They're High School Students – And Podcasters

What does it take to create a podcast?

For students in Jessica Robledo's speech and debate class at Kamiakin High School, it took cellphones and computers, plus enthusiasm, hard work and creativity.

The end result was a lot of learning and a lot of fun.

Students in the class created their own 5- to 8-minute podcasts on a topics of their choosing, for entry into NPR's Student Podcast Challenge. They researched their topic, conducted interviews, crafted a narrative and produced the piece, with help and guidance from Robledo.

Topics ranged from a true crime spoof investigating the death of Humpty Dumpty to more serious explorations of subjects such as mental health.

Ruth Julima, a senior, delved into the impacts of inflation. 

She chose the topic because it's timely and relatable, she said, adding that she enjoyed the podcast process.

"You can learn about things you don't know, and it's a good way to express yourself and be more open and creative," she said. "You can put your own spice into it."

Speech and debate is a new class at Kamiakin this year. Robledo said she hopes the class and the podcast project empower students as storytellers and citizens with sometime to say about the world.

"Most of the students have pitched ideas that in some way, shape or form, show their own perspective on their little corner of the world," said Robledo, who also coaches the school's speech and debate team. "I think it's important for them to know that those perspectives matter."