Fully Charged

September, being filled with Homecoming events, we wanted to give you give you a sense of what 'coming home' means to students who recently graduated. My guests, Emily, Drayton and Lincoln sat in the computer lab they once graced in seventh grade, and shared some poignant thoughts on the impact of Benjamin Franklin High School: The musicals they were in, the teachers they will never forget, their hobbies, and the school no-cellphone policy.

Sure, students love movies. But why would they spend their lunch recess in a classroom watching old movies? "Klicker's Classic Movie Club" is actually a club at Benjamin Franklin High School. They come here to explore various genres of movies. From "Gone with the wind," to "Princess bride" and everything in between.

In this podcast hosted by history teacher Jason Klicker, you'll hear from two seniors, Grayson and Leslie, about why they enjoy this activity and what they get out of classic movies.

His on-ramp was data science and geochemistry, but there are many other hats Dr. David Collings wears at Benjamin Franklin Charter Schools. Born in England, his career took him to South America and Africa before he came to the US. Before he departs on another exciting sojourn--Mongolia!--we wanted to catch up with someone who has always felt the pull of the Franklin magnetic field.

Coaches Dan Norris and Jace Smith discuss a powerful book, Extreme Ownership,' by two Navy Seals, Jocko Willink, and Leif Babin.

In this podcast you will hear how lessons learned on the battlefield could be applied to business and life. The coaches then go on to explain why Trust and Accountability are so crucial to their own leadership styles at Benjamin Franklin High School.

Two tough-as-nails cohosts, Coach Dan Norris and Ms. Yvette Rangel, talk to Lily Nugent, a student on the wrestling team about what sports men and women are up against. A fascinating insight into how they got to where they are!

"What did the Romans ever teach us?" a line from Monty Python, is one way of looking at why we teach and practice Roman virtues. Humor aside, the Roman empire wasn't exactly the paragon of virtue. Our two classical education hosts, Mr. Klicker and Mr. Finnegan take on this sticky topic with humorous analogies, but unfortunately no togas were used when they were in front of the microphone.

This year Student Government (STUGO) began hosting one day each of Opening Ceremony for Junior High, and High School - at the Gym, and Auditorium, respectively. Fasten your seat belts and listen to the back story of how they got there, and how they see it working out. Coach Pete, Logan Sargent, and Cameron Montanye host this show.

Our summer trip to Ireland and England finally happened this year, after Covid forced us to hit the pause button. It was a blast! This episode's co-hosts, Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Nelson talk about their experience as chaperones. Plus, hear students talk about their impressions of the two countries, and how it relates to what they learn in school. From the Irish countryside where they saw more sheep than people, to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. For anyone considering joining us this Summer, our hosts explain where we are headed. Enjoy the show!

Season 2 of Fully Charged kicks off with a fun topic, the two blockbuster movies about Barbie and Oppenheimer. Coach Peterson and Ms. Tracy discuss the cultural issues that these movies took on. Complicated themes of the atom bomb and communism in Oppenheimer, vs those of feminism in Barbie. The two new hosts make some interesting connections between the two movies, popularly referred to as 'Barbenheimer.' We hope you will like it!

Trinity Wright who has hosted this podcast is off to school - to pursue a master's degree in education administration. As a farewell podcast Angelo Fernando interviews Ms. Wright to find out about her experience as a podcaster, and how her passion for history --she calls herself a History nerd! - fits into her passion for education, teaching and current affairs. She also talks about her hobby of collecting vinyl albums - and if you listen to the end of this podcast you'll catch one of her favorite albums, scratches and all!