The TidePod: Recent Episodes
RM TidePod
The TidePod is the student-run podcast of Richard Montgomery High School, a new installment by the student newspaper, the Tide, covering all things RM and student related, including guest speakers and fellow Montgomery County students.
Over the past couple of years, the prices of events such as homecoming prom and sporting events have been a hot topic of debate within the RM community. Although prices for sporting events such as football and soccer are set at a reasonable cost of 5 dollars, with Richard Montgomery’s homecoming price set at 30 dollars, students within the RM community have wondered if SGA events are still worth the cost. Some students have begun not to attend homecoming but rather dress up and take pictures with friends to avoid the hefty price. In order to shed light on opinions about SGA prices we spoke to students in the community about their views on the current prices and also spoke to SGA advisor Mrs. Garrigues to learn more about what goes into deciding the cost for homecoming and how that cost factors into other events for the school year.
As we wrap up exams and testing and approach the last week of school, many students have been preparing for summer. RM rockets will be doing a variety of things over their break, so we wanted to recap some of the activities and plans people have.
Starting Thursday, May 2, and continuing until May 9, Montgomery County voting centers will be offering early voting for all voters. In this election, Maryland voters can cast their ballots for the presidential primary along with elections for state senators and representatives in Congress, and delegates to the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention. This year, Montgomery County voters will also be able to vote for members of the board of education, and the race contains a wide variety of candidates from around the county.
Some RM students are getting involved with the elections and they will be working at voting sites the weekend of May 3. To learn more about what this looks like, we had guest host Humsa Tammera talk a little bit about what she will be doing as she works at election centers on the weekend.
As we approach the end of the year, more and more RM seniors have been committing to the schools they plan on attending after high school, or announcing their post-high school plans in general. One way to share these plans is through the RM Commitments account on Instagram, where seniors can fill out a google form with their name, college, major, and a photo to be featured on the account’s page. For today’s episode, we decided to speak with RM students to learn about their opinions on these accounts, and whether they find enjoyment in seeing the seniors’ accomplishments, or if it creates any stress or anxiety about the college process in general.
As RM students approach spring break, some have started thinking about the exams they have coming up in the spring. Between AP and IB exams in May, students have plenty to worry about, and some students feel stressed or nervous about studying for everything they have going on. Students typically start studying for exams in the weeks after spring break, so we decided to share some techniques for studying and preparing in this episode.
For many high school athletes, getting recruited to a collegiate program is one of their main goals. Getting a chance to play at any division is a fun and competitive experience, with some athletes aiming to play for coveted Division 1 schools. While the recruiting process can open up a host of new opportunities for student-athletes, it can also be very stressful. To learn more about what the process looks like in different sports, we spoke with some student-athletes at RM.
RM has a large variety of student-run clubs, ranging from arts clubs to sports clubs and even social justice organizations. There is something available for every student and getting involved in clubs is a big part of the RM experience for many students. The TidePod wanted to spotlight some of these clubs to make the student body more aware of the options and activities available to them, as well as the diverse variation of topics that RM’s clubs address. Today's episode features the BEAT nonprofit club.
The TidePod's first episode of 2024 is another installment of Bella and Uma's Breakdowns. They discuss all the snow days from this January as well as MCPS's new Code Purple policy for virtual learning, and what students think about it.
What we eat is obviously very important because we need food to survive. However, food can be so much more than just nutrients, and for episode four, we talk about what food can mean in our families and cultures, especially with so many holidays around the corner.
This week, RM celebrated mental health awareness week in a few different ways. At lunch each day of the week, different activities were offered for students to participate in, including therapy dogs, a movie screening of Inside Out, and open gym activities. Another feature was included in morning announcements, when students and staff could share messages or stories about mental health awareness and what it meant to them. We decided to ask students what they thought about RM's actions to address mental health in the community.
Bella and Uma's Breakdowns is back for Season 6 of The TidePod. For this installment, we’re discussing the history behind Halloween and how it became the holiday it is today. When we think of Halloween now, the current traditions come to mind: trick-or-treating for candy, dressing up in costumes, using spooky decorations, and watching beloved Halloween movies. But what is the root of all these traditions? Listen to the episode to find out!
The TidePod is back for its sixth season! For the first episode, we’re discussing an important and controversial topic at RM: the use of ChatGPT and generative AI at school. This year, RM teachers and administration established new rules strictly prohibiting the use of ChatGPT and generative AI for academic purposes or in the classroom. To gain more insights about what this looks like in classrooms and what teachers think, contributor Lincoln Reed spoke with Ms. Eleanor Simpson, and English teacher.
In the second installment of Bella and Uma's Breakdowns, the two discuss the issues with RM's bathrooms and solutions that have been taken, as well as the countywide attention and responses MCPS bathrooms have been receiving.
