- Brundrett Middle School in Port Aransas
- Group of four seventh graders started their own podcast
- Podcast equipment was donated by Port Aransas Education Foundation
In a world where you can be anything, why not be a podcast host at age 12?
That's exactly what Ben, Brady, Ethan, and Gunnar from Brundrett Middle School in Port Aransas did.
The 'Marlin Monthly' podcast just started recently. All of the equipment necessary to create a podcast was donated by the Port Aransas Education Foundation (PAEF) through fundraisers they held.
Michelle Parker, the English and Journalism teacher at Brundrett Middle, is extremely proud all of her students, but especially these 4 for being so eager to start a podcast.
"I was talking to my principal when the PAEF was having their fundraiser, and he got us on money boards to get this equipment for the kids. And I mean they have taken off and ran with it," Parker said.
These seventh graders are so dedicated to the podcast that they even work on it in their free time, outside of school.
“These students are amazing" Parker said. "They know so much and this is something they are interested in and so they’ll go and learn extra at home and even do extra work when I haven’t even asked them. And come back and say “Look what I did!” and I’ll just be like “oh my gosh!”
Parker is truly inspired by their work ethic.
Ben, Brady, Ethan, and Gunnar talk about various topics on the newscast ranging from sports teams, to fishing, to surfing, to favorite movies and music.
When asked what their favorite part about doing the podcast is, they said, "Just talking, getting to be in here away from the shenanigans, doing it with my friends."
The boys are very thankful to the Ms. Parker, their principal James Garrett, and the PAEF who gave them the opportunity to start the podcast.
"Thank you to the people who spent their hard earned cash that they spent hours getting, just so we could have a podcast," Ben said.
They learn how to use the equipment, how to edit the audio, and they will be starting to bring on interview guests very soon. They are also in the process of creating a website where people can listen to all of their podcast recordings.
The students believe that this experience will prepare then for their future careers, no matter what field they go in.
“It really helps social speaking and we can actually gain confidence," Brady said.
Ms. Parker oversees and guides the work that the boys do, but Marlin Monthly is fully student-run. She gave all the credit to Port Aransas School District for making this happen.
“If it wasn't for them, we wouldn’t have so many opportunities for our kids to learn new things. It goes beyond the journalism program.”
Ben, Brady, Ethan, and Gunnar want everyone to stay tuned for their podcast website soon so their podcast can be listened to by anyone.
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