MOOSE JAW — Westmount School is giving students a creative voice and teaching valuable skills with an ongoing podcast project now led by around eight students at the school.
Through the “Word on Westmount” initiative, four podcasts have been published so far this academic year giving students a platform to share their stories, opinions, and ideas, all while honing their skills in communication, technology, and teamwork.
The latest podcast, “Anticipation of the New School,” was led by students Jordyn and Jaxton who interviewed Grade 3 student Attica and Grade 6 student Hannah about their thoughts on the new Coteau Hills Elementary School published on Jan. 15.
“Here we are in January with all that prep work done, and the students are now putting together their podcasts and then we’re uploading them to Spotify. Then, we’re able to pump it out to the public so that they can hear what’s going on around Westmount,” said Trish Alexander, the school’s principal.
The three earlier podcasts included an interview with Wesley Erskine, a Grade 4 student whose concept art was selected for the new Coteau Hills Elementary School logo, an interview with the school’s curling team, and interviews with students who are preparing for the upcoming Heritage Fair in March.
The podcast program began as a teacher-led initiative around two years ago and was the brainchild of Mr. Angus McIntosh, the former vice-principal at Westmount.
“He would interview staff and students around our building about different events that were happening,” Alexander recalled. “Then, he was given a job at another school and the podcast equipment kind of sat in the back for a bit.
“One day when I was back there, I thought, ‘Well, we need to rejuvenate our podcast club,’” she said. Instead of continuing in the same format, she decided to have students lead it this time around.
The project teaches students how to interview effectively, speak thoughtfully, and how to engage an audience with genuine and authentic conversations. Students also gain technical expertise from using podcasting equipment, preparing for interviews, and crafting meaningful questions.
Alexander hopes the club can now produce a consistent weekly podcast on Wednesdays.
Some of their peers are currently running a similar student-run live announcement program in a green room set up at the school, with weekly announcements shared on the school’s YouTube channel, @westmountschool5434. The podcast club will now adopt this concept using a professional soundboard and audio-only content.
The project has been off to a slow start, Alexander noted, but once students get better at the technical details it’s expected to take off and gain a larger following. Two additional podcasts are now completed and are expected to be launched in February — which is also when she hopes to see regular weekly podcasts begin.
The pending move to the new Coteau Hills Elementary School isn’t expected to hinder the podcast program. “We’ll definitely have a podcast club there as well,” she confirmed.
Her optimism stems from observing a growing student confidence through the program and their increasingly thoughtful interview questions.
“I just think it’s awesome, and it’s student led. That, to me, is more important than anything,” Alexander said. “It’s about them learning the skills to… maybe be on the radio someday, or somebody (may) take a career in this area — because they were part of a podcast club in elementary school.”
Westmount Elementary School is located at 1100 Currie Crescent and can be reached at 306-694-5999.
The student podcasts can be accessed through the school’s Facebook page, ‘Westmount Elementary School,’ or on Spotify by searching for ‘Word on Westmount.’
