PRIMARY PODCASTS

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May 22, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Fifth-graders supplement their International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Exhibitions with podcast stories using the latest popular technology and special effects.

A January 2023 report by Forbes noted that the popularity of podcasts worldwide continues to expand unabated. "Podcasts continue to grow in the U.S. (and globally)," wrote Brad Adgate, an independent media consultant and frequent contributor to the business publication. "Heading into 2023 there are now more than 5 million podcasts with over 70 million episodes available."

The number of podcast downloads increased by 20% in 2022, according to the Forbes article and throughout last year, each listener downloaded an average of 3.8 hours of content and episodes each week, an increase from 2.7 hours in 2021. 

You can now add 10 more podcasts to that total as fifth graders have been putting the final touches on their own broadcast episodes based on research for "Exhibition," the culmination of the IB's Primary Years Program.

According to Christina Brennan, Notre Dame Prep's lower school technology teacher, the fifth graders have been using the popular GarageBand app to record their interviews and stories.

"Each group recorded their voice, added sound effects, music and more to create a podcast for this important IB-PYP class project, and then were able to share their stories with the world," she said.

The students learned how to make and edit voice recordings and use Apple Loops, which are prerecorded musical phrases or riffs that can be used to add drum beats, rhythm parts and other sounds to a project. 

"They recorded their stories with an audio recorder and sometimes changed their voice​s using effects," Brennan added. "In addition, they previewed and selected audio loops to enhance the mood of the story."

She said it was a great way for students to learn how to edit audio recordings and create more polished interviews and stories.

Notre Dame Prep Lower School Exhibition Podcast Titles and Contributors

Episode 1: Global Distribution of Food
Daniella Sacco, Pranya Beri, Nicholas Schochet and Gabriella Hamo

Episode 2: Safety in Sports
Lucas Patel, Jackson Thom, Annalise Urek and Olivia Kobylecki

Episode 3: Pro and Cons of Homework
Keira Krpichak, Emilia Lukosavich, Cedar Nichols and Anna Strimpel

Episode 4: Impacts of Social Media
Liam Campbell, Jackson Feddersen, Natalie Esseily and Liana Kalasho

Episode 5: Community Outreach
Evan Leung, Jocelyn Ostin, Tinley Sowers, Oliver Jostock and Robert Perion

Episode 6: Poaching
Liam Kriesel, Savannah Sulaka, Isaac Gumma and Alex Pytel 

Episode 7: Vaping
Ellie Mermell, Brendan Schochet, Lylah Rix-Renne and Mackenzie McFall

Episode 8: Michigan Water Pollution
M’KY Turner, Cole Nahra, Kate Roeser and Quinn Carroll

Episode 9: Mental Health
Adit Gill, Ellory Villajuan, Gabriella Garrett and Rosemarie Bommarito

Episode 10: NASA Explorations
Seth Silver, Emma Flack and Mason Stoffer

Access the podcasts here. 

More on the IB-PYP Exhibition: The PYP Exhibition involves students working collaboratively to conduct an in-depth inquiry into a real-life issue or problem that’s pertinent to them. This typically involves the use of a variety of source materials: first-hand experiences, interviews, research, surveys, field visits, etc. At the end of the project, students host a daytime exhibition for the rest of the school and an evening exhibition for parents. This involves students using a range of media and forms of expression to communicate what they have discovered during the project. This normally includes the use of moving and still images, audio, podcasts, animation, work, oral presentations and performances.

Throughout the projects, while most of the work is self-directed, students are guided by a staff mentor when and where needed.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.