Institute Innovations: New Podcasting Certificate

February 25, 2020

The Project Success Institute, which began offering nightly programming during the 2018-2019 school year, is an innovative learning space offering certificate programs to give students a broader sense of the occupations and lifestyles available to them, both in the future and in their lives today.

Each trimester, the Institute offers 10-week courses to students in areas like financial literacy, coding, and cooking to prepare them for their personal and professional futures. In addition to these regularly occurring and popular programs, the Institute is designed to be responsive to student needs and industry trends in developing innovative, new offerings and curriculum. During the winter trimester, high schoolers from PS partner schools have been engaged in hands-on audio production experiences as a part of our new Monday night podcasting course.

Laura Garcia and Dijon McCain
Dijon McCain with his former PS facilitator and current Director of Schools and Curriculum, Laura Garcia

With curriculum designed by Program Manager James Rone, and instruction from James and Institute Teacher Maude Quinn, the course also brings in guest experts to offer professional and career insights — like Dijon McCain, PS alumnus from Henry High and local media producer, journalist and broadcaster.

“The key objective of the program is to provide students with access to an emerging media format on which they can make their mark and through which they can express themselves,” says James. “Students learn about what podcasts are, how to find them, what equipment is needed to make them, qualities of an effective host, how to find an audience, and how to monetize podcasts.”

Students launched their podcast, “Are You With Me?” in mid-February, and will produce a new episode of the podcast every week, which is distributed across a variety of podcasting networks. Take a listen, subscribe, and review.

Are You With Me?

Apple Podcasts

Podcast Homepage

Are you a high school student interested in signing up for a program in the Project Success Institute? In addition to Podcasting, we are currently offering certificates in Financial Literacy (sponsored by Bremer Bank), Cooking and Coding. Visit our Institute page.