The Spartan Shield has introduced two podcast genres titled “Voices of the Valley” and “Culture over Coffee” that are available to listeners on the multimedia page of the Spartan Shield Online. This media was introduced to students in the Honors Journalism course as a new way to present a different form of journalism to Shield readers and now listeners.
“Voices of the Valley” is a podcast all about PV. Listeners can expect to hear student conversations and debates covering school news, along with interviews featuring staff and students. Episodes currently available cover topics such as job shadows at PV and summer programs for PVHS students.
“Culture over Coffee” is all about pop culture and news outside of PV. This feature podcast takes in student opinion on the latest trends and global news headlines. Episodes available for streaming cover news like the 2020 election candidates and the Jonas Brothers reuniting.
Students are excited for the new experiences that come with this unique opportunity. Senior and member of the Spartan Shield staff, Brenner Stickney, explained what he enjoys about the idea of making podcasts for the Spartan Shield. “It’ll allow us to share news and things we like in a different, fun way,” he said. Stickney looks forward to taking the details of an in-depth conversation and putting them into a media for audiences to listen in on.
Maureen Dyer, journalism teacher and adviser of the Spartan Shield, explained why she wanted to give students the ability to create podcasts. “Journalism has a lot of rules,” Dyer stated. “I think podcasts give students more freedom. They encourage creativity and help make our site innovative.”
Senior and Shield news editor, Natalie Murphy, shared her experience after she produced her first episode of the “Culture over Coffee” podcast. “It was a great experience. It’s cool to explore and produce a different form of journalism for the Shield,” she said.
Dyer said the Spartan Shield’s goal is to stay up-to-date with current trends to continue to be relevant to readers and subscribers. With the increasing popularity of podcasts, Dyer hopes the Shield’s episodes will offer new content for audiences while providing a modern educational experience for students.
