The 9th Grade Experience

Grace Comfort, Class of 2021, has an impressive list of accomplishments displayed on her #2021EHSGradSpotlight poster that has been promoted through various East Penn School District social media accounts over the last few months. She serves as the president of Peers Assisting Learning Support (PALS), Student Government Association Secretary and EPSD School Board Representative, and National Honor Society member among many other things. 

But most importantly, Grace is a strong self-advocate. During a Genius Hour project in middle school, Grace investigated her own learning challenges and eventually discovered she had dyslexia. While transitioning to high school, Grace spent her 9th grade year figuring out how she could best learn and perform at a high academic level. While it wasn't always easy, Grace's story shows that with courage, compassion, connection and a desire to never stop questioning that great things are possible.

She plans on majoring in psychology at Lafayette College.

For the second anniversary of the 9th Grade Experience Podcast, we highlight the work of freshmen Elizabeth "Tami" Adesanya and Brasciana "Brassy" Ford in the establishment of the newest student group Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR). Along with faculty advisor, Eyer librarian Mrs. Magro, Tami and Brassy are working to bring awareness and change to the mindsets of the Emmaus High School community through information and advocacy about what it means to be a person of color. Topics discussed include:

We also asked today's guests to provide some additional resources beyond our show to expand our listener's knowledge about these issues and those are included below:

Tami’s Pick

Racial Equity Tool Kit

Brassy’s Picks

I know the books “Heavy” by Kiese Layton and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas are both amazing books to put into perspective what it’s like to be Person of Color (POC) in America. Also, raceforward.org is a website that can be helpful for others to recognize their privilege and become a better ally.

Mrs. Magro’s Picks

If I could recommend just one book (tough for me to do!) that I think everyone should read it would be This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell, and one podcast for teachers would be the Teaching Hard History podcast from Learning for Justice.

Mr. Stuchko’s Picks

Listen to the EHS student newspaper podcast interview with Tami and Sydney Clarke - EHS Stinger Podcast SOAR Interview

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X.Kendi

** All book links above will take you to the website for Let’s Play Books in Emmaus, Pa. **

This week, we give a special shout out to our amazing teachers here at Emmaus High School as we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week! We hear from three of our outstanding faculty members - Mrs. Horner, Mr. Remaly, and Mr. Iobst - as they give a little background about themselves while attempting to make connections to their 9th grade year and what influenced them to become a teacher. We asked each teacher the following questions:

1. Did something during your 9th grade year influence your decision to become a teacher?

2. What do you love about your job?

3. What are some words of advice that you have for current or upcoming 9th grade students?

This special edition of the podcast was recorded on Thursday, February 11, 2021, at the virtual Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference (PETE&C). The session titled “9th Grade Experience - PETE&C Edition” was held on the final day of the 4-day event which is a “statewide event that provides quality programs focused on technology in the educational field.”

During this interactive session that featured educators from across the state, some of the topics covered included

Thanks to Hayley Gunther, Instructional Technologist at the Academy of the New Church for appearing on audio and video during this presentation. Also thanks to Kelly Ender, Paula Bridgewater, and Amy Mele for providing written feedback in the chat throughout the presentation.

Thanks to PETE&C for allowing the podcast to use the audio and video from my presentation. For more information, please visit https://www.peteandc.org/ or follow them on Twitter @peteandc. Next year’s conference is scheduled to be held February 6-9, 2022 in Hershey, Pa.

Brendan Baig has quite the resume. He is the current Class of 2021 president. He is a National Honor Society member. He is a member of the Track and Field program. He founded S.A.V.E. (Students Advocating Vape Elimination) and participated in several organizations and clubs.  In the fall of 2021, he will be attending the prestigious CALArts program, with the intention of majoring in film composition in order to compose music for films.

But, as we learn in this episode, the story behind Brendan’s resume is way more impactful than the words on the paper. He tells us about the moments during the transition from middle school to high school that changed his mindset, his experience as a foreign exchange student and host when he hadn't even studied the language, and how improving the skills of communication has opened the door for so many opportunities throughout high school. Brendan’s stories are a tale for ninth graders and all high school students as to what is possible when you have vision, develop key skills, and reach out for support along the way.

