JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Ever wondered what this show might sound like if it were run by fourth graders? Well, thanks to NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, you don't have to wonder anymore. In their audio stories, fourth-grade students explained poltergeists, offered insights about cuttlefish and the origins of Hello Kitty, and made passionate arguments for why every kid should have their own bedroom. Our judges picked their top five entries, and now NPR's Lauren Migaki introduces us to three of those winners.
SUMMERS: Ever wondered what this show might sound like if it were run by fourth graders? Well, thanks to NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, you don't have to wonder anymore. In their audio stories, fourth-grade students explained poltergeists, offered insights about cuttlefish and the origins of Hello Kitty, and made passionate arguments for why every kid should have their own bedroom. Our judges picked their top five entries, and now NPR's Lauren Migaki introduces us to three of those winners.
LAUREN MIGAKI, BYLINE: The first stop on our tour of winners, Jericho, N.Y.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "WILL EROSION CAUSE THE MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE TO FALL INTO THE OCEAN?")
BRAHMANI SRIRAMA: Welcome.
ELLA CHEN: Welcome.
BRAHMANI: My name is Brahmani.
ELLA: And my name is Ella.
BRAHMANI SRIRAMA AND ELLA CHEN: We are currently fourth-grade podcasters at George A. Jackson Elementary School.
MIGAKI: Like any good journalists, Ella Chen and Brahmani Srirama explored an issue of vital importance in their community.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "WILL EROSION CAUSE THE MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE TO FALL INTO THE OCEAN?")
BRAHMANI: All across Long Island, erosion is a major issue. Many of the beaches are nearly washed away and too dangerous to hang out in.
MIGAKI: They learned about the effects of erosion in Lauren Kawasaki and Reshma Seth's classroom. That lesson left them with a big question.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "WILL EROSION CAUSE THE MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE TO FALL INTO THE OCEAN?")
BRAHMANI: Will erosion cause the Montauk lighthouse to fall into the ocean?
MIGAKI: The two reporters researched New York's oldest lighthouse, and with the help of their teachers and school librarian, Danielle Melia, they discovered that there have been efforts to protect the beloved landmark from erosion.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "WILL EROSION CAUSE THE MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE TO FALL INTO THE OCEAN?")
ELLA: The people who saved the Montauk lighthouse placed large boulders on some parts of the land. It took $44 million to buy millions of rocks.
MIGAKI: Teacher Kawasaki says this is the first time she's made podcasts with her fourth graders, which is impressive, considering the students' reporting took on big issues about the environment.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "WILL EROSION CAUSE THE MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE TO FALL INTO THE OCEAN?")
BRAHMANI: We will have to continue to protect the Montauk lighthouse by taking steps to reduce the impact of erosion.
MIGAKI: While Ella and Brahmani were thinking about protecting a beloved landmark, students in Arlington, Va., told the story of creating a new one.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "DIARY OF A 4TH GRADE MURAL")
WILLIAM SANCHEZ AQUINO: How the fourth-grade students got to paint a mural.
MIGAKI: Randolph Elementary school students Ella Jessup, Linzeth Suchite and William Sanchez Aquino had a lot of questions about this new mural.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "DIARY OF A 4TH GRADE MURAL")
UNIDENTIFIED PODCASTER # 1: What do you guys think the design is?
UNIDENTIFIED PODCASTER # 2: Are you excited?
WILLIAM: Why that wall?
MIGAKI: These young reporters put in work, conducting interviews with their fellow students and teachers.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "DIARY OF A 4TH GRADE MURAL")
UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER: And we were looking at the library, and we were like, this is a giant blank space that we need to bring life to.
MIGAKI: The mural's theme, local plants, and the students would all get a chance to help paint it.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "DIARY OF A 4TH GRADE MURAL")
WILLIAM: I am excited because you don't really get to paint on walls that much.
MIGAKI: They made their podcast with help from Randolph Elementary's Cathy Wague and Carol Schaedel. The fourth graders also offered tips to students who would like to paint a mural in their own school.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "DIARY OF A 4TH GRADE MURAL")
UNIDENTIFIED PODCASTER # 2: And we hope we inspired you.
MIGAKI: In Oceanside, N.Y., our podcast winners turned to the past.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
SANTIAGO UCCIFERRI: Imagine your hard-earned money was wasted on someone else.
MIGAKI: The students who made this podcast are from Fulton Avenue Elementary School 8. Each year, teacher Jennifer D'Amelio asks her class to retell the events leading up to the American Revolution.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
SANTIAGO: The Quartering Act required American colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers...
MIGAKI: That's Santiago Ucciferri. He and the rest of his group told the story of the Quartering Act from multiple perspectives, like King George's.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
KAI SUDO: (As King George III) I really don't care how rich or poor you are. You're going to pay for shelter and supplies for the soldiers after all we've done for you.
MIGAKI: That was Kai Sudo, doing a fabulous rendition of King George, British accent and all. Their teacher says the students love getting into character. Samantha Cohen played the role of a poor farmer.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
SAMANTHA COHEN: (As Farmer) I was not going to pay for those dirty, rotten lobsterback bags. How is it our fault that the Crown was too cheap to pay them a proper wage?
MIGAKI: In case you didn't quite catch that sick burn of British soldiers, it was - dirty, rotten lobsterback bags.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
ALEXA SUSCA: (As Samuel Adams) I am known for being a bit dramatic...
MIGAKI: Student Alexa Susca played a Samuel Adams who was pretty candid about his methods.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
ALEXA: (As Samuel Adams) ...And used propaganda to get my point across. But how else could I get my fellow citizens to listen?
MIGAKI: Teacher Jennifer D'Amelio says part of their assignment was to draw a parallel between then and now.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE QUARTERING ACT OF 1765")
SANTIAGO: In a classic superhero movie, it is easy to figure out the difference between the good guy and the bad guy, but in this case, it is really difficult to decide who to root for. Could there have been a better way for King George to get his money back, or were the colonists just overreacting? You decide.
MIGAKI: From erosion to murals to the Quartering Act, these three winners chose wildly different topics, but they all have one thing in common - the students followed their curiosity, and that just may be the key to making a winning podcast. Lauren Migaki, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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