Since early November 2019, The Owl staff has turned its attention to creating its inaugural podcast. Inspired by the SCSC’s Owl360Podcast which has been in production for over a year, the staff wanted another platform to reach its audience. Shawn Mahoney sparked our interest when he came to class to discuss making videos of the news at SHS. From this conversation, the podcast idea came to life.

Our first goal was deciding on the topic. Based on recent events at a school dance, peer pressure and substance use were the initial topics on the table; however, everyone kept coming back to mental health as a critical concern for today’s teen. So, we tackled researching anxiety and depression, interviewing an SHS student who struggles with depression and interviewing an athlete who has had recent surgery and the role of mental health in her life. We also conducted interviews for the Empowerment Club and with Troy Hubbard, SMS counselor, with suggestions for assistance with mental health concerns.

Many students participated in this project from the conception of the idea to the research, then interview segments into editing and publishing. Besides the re-branding of the format of the online paper, creating a new slogan, adding the weather segment, and incorporating advertising into the online format, we have also learned many new skills putting the podcast together. We know we have much more to learn, but we enjoyed the new skills and new friendships as we worked together. Enjoy listening and know that you are not alone in your struggles. Seek assistance because someone always understands and wants to help.

https://anchor.fm/theowlnewspaper/episodes/The-Owl-Mental-Health-1-e9i9n2/a-a163lpn