The 9th Grade Experience

Welcome to Season 5 of the 9th Grade Experience!

In the summer kickoff of new episodes to gear up for the 2022-2023 school year and new season, the podcast is debuting a new feature: a regular interview segment with my son, Cole Stuchko, who will be entering 9th grade. He has agreed to come at least monthly to give us a first-hand account of the what life is like as an Emmaus High School freshmen. On this episode, we talk about his summer preparations for the new school year, seeing his preliminary schedule, and how he feels about having a parent currently teaching at the school he will attend. He also gives everyone a reminder at the end to complete your summer reading assignment! 

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/

The last day of school always brings mixed emotions. Mostly it is relief, for the students and the teachers, on the completion of another year. There is also opportunity for reflection by the members of the Class of 2025 on the transition from middle to high school.  

In this episode you will hear from several students who were in person on the final day of the school year that wanted to share the highlights of their year and some tips for incoming 9th graders. We also had a chance to hear from those students who participated via the 9th Grade Experience message board but did not want to talk live on the episode.  

The 9th Grade Experience will continue to produce episodes throughout the summer to share the stories of Emmaus High School alumni telling their 9th grade stories, experts in the field of education helping students prepare for their first year of high school, as well potential surprises to help grow and expand the podcast.   

Thanks for listening during the 2021-2022 school year!  

Special Shout Out

Thanks to Kyle from the Xhausted Educators Show for recently having me on a guest. On the episode, we chatted about my background in education, my role in the classroom and Philadelphia sports. To listen to the audio podcast, click https://www.teachbetter.com/podcasts/xhausted-educators/

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/

As the 9th grade year is quickly coming to an end, it is only natural to think about what is ahead ...

A relaxing summer?

A first job?

A fun vacation?

College, trade school, military service, or an apprenticeship program?

It's never too early to think about what you might want to do after high school and on this episode, we recap the 2022 Emmaus High School College Fair, held Thursday, April 28, 2022. Representatives from over 120 post-secondary options were available to assist students in learning more about what they could do after high school graduation.

If you were not able to attend or did not get the chance to meet all of the representatives, we were able to ask 11 representatives the following three questions:

1. What advice do you have for 9th graders beginning the college/trade investigation process?

2. What is a misconception of parents and students during the college/trade investigation and application process?

3. What can you tell us about your college, university, trade school, military service or apprenticeship program?

Special thanks to following counselors and representatives that took the time to speak with the 9th Grade Experience during the event (representatives are listed in the order of appearance)

John Carreiro - Graduate/Field Force Member - USMA West Point

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Treiber - PA Army National Guard

Rachael Toonder - Admissions Counselor - Northampton Community College

Robert C. Franklin III - Training Director - IBEW Local Union No. 375

Kathleen Stango - Admissions Officer - University of Connecticut

Izzy Ambrogio - Admissions Counselor - St. Bonaventure University

Emily Grady - Career Planning Specialist/CSC - Empire Beauty School

Carrie Puentes-Bornmann - Admissions Counselor - Elizabethtown College

Christine Gibble - Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions - Neumann University

Chris Paul - Regional Recruiter of Central NJ/Eastern PA - University of Alabama

Layla Malewicz - Recruitment Liaison - St. Luke's School of Nursing

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/

We close out #EHSCareerMonth with a focus on Emmaus High School Class of 2018 graduate Jackie Bassett. She is the Founder and CEO of FD Market, which is a “a sustainable goods shop and zero-waste refillery. We're on a mission to make sustainable living obtainable and beautiful for everyone.” She does not have a linear path to business ownership, rather through a collection of experiences, both good and bad, established her values and ideas to create a thriving store, which is getting ready to open a second location in Easton.

Some of the topics discussed in this episode include:

To find out more about Jackie and the FD Market, visit https://fdmarketco.com/ or check out the store at 348 Main St., Emmaus, PA 18049

Welcome to 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 part of the #EHSCareerMonth series, we talked to Bob Rotruck, the radio announcer for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a minor league hockey team based in Allentown that plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). In addition to his duties on the microphone, he coordinates media coverage on the Phantoms’ website and does videos for the team’s social media accounts.

During this conversation, Rotruck talks about his journey from carrying his own radio equipment to broadcast college hockey games on Friday and Saturday nights to being the only broadcaster in the history of the Phantoms. He stressed the importance of being versatile in the job, especially in aspects that have nothing to do with calling the action on the ice. He also gives advice for students on how to create their own opportunities to call games and get experience behind the microphone in whatever ways they can.

To learn more about other careers with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, listen to the episode featuring Creative Director Amy Keller on Season 4, Episode 23.

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

As part of the #EHSCareerMonth series, we talked to Amy Keller, who is the Creative Director for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a minor league hockey team based in Allentown that plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). She coordinates the in-game fan experience for those attending the action at the PPL Center.

She provided a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the production of a game discussing the long hours of preparation for the event. In addition to hearing about her duties, responsibilities, and how she arrived in Lehigh Valley, Keller, a Northampton High School graduate, shares that she is in charge of sounding the goal horn after the Phantoms score. She closed out the conversation giving students advice on how to get started now if they hope to pursue a career similar to hers.

