The 9th Grade Experience

“I remember when …”

In our modern, technology-driven school world, adults will often get caught up saying that things were much better and different when they were back in school. 

But for Dorris Schaffer, she truly means. 

The 99-year old Emmaus resident was a freshman at Emmaus High School during the 1938-1939 school year. There was no fancy technology - just papers, books, and pencils. She selected her classes on the first day of school. She was able to go home for lunch and was trusted to come back! 

In the first episode of this special series, 9th Grade Experience Through the Decades, Schaffer recounts her days as she attended off-campus field trips to see Shakespeare plays, played on the basketball team, and recalled all the subjects she learned. She vividly recalls details, including teachers and classmates' names.

She also remembers an Emmaus community in which everyone was friendly and got to know each other. 

At the end of the episode, she shares her best tip for current 9th grade students about how to become better people and grow as listeners. 

This is an amazing walk through living history and we are happy to share Schaffer’s story!

For all previous episodes of the podcast, go to ⁠www.9thgradeexperience.com.⁠ If you visit the site, you can leave us a voicemail, an email or rate and review of the show.

Emmaus Historical Society

Thanks to Jeanne Harakal, President of the Emmaus Historical Society, for facilitating this podcast conversation and for the picture in the cover art. The society’s mission is “to collect, preserve and exhibit Emmaus artifacts, documents, histories, photographs and genealogy for displays and research and to offer educational programs and events throughout the year.” Look for more podcasting collaboration in the future as we highlight stories of Emmaus 9th graders through the decades. For more information about the Emmaus Historical Society, visit https://www.emmaushistoricalsociety.org/

Musical Credit

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music at the beginning of today's episode!

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit ⁠https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/

On this episode, we focus on the re-emergence of the Emmaus High School Freshman Mentoring Program. The goal of the group is to establish a sense of community by having upperclassmen mentors meet with and guide the freshmen during monthly meetings. They will have an opportunity to learn about how to become a successful high school student from their upperclassmen peers.

Listen as the the mentors, as well as the building administrators in charge of the program, share their reasons for wanting to be mentors and offer tips and strategies for the ninth graders.

For all previous episodes of the podcast, go to ⁠www.9thgradeexperience.com.⁠ If you visit the site, you can leave us a voicemail, an email or rate and review of the show.

Musical Credit

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music in today's episode!

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit ⁠https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/⁠

It's hard to believe but summer is quickly coming to an end!

It has taken over 100 episodes, but finally the tables have turned on me on my own podcast! Usually I am the one asking students, educators, and others about their time in the first year of high school, but on this episode, Emmaus High School student Connor Miller had the opportunity to ask me what it was like to be a 9th grader at Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, Pa., back in the 1990s.

We did this interview as part of a project in which he needed to find an expert in a field for his journalism class during the 2022-2023 school year.

He wanted to focus his podcast on podcasting and asked me to sit down with him and answer a few questions about my own 9th grade experience.

He was curious about class/school size, how I received extra help, the opportunities available to me and if I would go back to teach at my old high school. He did a great job getting me to reflect on parts of my own educational journey that I hadn't thought about in many years.

Hopefully this conversation shows that no matter when you attended high school that many of the issues students encounter as very similar.

For all previous episodes of the podcast, go to www.9thgradeexperience.com. If you visit the site, you can leave us a voicemail, an email or rate and review of the show.

It seems the dream for so many high schoolers today is to become social media famous. With over 30 million videos posted daily to TikTok, the odds of more than just your friends seeing your latest creation is fairly slim.

In this special episode recorded live from the Pennsylvania Convention Center at the end of June 2023, we sat down with 37 attendees of the 2023 ISTE Conference, including educators, industry experts, and students, to gather their best tech tips, time management hacks and other strategies to assist with a successful 9th grade experience.

The final 10 minutes of the episode features a longer conversation with Shaurya Sinha and Joseph Tay, sophomores at Stanford University, talking about their 9th grade experiences in their home countries, the idea and dream of coming to college in the United States, and what they are hoping to do in the field of Artificial Intelligence.Here is a list of the guest on today's show (arranged by the order of their appearance)

Teachers

It has been almost six months since his last appearance, so we could not close out the 2022-2023 school year without having Cole Stuchko appear one more time on the podcast to reflect on his 9th grade campaign.

Cole has been busy since December finishing up the basketball season, taking midterm exams, trying out and making the varsity tennis team and completing the year with final exam preparation. In this episode he talks about the importance of starting the year off strong to make the end of your first year easier and making sure you complete each assignment that is assigned in class. He talks about the challenge of being the only freshman on the tennis team and how he was able to feel comfortable with established upperclassmen. We finish the episode with some great tips for upcoming freshman to make the most of their school year.

For all previous episodes of the podcast, go to www.9thgradeexperience.com. If you visit the site, you can leave us a voicemail, an email or a rate and review of the show.

Musical Credit

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music in today's episode!

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/

Rosemary Lamparella, the current S.T.E.P. teacher at Emmaus High School, sees in her daily work the importance of helping students adapt, grow, and change to build the skills necessary to become members of a school and local community.

Even though May was Mental Health Awareness Month, she knows the social and emotional challenges high school students face can present throughout the year, even as we approach the summer vacation and strives to provide students the knowledge and support to assist them with their personal development.

In this episode, Ms. Lamparella explores the connection between Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and better outcomes. She describes the seven factors associated with PCEs and gives actionable steps to take incorporate them into your daily routine.

Topics from this episode include

To learn more about Positive Childhood Experiences, go to PACEs Connection https://www.pacesconnection.com/

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/

Musical Credit

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music in today's episode!

As the Executive Director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Ashley Coleman is one of the lead advocates and activists for the LGBTQ+ community in the Lehigh Valley. But the work that has taken her all over the United States began as a member of the Emmaus High School graduating class of 2003. As one of the only black and openly gay members of her class, Coleman didn’t have the option of being quiet, but rather leaned into the role of fighting for herself and others like her at EHS.

Coleman takes this opportunity to recount her time at EHS, calling it “a wonderful place to come from” as she traces her development through high school.

Topics from this episode include:

For more information on all that Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center provides, please visit https://www.bradburysullivancenter.org/

Photo credits for Coleman headshot: Megan Keller Photography

Musical Credit

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music in today's episode!

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/

In the first of our senior rewind episodes, we catch up with Emmaus High School basketball players Dylan Darville and Chase Muckey, two guests from one of our most popular episodes (Season 2, Episode 16). In February 2020, Darville and Muckey were members of a freshman team that finished with a 25-1 record and promise to restore Emmaus Boys Basketball tradition. Through many ups and downs, their high school careers culminated this year with a regular season league championship, a trip to the PPL Center for postseason action, and a trip to the state playoffs. Throughout this conversation, they exhibit the hallmarks of the EHS program, with a focus on teamwork, togetherness, and passion for the game.

Other topics from the episode include

To listen to their first episode on the podcast, click here

Musical Credit 

Thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the music in today's episode!  

Education Podcast Network

I am proud to announce that the 9th Grade Experience Podcast has joined the Education Podcast Network (EPN). The passionate hosts of the EPN family are made up of a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and educators who are dedicated to bringing you the best in education-related content. The network covers everything from current events in education, technology, and best practices to the latest editorials and more on a regular basis in high quality. To find out more information about all the great shows, visit https://www.edupodcastnetwork.com/