Episodes

There is no way that 9th Grade Assistant Principal Jordan Fortier could have envisioned his first year as the freshmen-level principal finishing the way that it has. But it has created a moment that our students will not soon forget and will impact their remaining years here at Emmaus High School. During this conversation, Fortier discusses how his 9th grade year, which included some personal challenges, helped to guide him into a career in education and gave him a perspective about how importa...

As we head into the Memorial Day Weekend, the podcast is trying a new format - a shorter episode without a guest. I wanted to share a personal reflection that I had after visiting school for the first time since late March. Every member of the Emmaus High School community has been experiencing this shutdown in their own way during the last two months. We have been saying even though the building is closed, our school is still open. But when I stepped foot inside of a practically empty EHS buil...

This week, we will take a slight break from the weekly Coronavirus updates to reflect back and look forward as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the release of the podcast. It is a time of great thanks and recognition for the many students and staff that have participated in telling the stories of our 9th graders here at Emmaus High School. Even in these uncertain and crazy times, we can come back to the idea that we have amazing people doing amazing things at our school! To celebrate an...

As we encounter the eighth week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with students Joshua Jones and Reid Scharer, as well as over 20 additional students who contributed written tokens of gratitude, to celebrate Teacher and Nurse Appreciation Week. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session. In it, we hear Scharer and Jones give recollections of their favorite teachers and break down some of the qualities that make up an outstanding educato...

As we encounter the seventh week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with school librarian Kelly Bower and student Joshua Jones to see how they are continuing to adapt to our new normal. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session. In it, we hear Ms. Bower tell own her unique 9th grade memories, discuss her move from the classroom to the library, detail how she is currently helping students, and offer some good book recommendations. She a...

As we encounter the sixth week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with our 9th grade school counselors at Emmaus High School to see how they have adjusted to their new reality. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session that featured EHS School Counselors Colleen Demchak and Mike McInerney. We discuss what school counselors are doing without physically being in front of students, scheduling for next school year, the grading setup for the...

As we approach the end of our fifth week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with 9th graders and a few guests at Emmaus High School to see how they have adjusted to their new reality. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session that featured EHS School Nurse Beth Ann Hendershot, 11th Grade Assistant Principal Greg Annoni, along with students Joshua Jones and David Svoboda talking about a variety of wellness issues . Some of the topics dis...

As we approach the end of our fourth week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with 9th graders at Emmaus High School to see how they have adjusted to their new reality. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session that featured Reid Scharer, Joshua Jones, and Avery Smith talking about the first week of new learning in the EPSD Continuity of Learning Plan. The students came together to share their challenges during the first week, what the re...

As we approach the end of our third week of the Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with 9th graders at Emmaus High School to see how they are feeling about our new reality. This week's episode uses the audio from a Google Meet session that had more than 15 students participate. It was offered as an opportunity for students to become familiar with the format and feel of a Meet session before the rollout of Phase 2 of the Continuity of Learning Plan on Monday, April...

As we approach the end of our second week of our Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with 9th graders to see how they are feeling about our new reality. Some of the topics we asked about this week included understanding social distancing, how much they have been outside since the closure, how they are staying in contact with friends and family, how the shutdown of local business has impacted their lives, and if they live with or know anyone in the medical field. S...

You never know what the answer to a question will be until you ask it. When Brian Koppelman, co-creator of the Showtime show Billions and co-writer of movies Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen, put out a tweet and said he would appear on podcasts during the Coronavirus shutdown, I sent him an email. I never expected to hear back, but within 3 minutes of sending the message, he replied and said he would be “100 percent in.” Koppelman was gracious with his time and excited to share stories of his high ...

As we approach the end of our first week of our Coronavirus shutdown in the East Penn School District, we check in with 9th graders to see how they are adjusting the new reality we are all living in. Via Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/9thgradeexperience and Google Classroom, we asked students to tell us about what they have been up to, the establishment of new routines, and how they are feeling about the whole situation. While some answers were not shocking (sleeping, eating, and playing ...

It's now less than one week to the opening curtain for the freshman and all those involved in the production of the theater department's spring musical Hello, Dolly! In Volume 4 of this behind-the-scenes look at the preparation before the show's Wednesday, March 18 debut, we check back in with Mason Steltz, Dom Zientara, and Jacob Klinedinst to get the scoop behind what it’s been like since we last heard them taking the to the stage for rehearsals for the first time in the middle of February. ...

