There is now a new and trivial way to learn about current events happening within our school, started by the broadcast department filmed in the ChiefTV studio located in room 241.
The Kickapoo Broadcast teacher, Mr. Loudis, as well as one of his students, senior Micheal Deck, are excited to announce they have started a podcast to go over students, staff, and other events within the school. This podcast is mainly a trivia podcast as Loudis is a sucker for anything to do with trivia.
‟I love trivia. I’m totally drawn in every time, anywhere. I love Kickapoo. I’ve been here my whole life. It’s time to share the love in a trendy format. We’ve hosted a radio-format show here in ChiefTV since 1980, called Arrowhead Audio, and this podcast is an extension of our tradition of professional grade broadcasting from high school students,” Loudis said.
Loudis created something he knew high school students would enjoy from his own past experiences. He has been in this school for so many years and he loves making new opportunities not only for himself but also others.
This podcast is a trendy and creative way to learn about the school and for students and faculty to feel appreciated. To find the latest episode search “Kickapoo High School Broadcast Podcast” on Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Music.
‟Loudis came to me with an idea. He talked about wanting to do something similar when he retires which I think is pretty cool. He’s a really smart and creative guy so I was totally on board when he mentioned the idea to me,” Deck said.
Loudis has had the idea of starting a podcast later on in life but he decided to make it happen sooner than later. Deck had never thought about making an in school podcast, but with a little push from his trusty teacher, he decided to give it a shot.
‟The goal of the podcast is to make something that people can enjoy that’s a simple and easy listen,” Deck said.
Podcasts are known to be easy to listen to and with the right people making them, they can be very entertaining.
Loudis and Deck encourage all students and staff to listen to the new podcast to learn about events and activities going on around school.
‟I think the problem with media today is the over saturation of content that doesn’t really have much value. I think what we’re doing shows that if you put care into something people will watch/listen and enjoy it,” Deck said.
Deck has a strong opinion on how the media has changed our society and he wants something better for the school. Deck and Loudis both want the podcast to show their care for the school. The podcast will show off things around the school in a new but better way.
‟Michael is a student I’ve been impressed by with his ‘natural voice’ writing and editing style, his maturity among peers, as well as his sense of comedic timing. He’s multi-faceted as he excels in academics, band, and has a busy job outside of school. He’s a scrapper and won’t give up when he’s tired. He’s quick to think about problems that are coming up and attack them. Frankly, he’s one of the few students I’d hire for my own business if I had one,” Loudis said.
Deck is an amazing student who manages everything going on in his life very well. Loudis thinks very highly of him which is the reason why he chose Deck to be his co-host in the podcast. Loudis knows he can count on Deck to do the job right and efficiently.
‟First, we have a pitch with each other and drum up interesting questions casually. We´ll then hit up other ChiefTV students in class for gossip and trivia about their teachers and events coming up. We also study the school website for announcements for spicy trivia,” Loudis said.
Making the podcast is a lengthy process. However, it starts simple with simple conversations between Loudis and Deck as well as some student feedback. They also find information on the school website.
‟After the questions are created we set out to reveal the answers in the most entertaining way possible.
This episode, we used the actual voices of the people connected to the trivia answer as much as possible. After the script and answers are prepared and rehearsed, it’s go time,” Loudis said.
They want to keep the podcast engaging for everyone to listen to. To do this, they have to get creative with how they answer the questions. For example, in episode two of the podcast they will have voice clips from students and teachers to answer questions.
‟We record ‘live to tape’ as if the show has a studio audience live in the room, for maximum energy on the mic. The final podcast is then edited for timing with sound effects and music added in,” Loudis said.
Finally after preparation for the episode is done Loudis and Deck can record and edit before publishing to all the media platforms. They use resources like Spotify for podcasters to host the episodes for free.
They would like for students to be involved in the making of the podcast. For the first episode they encouraged students to take the Kickapoo Trivia Challenge that will be included in the first episode.
‟We’re trying to get them out A.S.A.P while still taking our time. We do it during his second block that I tutor for. It can be a challenge sometimes because he has to teach and I kind of do too, but we have downtime where we can be creative and get stuff done,” Deck said.
It can be hard to find time to work on the making of their new project, as they both have other responsibilities. However, whenever they do have time, Loudis and Deck get hard at work to make the podcast as great as it can be.
‟It’s been a cool learning experience and it’s well…fun too,” Loudis said.
The new podcast started by the broadcast department is available on all streaming platforms. Loudis and Deck encourage everyone to be involved in the making of each episode. They are excited to have a new and fun way to release information about the school.