On Sunday, Feb. 5, the annual Grammy awards were held at the Crypto.com arena, honoring artists old and new alike. Hosted by Trevor Noah for the third time, this year’s Grammys featured an array of performances and tributes, as well as some surprising results. We cover the recipients of the biggest awards as well as the standout performances.
On Friday, January 13th, a lockdown took place at RM due to the report of a person with a gun on school property. Students were in lockdown, and then shelter-in-place from the end of fifth period until dismissal. We spoke with RM students and staff about their reactions to the situation and RM's response.
The TidePod is back for 2023! We're introducing Bella and Uma's Breakdowns, a new recurring series where we cover something that’s been in the news recently! We’ll give you a quick summary of the events and talk about the opinions surrounding the topic. Today we’re discussing TikTok, and whether or not it’s a national security threat.
It’s been a big year in many ways, and the TidePod staff wanted to recap it with a little RM Wrapped, like the center spread article from last year. We cover the top music artists, fashion trends, movies, tv shows, and RM moments from 2022. Thanks for listening this year and happy new year!
Everyone can agree that the World Cup is one of the most popular and entertaining sporting events to watch, occurring every four years and hosted by a different nation each time. But this year's world cup has been surrounded by controversy, especially pertaining to its location, which is Qatar. We break down all the scandals that have arisen regarding this World Cup, starting with the bidding process and all the way through to the actual event.
One of RM's many clubs is a chapter of My Neuro Corner, lead by sophomore Jessica Wang. RM's My Neuro Corner has a podcast called Croak, which talks about neurodiversity and advocacy in that field. We spoke with Jessica as well as the hosts of Croak to learn more about what they do. You can find Croak on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
RM students are lucky to enjoy the option of open lunch throughout the year. Due to RM's proximity to places like Rockville Town Center and Ritchie Center, students are permitted to leave the campus during lunchtime. We spoke with RM students to learn more about their recommendations and favorite places to eat.
The Montgomery County Board of Education passed a resolution allowing for the consideration of renaming six MCPS schools. RM is one of these schools; along with Montgomery County, it is named after Irish soldier Richard Montgomery. Recently, students and communities have been circulating petitions to take the further steps necessary in renaming RM and other MCPS schools. We spoke with US History teacher Mr. Beach to learn more about who Richard Montgomery was and historical context behind RM's name.
The RM TidePod kicks off its new season with introductions from the new hosts, as well as their tips for the new school year.
March 20th is the official start of spring this year! To celebrate the blossoming of wildlife and the warm weather soon to come, our team decided to take a walk outdoors to capture the sounds of spring around us. We hope this episode will offer a few minutes of relaxation and reinvigoration after the long cold months of winter. We also encourage everyone to take some time outdoors and appreciate not only the scenery but the scents and sounds surrounding us every day.
This episode reviews the recently updated MCPS policy on Covid. Our team crafted a survey that was sent out to the entire RM student body to capture student opinion and status on mask and test kit usage, along with any difficulties with resuming a regular school life given the dramatic rise in Omricon cases.
Attention freshmen, sophomores, and juniors! Course selections for the next school year are happening soon! RM offers a diverse range of unique classes, from LGBTQ studies to Quantitative Literature. In this episode, we invited several teachers and students to share their experiences with unique electives in RM. Featured guests are Ms. Kidd (Journalism & Yearbook), Cindy Le (Quantitative Literature), and Chloe Adossou (African American Studies). Feel free to reach out to them for more information!
This episode was hosted by Annyee Foo and Hayal Ziku.
Script written by Courtney Kim, Annyee Foo, and Emma Tyser.
Publicity and Outreach by Courtney Kim and Hayal Ziku.
Edited by Jupleen Kaur
Produced by the TidePod editors, Courtney Kim and Jupleen Kaur.
As students return to the building for the first time in over a year, school events are back into full swing! Today, we spoke to the SGA president, Lulu August, who gave us an overview of school traditions, fundraisers, and other events to come. In our new series - A Beginner's Guide to RM - the TidePod offers a variety of helpful information about RM, academic advice, and fresh updates on exciting events. For the underclassmen who missed out on a traditional school experience, and for the upperclassmen that'd like to finish the school year with lots of memories, we hope this series can help you out.
Scripted, Hosted, and Produced by TidePod Editor Courtney Kim.
Edited by Asisstant Editor Jupleen Kaur.
