We loved hearing from the Student Podcast Challenge finalists!

What makes Michigan the best state ever? How is high school dating today different from when teachers were doing it? Why is everyone in New York City unbothered by the sound of sirens? [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( June 18, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Sunday! What makes Michigan the best state ever? How is high school dating today different from when teachers were doing it? Why is everyone in New York City unbothered by the sound of sirens? These are just a handful of questions raised by the middle and high school students who entered our Student Podcast Challenge. We at the NPR Ed team sifted through more than 3,300 entries, from 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It’s the most we’ve gotten since we announced the contest in 2019! We’ve spent weeks listening to, agonizing over and judging students’ work. And at long last, we’re excited to share our 13 middle school and 13 high school finalists. From these outstanding podcasts, our judges will choose one middle school and one high school grand prize winner. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Student Podcast Challenge! Maybe you, dear teacher, have stayed with us since the early pandemic, or you recently picked up podcasting classes and discovered our contest. And to our talented student podcasters: We’ve loved hearing about your lives, from the “field,” your classroom and homes across the country. So thank you all for sticking with us. We hope to hear from you again next year. Below are our 13 middle school and 13 high school finalist podcasts, listed in alphabetical order. Congratulations! Content warning: Some podcasts on this list deal with sensitive topics, including trauma and school shootings. Middle School [All About Tourette's Syndrome]( – Victor Intermediate School, Victor, N.Y. Students: Tyler Picard, Eva Cherpel, Zach Pallifrone and Andrew Noeson Teacher/Sponsor: Amy Smith-Faczan [Amelia's Storytelling]( – Hawkins STEMM Academy, Toledo, Ohio Student: Amelia Hankinson Teacher/Sponsor: Rodney West-Estell [An Assault On Our Future]( – Compass Community Collaborative School, Fort Collins, Colo. Students: Cole Anderson, Iris Beachy-Quick and Julia Walkowiak Teacher/Sponsor: Allison Horsch [Conscientious Consumerism]( – DeWitt Middle School, Ithaca, N.Y. Student: Corallus Meeks Teacher/Sponsor: Rosina Belcourt [DalyanAgcaNPRPodcast]( – Maret School, Washington, DC Student: Dalyan Agca Teacher/Sponsor: Senay Agca [Hawaii Innocence Project]( – Highlands Intermediate School, Pearl City, Hawaii Students: Brynna Colmenares and Emma Forges Teacher/Sponsor: Kelli Kajiwara [J&D Podcast]( – Millburn Middle School, Millburn, N.J. Students: Jhanvi Wong and Devin Wong Teacher/Sponsor: Emily Surman [NWEY Middle Schools Now]( – Presidio Middle School, San Francisco, Calif. Students: Norah Weiner and Erika Young Teacher/Sponsor: Jenny Chio [Self Care Fanfare]( – Charles N Holden Elementary School, Chicago, Ill. Students: Leslie Herrera-Godinez and Etta Nevius Teacher/Sponsor: Mark Stickler [Tales of Embarrassment]( – Charles N Holden Elementary School, Chicago, Ill. Student: Maisey Marshall Teacher/Sponsor: Mark Stickler [Undocumented]( – Seward Communications Arts Academy, Chicago, Ill. Students: Anian Andrade, Carlos Morales and Gabriel Mendez Teacher/Sponsor: Greg Michie [We The Students]( – Luria Academy of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, N.Y. Student: Mia Tweel Teacher/Sponsor: Chiara Cafiero [Women Life Freedom]( – The Northwest School, Seattle, Wash. Student: Nina Goldin Teacher/Sponsor: Susan Fine High School [Bulletproof]( – After School Matters, Chicago, Ill. Student: Natalie Martinez [Cracking the Nutcracker: Balancing Tradition with Progress]( – University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago, Ill. Students: Kriti Sarav and Sarina Zhao [Facing Fentanyl: An Exploration of the Opioid Crisis in our County]( – Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md. Students: Caroline Bathon, Maxwell Erlebacher and Lili Miller Teacher/Sponsor: Sarah Forman [Grief and the Power of Art]( – Cypress Woods High School, Cypress, TX Student: Cameron Wallace Teacher/Sponsor: Lori Andrade [How The Jackson Water Crisis Affects Education]( – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss Student: Georgianna McKenny Teacher/Sponsor: Thomas Easterling [Jiah Hwang’s Podcast]( – Stanford Online High School, Redwood City, Calif. Student: Jiah Hwang Teacher/Sponsor: Estefany Arenas [OCD 101]( – Emma Willard School, Troy, N.Y. Students: Patty Kongsomjit and Narmene Omer Teacher/Sponsor: Laszlo Bardos [Soccer in the US: My Obsession with America’s New Favorite Pastime]( – Branson School, Branson, Colo. Student: Ayah Al-Masyabi Teacher/Sponsor: Anne Hellman [The Down 'Loe]( – Enloe Magnet High School, Raleigh, N.C. Student: Leeya Chaudhuri and Jacob Harrenstein Teacher/Sponsor: Brian Hedgepeth [The Happiness Wish]( – West Adams Preparatory High School, Los Angeles, Calif. Student: Sara Roshan Teacher: John Foley [transAction]( – Clayton High School, Clayton, Mo. Student: Stella Plein Teacher: Amy Doyle [Trans Kids in America]( – Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass. Student: Dylan McDonald Teacher: Jennifer Billings [Undocumentary]( – Palos Verdes High School, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Student: Sia Presser Teacher: Kristin Lyons — [Janet Woojeong Lee]( Producer, NPR [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s get into some news … The U.S. Supreme Court, defying predictions, leaves the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) intact. [ICWA has stood as a landmark law]( since it was enacted over 45 years ago after a congressional investigation found that over one-third of all Native children had been removed from their tribal homes and placed with non-Indian families and institutions with no ties to the tribes. In a major victory for Native American rights, the court on Thursday upheld key provisions of the law. — [Nina Totenberg]( Legal Affairs Correspondent, NPR Georgia is changing the way kids are taught to read. [A new state law requires schools to adopt what's known as Structured Literacy]( in which students learn to break words down into bits of sound called phonemes. — [Grant Blankenship]( Reporter and Editor, GPB Two neighboring public schools show the inequity of school funding. In Pennsylvania, some schools enjoy abundant resources. Others are falling apart, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids and families across the state. But change could be coming. From WHYY, [the podcast Schooled returns for a 6th season]( with a deep dive into funding and equity in public education. — [WHYY]( A moment of joy before you go … “People originally laughed when I said [I] wanted to bring foster puppies into my first grade classroom. This year we helped 18 puppies get out of the shelter and find fur-ever homes.” That’s from a recent post by teacher Brooke Hughes, who runs the TikTok account [@Fostertalespt](. The Wilmington, Del., teacher is in the spotlight for her pilot program Foster Tales Puppy Therapy, and is sharing her story on TikTok and raising funds to support the program. [If this video doesn’t make you smile,]( I don’t know what will. But my question is, who cleans up all the messes? I hope it’s the kids! As always, thank you so much for reading. And Happy Father’s day, everyone! — [LA Johnson]( Art Director, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. 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