To learn more about other careers with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, listen to the episode featuring radio announcer Rob Rotruck on Season 4, Episode 24. 

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

We are privileged to share the story of one of this year’s EHS Shave for the Brave “Honored Kids,” current EHS freshman Sam Mackaravitz. At the time of the recording, Sam is two years cancer free in his battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

In this episode, Sam talks about

Since its inception in 2010, the Emmaus High School Shave for the Brave event has steadily grown its size and ability in raising funds to donate to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in order to conquer childhood cancer. As of March 8, 2022, EHS has raised close to $500,000 through its current fundraising and six previous events!

In order to donate to the EHS Shave for the Brave, please use the links below

Donate to Sam: https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/participant/1088427/2022?amount=50&donation_type=donate_once

Donate to Mr. Stuchko: https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/participant/1088409/2022?amount=50&donation_type=donate_once

Thanks to freshman Eli Heckman for providing the intro and outro music for today’s podcast!

Where will your path lead? 

Emmaus High School Counselor Mrs. Grim gives us all the important information to assist students, staff and parents on the road to answering that  question as we kick off March Career Month. She assists everyone in where to go to find the calendar of speakers, biographies on each presenter, and how to sign up through Naviance to attend the sessions. She also talks about the importance of taking the time to learn about things that interest and excite students while gaining those foundational skills that are important in any job.

During the month of March, in addition to wearing the green career readiness t-shirt, the 9th Grade Experience will feature different members of our local community talking about their own careers and the things our students can do to prepare themselves to enter a particular field. 

Please check out the links below for more information for Career Month and other Career-related activities here at EHS

Calendar of Speakers

Speaker Biographies

Career Readiness Requirements

Special thanks to Eli Heckman, Class of 2025, for providing the intro and outro music for today's episode! 

While many of us hope the pandemic is beginning to finally come toward a resolution, the focus and attention on student mental health will not  easily go away, as students will continue to face the challenges of the world around them. On this episode, we preview the 2022 EPSD Mental Health Symposium being held February 21 through March 6 which hopes to continue on previous work to help parents and members of the community understand more about this topic.

Co-chair Stephanie Cignarella, School Psychologist at Emmaus High School; details all of the amazing opportunities to learn about a variety of mental health tools and tips applicable to students of all ages. 

For all of the information regarding the symposium and to access over 10 virtual asynchronous sessions on a wide-ranging variety of topics, go to https://sites.google.com/eastpennsd.org/virtuamentalhealthsymposim2021/home?authuser=0.

Highlights of the Symposium Include 

Keynote In-Person Kickoff Event - Monday, February 21, 2022, at 6:30 pm at Eyer Middle School

A Survivor's Message: Parenting a Child with Disordered Eating - March 2, 2022 at 7 pm virtual Zoom session

After years of experiencing undiagnosed depression, coupled with a poor sense of self and family stress, Kirstin Day developed an eating disorder at the age of 13. Her disorder continued for the next 6 years taking her through several rounds of outpatient therapy finally culminating in inpatient treatment. She has spent the past ten years speaking about her experience sharing the message that "It's okay not to be okay."

Interactive Mini Panel Discussion - March 3, 2022 at 7 pm virtual Zoom session

Several of the Symposium's presenters will be available to discuss pertinent mental health topics and challenges and will be available to answer participant questions. Conversation topics will include the importance of sleep on the developing brain, parenting strategies,  coping strategies, organizational strategies, and the effects of mental health on school performance.

Shave for the Brave Announcement

At the end of this episode, you will hear and see a commercial produced for the 2022 Emmaus High School Shave for the Brave event. To help support the fight to end childhood cancers, please donate at the link below. We will be featuring stories about the event in an upcoming podcast episode.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/1088409/2022

This episode is a wrap-up for the 9th Grade Experience Podcast’s appearance at the Pennsylvania Education Technology Expo and Conference (PETE&C) in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Monday, February 7, 2022. Excerpts featured on this episode were take from the session titled “The Future of the 9th Grade Experience” which was held on the first day of the 4-day event “that provides quality programs focused on technology in the educational field.”

This is the second time the podcast has been invited to present at the conference. In 2021, the session was virtual, so it was nice to have an in-person audience this time to talk about ninth grade experiences for students throughout Pennsylvania.

Three brave educators - Beth, Nicole and Kayla - representing different sized high schools throughout the state joined the panel  They gave us different perspectives on ninth grade students, their own ninth grade experiences, different things that students can focus on to be content creators and things they should know at the end of high school to ensure technology success in high school and beyond.

To learn about PETE&C, visit https://www.peteandc.org/index.cfm or follow them on Twitter @peteandc. The 2023 Conference will be held at Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos, so get those proposal submissions ready!

At the end of this episode, you will hear and see a commercial produced for the 2022 Emmaus High School Shave for the Brave event. To help support the fight to end childhood cancers, please donate at the link below. We will be featuring stories about the event in an upcoming podcast episode.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/1088409/2022