Episodes

On this special episode of the 9th Grade Experience we take it back to elementary school, as we hear 5th grade students at Wescosville Elementary share their passion projects. Thanks to Mrs. Feher, one of the 5th grade teachers, for reaching out to the podcast to ask for assistance in helping her students record their work in audio form. In addition to the background information on the purpose of the projects, Feher also shared her own freshmen year story along with hopes for her current studen...

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. Duri...

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 discus...

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 decisio...

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 Attendees a...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 #EHSCareerMon...

Where will your path lead? On this episode, School Counselor Mrs. Grim gives us all the important information to assist students, staff and parents on the road to answering that that question as Emmaus High School kicks 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. As an added bonus, thanks to the counseling department, we will be giving out prizes to student...

With an even greater emphasis during these unprecedented times, student mental health has gained a heightened awareness as students face the challenges of the world around them. On this episode, we preview the 2021 EPSD Virtual Mental Health Symposium being held February 15 through 28 which hopes to begin helping parents and members of the community understand more about this topic. Co-chair members Amy Williams, Communities in Schools at Emmaus High School; Stephanie Cignarella, School Psycholo...

During the first few days of February, the Lehigh Valley got walloped with over 27 inches, making it the second biggest snowstorm on record. It gave the freshmen of Emmaus High School an opportunity for 2 snow days -- no Zoom, no Schoology, and no work! We asked students what they did to take advantage of historic weather and on this mini-episode we hear some of their awesome responses about their time in the snow.

This past week saw Emmaus High School finally reach the 2nd half of our 2020-2021 school year. Due to our current block schedule, It came with a different opportunity than most years, as students, teachers, and parents alike had a chance to hit the reset button, beginning new classes with the potential for a fresh, improved outlook on finishing the school term. In this mini-episode, Mr. Stuchko takes some thoughts from our Schoology Class of 2024 message board about how the year has been going, ...

On this episode, we catch up with student Grant Gallagher, whose post on our podcast message board for the Class of 2024, invited us to tell his story of how Covid-19 impacted him and his family earlier this year. Gallagher, who is currently enrolled in the Jasper Learning Initiative Program, discussed both the physical and mental strains that students encounter as they battle through this illness. Gallagher also talked about how, even in a hybrid setting, he has found a sense of belonging and g...

Jessica Lahey is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, keynote speaker, wife, and mother. But at her core, she is an educator. She has worked with a wide variety of students at all levels from sixth through twelfth grade. In this interview, she gives tips and strategies from her teaching career and her 2015 book “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed” for students, teachers, and parents to apply during that all-important 9th grade y...

Sometimes it is fun to look outside of our school community to see what other students around the country are experiencing during their 9th grade year. During this holiday break, I chatted with my nieces, Catalina and Maddy, about their freshmen year experience. Catalina, who is attending the largest high school in Chicago and second largest in the state of Illinois, has not stepped foot in her school since a tour last spring; Maddy is attending a high school in Central New Jersey that has bee...

In our final episode of 2020, you will hear from close to 40 members of our Emmaus High School community talk about ways they will look to improve themselves in the classroom and beyond in the new year. If you are struggling to come up a resolution, we provide tips on how to arrive at a personal goal to jumpstart your 2021. Resource: https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/resolutions/

This year’s 9th Grade Experience has been like no other and this week’s episode, recorded during EHS’s Covid-19 one-week closure in November 2020, was yet another memory to add to the digital scrapbook. On this episode Elizabeth Samer, Molly Himes, and Victoria Toto chat about being involved with in-person school activities during the beginning of the year, strategies for hybrid/distance learning and things they learned about how they work best, and their hopes for a return to normalcy at some p...

While much of the start of the 2020-2021 school year has been anything but normal, there are still time-honored school traditions that have occurred during the first 9 weeks of school, including the the election of class officers. On this episode, you will hear from three out of the four newly elected leaders, including President Bella Desiderio, Secretary Angela Tran, and Treasurer Sarah Greene as they discuss the start of their school year, the beginnings of hybrid learning, what led them to ...

Week nine of the 2020-2021 school year will present the next in a line of challenges thrown in front our students since March 2020 - the return to our EHS school building for the beginning of hybrid learning. While some students will seamlessly transition back this setup, others may struggle with different worries and adjustments. On this episode, we talk to our school psychologists Mrs. Stephanie Cignarella and Dr. Trevor Pinho about those feelings and when to take action on them. Topics covere...

Without our normal club fair at the beginning of the year to learn more about the 70+ organizations here at Emmaus High School, the 9th Grade Experience has been reaching out advisors to bring you more information on some of these different groups to see if one is the right fit for you. On this episode, we hear from Alexzander Toto and Sam Comfort discussing the Economics and Investment Club; and Briahna Milander, Natalie Ruschman, Chanelle Peña, Michaella Moyer and Avery Edelman to talk about B...

On this week's episode we hear from our EPSD Technology Integration Specialists Heather Moser, Dylan Peters and Brian Scholl on the best ways to tackle technology during this remote time. Surprisingly, most of this conversation does not deal with hardware and connectivity issues, but how to communicate with teachers, collaborate with other students, and problem solve through challenges. For more information about all things technology, please go to https://sites.google.com/eastpennsd.org/epsdfam...

Without our normal club fair at the beginning of the year to learn more about the 70+ organizations here at Emmaus High School, the 9th Grade Experience has been reaching out advisors to bring you more information on some of these different groups to see if one is the right fit for you. On this episode, we hear from Mrs. Grim and Dr. Pinho discussing the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA); Ms. Martini explaining Kid to Kid, and Mrs. Shimmel doubling down with Latin Club and Foreign Cultures Club. To ge...