Follow and Subscribe to Brendan on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baigel21/

YouTube: The BB Composer

Special thanks to Brendan for allowing us to his parts of his original composition “The March of the Hornets” during the beginning and end of this episode. This song is scheduled to be performed during the 2021 Baccalaureate celebration and will be featured during the 2021 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s Open Track Competition session. For more of his original work, visit his YouTube Page.

This short episode is a non-released excerpt from a December 2020 interview with New York Times best-selling author Jessica Lahey, whose new book, The Addiction Inoculation, was released on Tuesday, April 6. We only scratched the surface in discussing the book, which according to her website "helps parents and educators understand the roots of substance abuse and identify who is most at risk for addiction, and offers practical steps for prevention." 

To learn more about Lahey:

Listen to our full episode: https://www.9thgradeexperience.com/season-3-episode-16-new-york-times-best-selling-author-and-educator-jessica-lahey/

Website: https://www.jessicalahey.com/

Twitter: @jesslahey

Instagram: @teacherlahey

Get this book at Let’s Play Books in Emmaus, Pa. https://www.letsplaybooks.com/

Today's episode is the final installment of the 3-part #EHSCareerMonth podcast series, as we remix last March's episode with screenwriter, director, filmmaker, and podcaster Brian Koppelman. Best known for his work on the movies Ocean's 13 and Rounders, as well as the Showtime show Billions, Koppelman gives practical advice that anyone can implement today in order to grow and develop as students toward whatever their potential career may be. 

For the original, full-audio only episode, go back to Season 2, Episode 20: https://www.9thgradeexperience.com/season-2-episode-20-career-readiness-with-brian-koppelman/

REMINDERS

Don't forget to enter the contest for the t-shirt or sweatshirt, by posting to social media using #EHSCareerMonth to show what you have been doing this month to get career ready.  

Does your club or organization want their shirt and message featured on the 9th Grade Experience Podcast? Reach out to Mr. Stuchko and get some free publicity for your group!

Seniors - We are looking to feature senior advice to freshman in future episodes. Do you want to share some parting words of wisdom or the tale of your own 9th grade experience? Be on the lookout for recording opportunities with Mr. Stuchko!

Follow the 9th Grade Experience wherever you get your podcasts at https://www.9thgradeexperience.com/follow/

It is hard to believe that it has been over one year since the last time that the entire student body of Emmaus High School has been in the building together at one time. This week we take a look back on the past year as we hear reflections from several students who participated on our message board answering the question: What have you learned about yourself in the last year? There was a wide-range of answers showing the interests and growth of our 9th grade students.

We also try a new feature by starting off the episode with news from around the school to enhance your 9th Grade Experience.

Links From the Episode

Class of 2024 Fundraiser: https://ehsfc21.superfanfundraising.com/

Stinger - EHS Student Newspaper:  https://stingerehs.com/

EHS Career Month - https://www.eastpennsd.org/ehs/article/career-month-at-epsd/

9th Grade Experience - www.9thgradeexperience.com/follow

We are close to the halfway point of #EHSCareerMonth and on this episode we have remix of two earlier episodes of the podcast featuring EHS graduates Lisa MacDonald '14 and Senator Clarence Lam '99. We pulled out great career advice for students at all grade levels who may be interested in starting their own business like Lisa or mixing multiple areas of interest to arrive in a career like Clarence.

Don't forget to check your Class of 2024 Schoology page on how to access all of the #EHSCareerMonth speakers and activities and share your pictures of career readiness activities on Instagram or Twitter using the #EHSCareerMonth

Lisa's full episode: https://www.9thgradeexperience.com/season-3-episode-1-ehs-graduate-spotlight-imperfection-is-beautiful-with-lisa-macdonald-14/

Clarence's full episode: https://www.9thgradeexperience.com/season-3-episode-2-ehs-graduate-spotlight-maryland-state-senator-clarence-lam-99/

The Emmaus Boys and Girls Freshman Basketball teams have recently finished seasons unlike any other due to Covid-19 restrictions. Through masks and in spite of missing out on traditional team-bonding activities, the teams persevered to finish "full" 10-game seasons against other Lehigh County schools.   

On this episode, we hear from Jametric Harris, Daniel Rohlsen, Matthew Volquez and Teagan McCourt about the ups and downs of the boys' season, how a commitment to defense led to a season of success, and the confidence and swagger that comes as a team rolls to an undefeated 10-0 season.  

Don't forget to listen or watch all about the girls' season in Episode 23!