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Hoover third-graders bring classroom podcast to school board, head to WASB
Summary
Hoover Elementary's third-grade podcast, led by teacher Caitlin Supple and showcased by Principal Courtney Vang, has grown from a single microphone to a multi-microphone program that ties to priority ELA standards and SEL; the project will be featured at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards conference.
Hoover Elementary students demonstrated a student-produced podcast during the Dec. 15 West Allis-West Milwaukee School Board meeting and announced the program will be showcased at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) conference.
Principal Courtney Vang said the podcast was selected for a WASB booth and noted students will conduct live interviews at the event. Teacher Caitlin Supple described how the project began from students’ interests and mentor-teacher guidance, and how it uses the Seesaw platform for publishing and family feedback. "It started with just 1 mic that 3 people would have to share, and then we now have the mini mics where we can sort of travel around and ask people questions and record," Supple said.
Supple told the board the podcast intentionally links to district priority ELA standards and promotes speaking, listening, research and digital-literacy skills. She listed past guests who have participated, including local radio host DZ, small-business owner Skyler, author Joseph Arntzen and a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, and said students use classroom research to prepare interview questions.
Multiple third graders spoke at the meeting about skills they gained—confidence, follow-up questioning, eye contact and teamwork—and described the podcast as a way to see community careers and practice public speaking. Board members praised the project’s community connections and student development, and staff noted Supple edits episodes on her own time. The board meeting served as a public opportunity for students to lead an authentic audience interview.
The presentation concluded with board encouragement and a request that attendees follow the Hoover podcast on Spotify; administrators said the district will continue to support classroom projects that provide real-world learning experiences.