While March is usually a time reserved for college basketball madness, this year at Emmaus High School, the third month of the year will be devoted to an even crazier topic: What to do with your future? It may seem like just yesterday (or now 7 months ago!) that this year’s 9th grade class entered the halls of EHS. Yet, in our rapidly changing and evolving world, it is never too early to think about skills and strategies that may help prepare you to be successful in your post-school outcomes. ...

In the world of high school athletics, and even on previous episodes of this podcast, most of the attention is placed on the results of the varsity teams. But before the Friday Night Lights, local television, newspaper and radio coverage, and league and district championships, many athletes improve their skills on junior varsity or freshman teams. In perennially strong programs, like boys basketball, making any of the three teams is quite the accomplishment for a 9th grader. If the success of t...

It's getting closer to the opening curtain for the freshman involved in the production of the theater department's spring musical Hello, Dolly! In Volume 3 of this behind-the-scenes look at the preparation before the show's Wednesday, March 18 debut, we check back in with Mason Steltz, Dom Zientara, and Jacob Klinedinst to see what has happened to them since their auditions at the end of December. In this conversation that took place right before taking the stage for an afternoon dance routine p...

The beginning of the 2020-2021 school year will provide students with a unique school experience unlike anything currently offered at Emmaus High School. The Jasper Learning Initiative will debut with up to 125 upcoming 9th grade students who are looking to learn in a setting that values collaboration, curiosity, and authenticity that promises to be community-inspired, project-based, and inquiry-driven. With its name taken from a hard but workable mineral found in our area, Jasper is looking to...

One of the goals of the 9th Grade Experience is to tell the stories of the widest-range of students possible who are involved throughout Emmaus High School. In order to dive a little deeper and really get some behind-the-scenes information, at least one time per month, the podcast will attempt to follow a group of students who are attempting to excel outside the classroom. For the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, that focus will be on the Emmaus Theater Department and its production of th...

One of the goals of the 9th Grade Experience is to tell the stories of the widest-range of students possible who are involved throughout Emmaus High School. In order to dive a little deeper and really get some behind-the-scenes information, at least one time per month, the podcast will attempt to follow a group of students who are attempting to excel outside the classroom. For the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, that focus will be on the Emmaus Theater Department and its production of th...

As a player and a teammate, starting varsity girls basketball player Keziah Brantley is always looking to conquer the next challenge ahead of her. As an 8th grader at Lower Macungie Middle School, she played for the high school freshman team, coached by Emmaus social studies teacher Mr. Carolla. This year, she reached her goal of making the varsity team as a 9th grader. She scored a team-high 17 points in her second varsity game, a 51 to 46 victory on the road over Northwestern on Saturday, Dec...

As we approach the holiday season and the end of 2019, it is a great time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for here at Emmaus High School. There are many people, either in a classroom, on the field or court, or in the school’s many offices that work together to make the transition from middle school to high school as smooth and successful as possible for all students. On this very special episode, we hear from 40 people within EHS as they tell us who or what they are thankful for fr...

When Maddie Carlson was asked to be a guest on today’s show, she had one favor to ask - she wanted her friend Abby Burnett to record as well. Luckily for the listeners, her request is everyone’s benefit because on this episode you will get to hear from two high-performing students making great strides in their ninth grade years. The girls are both members of the Key Club as they look to help out in their community and build friendships with other classmates. In addition to taking rigorous class...

For Sophia Iacobelli and Nicole Nosal, keeping busy has been key to a successful transition this year at Emmaus High School. These freshmen are taking demanding course loads, which include at least two honors classes each, a Project Lead the Way Engineering class, and a shared Spanish 2 class at the end of their days. Outside of the classroom, Sophia is involved in orchestra, student government, and will soon begin tryouts for the swim team; while Nicole recently finished her cross country seas...

Senior night in the next to the last game of the football regular season is not usually a time to make a change to a new quarterback, especially not to a freshman who hasn’t seen the varsity field all season. But for Jake Fotta, who was facing a 13 to 0 deficit, the second quarter of the Hornets’ game on Friday, October 18, against Bethlehem Catholic was the time. Unfazed, he stepped in and threw a touchdown pass before halftime to narrow the score and then went on to lead the team to 20 more un...