on Cayuga Lake and learning! Bill Foster is the Program Director for Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom.
This video was scripted, voiced, and edited by Ismail Abdur-razzaaq, Grade 9 student at Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum. Tracking Invasive Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake
Produced by: Ismail Abdur-razzaaq, Grade 9
Video & photography by: Nancy Coddington & Solvejg Wastvedt
Bill Foster is the Program Director for Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom. The program has engaged the Ithaca community around the future of water resources since 2003. But, in 2011, one observant student intern created another important role for the Floating Classroom: monitoring the spread of Hydrilla verticillata, a fast-growing invasive species.
This video was scripted, voiced, and edited by Ijeyilowoicho Onah, Grade 10 student at Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum. Cayuga: Our Community’s Lake
Produced by: Ijeyilowoicho Onah, Grade 10
Video & photography by: Nancy Coddington & Solvejg Wastvedt
Bill Foster is the Program Director for Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom. Foster and his staff teach young people about the ecology of the lake and how this ecosystem they depend on for drinking water works. “When they come out and learn, they’re also making observations that become data,” says Foster.
This audio piece was written and recorded by students in Mrs. Gimma’s production class at New Roots Charter School in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum.
Permaculture and Sustainable Agriculture: Two growing agricultural businesses in America
Large farming requires high maintenance and very often the need for chemicals and pesticides to keep up with the high yielding needs. This is proven to be very unhealthy for consumers. More recently in Central New York and other parts of the world, farmers find that small farm operations, such as permaculture or sustainable agriculture, is worth the extra cost. It creates healthier crops and supports smaller business instead of large mono-cropping corporations.
This audio piece was written and recorded by students in Mrs. Gimma’s production class at New Roots Charter School in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum. Managing solid waste has become an overwhelming task. It has brought tremendous disagreements on how to best dispose of waste safely, efficiently and economically. The controversies range from the rising costs of disposal, to environmental degradation, to new landfills and incinerators that are needed.
This audio piece was written and recorded by Irene Case, Grade 12 student at New Roots Charter School in Ithaca, NY. Youth Voice students explore environmental science topics of personal interest while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum.
Some people see hydrofracking as an economic benefit. Others have many environmental concerns about the process. Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” is a process where water, sand, and chemicals are pumped at high pressure thousands of feet underground to crack the rock and release the natural gas. Fracking fluid is about 98 percent sand and water, but the remaining 2 percent of it contains potentially hazardous chemicals.