FM9 Journalism Class Creates Podcast for Aspiring Broadcasters
The voice of Flower Mound High School’s ninth grade center comes from Room 9216.
9216 is the home of the freshman journalism class, where students start the day by hosting the daily campus announcements, write a weekly newsletter about what’s going on across campus, and self-produce and broadcast their own podcasts. They even play music on the speakers in the hallway during passing periods to put a pep in everyone’s step.
Carie Krueger is the journalism teacher at FM9 and came up with the idea of starting student podcasts this year to keep up with the ever-changing world of media and journalism.
“Since journalism has changed over the years, I was thinking of ways to tap into how the media has evolved from just print and broadcast,” Krueger said. “I let the students talk about what they’re interested in. I don’t assign a topic; I give them free reign of what types of things they like to talk about.”
The topics of the podcast vary from fashion, entertainment, sports, video games and even reviewing the weekly menu at Crumbl Cookie. There are 14 students in the journalism class and they have to write their podcast scripts, set up the broadcast equipment, and edit the content once it’s finished. Krueger has also talked to the students about the importance of having a brand for their podcasts and keeping a common theme throughout the year.
Delany, a journalism student at FM9, chose the elective because she’s interested in the career path and having a podcast gives her a voice to talk about what she’s passionate about. “I really like the freedom we have in this class,” she said. “We get to choose our topics and discuss things we are interested in. I’m interested in journalism and I’m considering a career as a sports broadcaster.”
Krueger talks about different career paths in journalism, whether it’s broadcasting, print or online media, podcasting, or even the latest media trend of being a social media influencer.
“We’ve talked about social media influencing, which is new to journalism and something I never studied in college or ever even dreamt of,” Krueger said. “I brought this topic up because I want them to know they can have a job doing this. These are real-world opportunities being a podcaster or social media influencer. Those are now jobs in the media world.”
Even if students aren’t comfortable being behind the microphone or on camera, they have also learned there are journalism and media career paths behind the scenes as a video journalist or producer if they are interested in technology or video and camera equipment.
“We have students involved with film crews for football,” Krueger said. “Sometimes we have students interested in the film side of the media and being behind the camera instead of on-camera. This class is all about introducing the students to the different avenues they can pursue in journalism and the media.”
While the journalism class is all about having fun and having a voice, they are still learning life lessons they’ll need for that career path or any career they choose. Since they have weekly newsletters and podcasts that go out to teachers and parents, Krueger emphasized how important it is to work on deadlines and have all their content written and created on time.
“We have fun in class. I tell them it’s not like any other class they’ll go to. But we also have strict deadlines that are set, so it’s a little different for students. It’s important for students to learn about deadlines early on because in the journalism world and even the work world, all of your content has a deadline.”
With all the opportunities that students have in journalism at FM9, it wouldn’t have been possible without the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation (LEF) grant that Krueger received for the class at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. She used the grant money to buy all the broadcast equipment, including microphones, audio mixers and speakers for the students to use.
“The students were super excited when we got the LEF Grant,” Krueger said. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do each day without it. The students see how their voices can be heard now. Getting this grant and being able to buy the broadcast equipment has made this building a whole lot happier each day and the mood is so different around here.”
Flower Mound 9th Grade Campus is a Lewisville Independent School District high school in Flower Mound, Texas, serving all Jaguars with engaging educational experiences, strong traditions, storied extracurriculars and future-ready opportunities. Follow FMHS on Facebook and Twitter to see more throughout the school year. Join the Lewisville ISD family by enrolling today, or visit Best Schools in Texas to learn more.