Fast food scores, Dickens, and questions for the principal.
Sequoia Spotlight is a grab bag of audio from Sequoia Middle School, from students scoring Chipotle and Taco Bell to a class performance of A Christmas Carol. Its best moments are unscripted, like the nervous start to an interview with Principal Keck or two students arguing that ripped jeans belong back under the dress code.
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Sequoia Spotlight is a feed of audio made at Sequoia Middle School, and it changes shape from one episode to the next. Some entries play like games, some are schoolwork, and one is a sit-down interview with the principal. The restaurant episode is the loosest of them. Student reviewers work through nearby chains, calling Chipotle's chips pleasingly salty, giving Taco Bell a 20 out of 10 on the strength of its Mexican pizzas, and calling Domino's a luxury. McDonald's divides them: one reviewer gives it a 2 over soggy fries, and another gives it a 9 because the burgers fill you up. Between verdicts they ask the room for its opinion, stop for a music break, and report that the yeas were loudest. The Christmas Carol episode is a different kind of project entirely. It is credited to the digital journalism class of quarter two 2022 and based on a version of the Dickens story from The Scope magazine. Students voice the characters and read the stage directions aloud, from Scrooge's gloomy office to the dancing at Fezziwig's warehouse. Marley narrates, and the cast signs off by cheering that they did good. The read-aloud of Raymond's Run is plainer. Mystille introduces the story as a mentor text for a sixth grade writer's workshop, sends listeners to page three of the hot pink core materials, and then reads. The story's closing lines, about two runners sharing a smile of real respect, suit a classroom setting well. The interview with Principal Keck, run by Kai Chudao and Karam, starts with nerves and reassurance before the first question. Keck says years of teaching, and administrators who helped her become a better teacher, drew her toward the job, and she talks about keeping staff and students connected through distance learning. Her favorite memory is the turkey trot, and she quickly adds that it is not because she is a fast runner. In 'Top Ten Beasts in Harry Potter's World', Asha and Olive present under their own name, Potato Fantasy NATO, with NATO short for tornado. They count from least to most favorite, starting with Dementors, trading notes on chocolate and expecto patronus, and mentioning that Olive's patronus is a monkey before they reach basilisks. 'Rio and Danica Spilling the Tea' works like a suggestion box read out loud. They want ripped jeans allowed again under the dress code, argue that boys and girls should do the same number of push-ups, and question whether homework is necessary, citing Ms. Nash's view that it should review class rather than take hours. One of them admits to liking homework anyway, since it makes a handy excuse to get out of chores. None of it is polished, and the appeal is in those unguarded touches: inflated scores, stage nerves and creature facts delivered with total conviction.
Made for: Suits a listener who likes hearing middle schoolers in their own words as they rate fast food, perform Dickens or push back on school rules. It also fits a teacher or parent who wants to hear what a classroom audio project sounds like in practice.
What sets it apart: The format changes with whoever is at the microphone, so a fast-food ranking sits next to a staged A Christmas Carol, a short-story read-aloud and a principal interview. The nerves and inflated scores are all still audible, which makes it a record of school life more than a produced show.
Listen to digital journalism student-created podcasts. Various students speak about a variety of topics.
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A focused read-aloud where competition opens into a measured moment of respect.
Raymond's Run works best as a classroom read-aloud with a practical purpose: helping sixth grade writers study how literary character is built through voice, choice, and change.
An upper school's week, as its students tell it.
Héctor and Beto dissect Mexican grammar, slang, and news in native-speed Spanish conversations.
Small habit changes meet hands-on AI experiments.
A student-produced dramatic reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, performed by the Digital Journalism Class.
Mystille reads Tony K.
Two middle school students interview their principal about her motivation to become a principal and the differences between leading elementary and middle schools.
Two student hosts rank their top 10 Harry Potter mythical creatures, starting with Dementors and Basilisks.
Two students discuss school improvement ideas including dress code, fitness testing fairness, and homework necessity.