Students all around the world are busy at all times of the day, leaving little time to listen to the world around them. However, many students have the time to sit down and listen to something while doing homework or driving. Podcasts are a great way to distract while doing something boring, and to learn new things. 

Many colleges and universities have their own podcasts, leaving Central High school to wonder whether they should have their own. Kevin Schieler, a former basketball coach and math teacher, has his own podcast titled, “The Early Retirement Podcast.” This podcast features different basketball techniques, interviews and advice. Schieler co-hosts with his friend Rocky Parise, former Elizabethtown high school Boys Varsity Coach, and is joined by other college and high school coaches. 

“The podcast is fun for me because it keeps me in touch with coaching basketball.  I was a high school coach for 16 years and now I get to “stay in the game” by doing the podcast,” Schieler said. 

Schieler can also see the academic benefit of a school podcast.

“[It] could potentially be a good supplement to the other articles and newspapers we currently produce.  The podcast can be a quicker way to give information about the school to students, or it can be used as a teaser before big articles come out,” Schieler said. 

Covenant Day School, a Christian school in North Carolina hosts its own school podcast.   Their most recent podcast is titled “College Forum” and brings back high school alumni to talk about what college life is like. Central could benefit from learning about outside experiences and different perspectives. Students could learn about the different lives that other students lead along with listening to the previews for events around the school, sports, and activities down the music hallway.

 Nicholas Curry, the orchestra director at Central, believes that it wouldn’t be hard to start a podcast from a technical standpoint; however, there would have to be someone to take charge of the organization. 

“With a laptop, microphone, and GarageBand, you could put it together. The bigger issue is who is writing and producing the podcast. Many podcasts have scripts to write, interviews to schedule, research to be conducted, etc. I really don’t see why it couldn’t be done,” said Curry. 

Students would get to be a part of a fun and unique experience for both creators and listeners. Learning about the world around you is very important for mental growth and capability. Podcasts are a great way to keep in touch with reality and go on a run at the same time.