John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy holds a ribbon cutting to celebrate the launch of their student-run radio show.
Every week, aspiring radio personalities at John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School in the Bronx get to practice their broadcasting skills during their own live radio show. The school received a $5,000 grant from the Make the Grade Foundation last month to launch its show, which streams for one hour every Friday over the Internet.
Students host interviews, talk shows, and music programs during the weekly segment. They spend time both in class and after school preparing for their Friday broadcasts. Besides writing and performing content, students are also being trained to operate the sophisticated state-of-the-art broadcast equipment funded by the grant.
Jacquelyn Pachay, a 19 year-old student in the program, said she enjoys preparing for the show every week. “Internet Radio has been an exciting class that gives me experience in the entertainment business,” she said.
Another student, 17 year-old Joshua Lluverez, said that using the equipment had already helped him become more comfortable with technology and better prepared for other class presentations.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony launching the program last month, students interviewed local Hunts Point community members. Representatives from the Make the Grade Foundation, and local media personalities, attended the kick-off.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to get exposed to the world of communications,” the school’s principal, Marc Donald, said.
Tune in
here on Fridays from 4:00-5:00 p.m. to listen to the students’ broadcasts.
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