In the twelfth episode of the TidePod’s third season, we gave seniors the opportunity to share their experiences at RM. We accepted audio recordings from any seniors who wanted to reflect on their lives in high school, give shout-outs to their friends and favorite teachers, share their future plans, give advice, and more. We captured the memories of the Class of 2021 in this podcast. It's also our last TidePod episode of the year, and this episode is extra special because it's the last one all of the TidePod editors from this year are participating in. Mirula, Amna, Savva, and Rediet have worked hard this year to make the TidePod what it is and have watched it turn into something amazing. This episode will commemorate the end of our times here and the end of this historic year for high school students.
The featured guests were Nikki Shah, Alexis Crawley, Anand Chitnis, Anh Tran, Anjali Natarajan, Anna Cheng, Claire Gelillo, Corinne Hanway, Edward Sorensen, Helena Aytenfisu, Olivia Blucker, and Rediet Ghebrehiwet.
The episode was hosted by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
The script was written by Amna Shamim and Charlyn Chu.
Publicity and Outreach by Rediet Ghebrehiwet, Amna Shamim, and Mirula Prasad.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the eleventh episode of the TidePod’s third season, we will be talking to the two candidates for School-wide President: Lulu August and Shayyan Ali Ahmed. SGA election season is just around the corner, and all campaigns have been completely virtual. We'll get their insights on the virtual campaigning experience and what they have been doing to gain traction. We'll also give the candidates a chance to share their platforms and tell us why they decided to run for School-wide President in the first place. They will express their main goals and priorities for their campaign or run as School-wide President, and the ideas that make them the best person for the job. Elections are April 14/15 during students' social studies classes, so make sure to vote and have your voice heard. If you have any questions, you can contact Lulu August or Shayyan Ahmed at these emails respectively, lulujna@gmail.com and shayy0505@gmail.com.
The featured guests were Lulu August and Shayyan Ali Ahmed.
The episode was hosted by Courtney Kim.
The script was written by Charlyn Chu and Courtney Kim.
Publicity and Outreach by Nikitha Shah and Courtney Kim.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the tenth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we interviewed student leaders of the Black Maskers Drama club in Richard Montgomery High School, RMHS, to talk about their upcoming production, Clue: Stay at Home Edition. Normally, the Black Maskers put on a musical during the fall, produce the student-directed One Acts during the winter, and put on a play during the spring. While the Black Maskers were not able to produce any of these shows in person this year, they will be presenting a virtually-made production in April. Today, we will be exploring how the club has adapted in transitioning from an in-person production to an online one. Anand Chitnis and Bridget McKirgan, student leaders of the Black Maskers Drama club, will also help us understand how the club has been running during virtual learning.
The featured guests are Anand Chitnis and Bridget McKirgan.
The episode is hosted by Thisuli Meepagala.
The script was written by Jupleen Kaur and Alyssa Lee.
Publicity and Outreach by Nikitha Shah.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the ninth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we interviewed Montgomery County Public School, MCPS, students involved in the American Sign Language, ASL, community about their experiences learning ASL and what it means to be an ASL user. In MCPS, ASL is offered as a world language and can be used to fulfill Maryland diploma requirements. Students in these classes learn much more than grammar and vocabulary in these classes; they are also exposed to the culture and heritage of the Deaf community. There is even an ASL club in Richard Montgomery High School to learn more about the community and spread awareness of the issues regarding the Deaf community. We talked to ASL club founder and leader Julia Craig about her experiences and what led her to start this club. Also, we talked to Marilyn Nguyen about why she chose to study ASL and her experiences learning it. In addition to interviewing students involved with the ASL community, the host for this episode conducted research on the history of ASL to familiarize audiences on the topic.
The featured guests are Julia Craig and Marilyn Nguyen.
The episode is hosted by Courtney Kim.
The script was written by Courtney Kim and Mirula Prasad.
Publicity and Outreach by Courtney Kim and Mirula Prasad.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the eighth episode of the TidePod's third season, we will be talking to Dr. McDonald about the recent Wall Street controversy surrounding the r/wallstreetbets saga concerning GameStop. Wall Street is located in the lower Manhattan section of New York City and is the home of the New York Stock Exchange. It has also been the historic headquarters of some of the largest U.S. brokerages and investment banks. Gamestop is an American electronics retail company that is known for offering video games and entertainment products. The company has been struggling for the past few years, starting in early 2019, as demand for physical video games has gone down with people opting for online purchases instead. But in a turn of events, Reddit users in the forum #wallstreetbets, founded by Jaime Rogozinski, have united and skyrocketed Gamestop stocks to save the company, causing hedge funds to lose money rapidly. Today, Dr. McDonald will be providing an economic perspective of this situation along with his own personal thoughts and opinions. The featured guest is Dr. McDonald. The episode is hosted by Shoshana Peck and Thisuli Meepagala. The script was written by Charlyn Chu. Publicity and Outreach by Jupleen Kaur. Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters. Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the seventh episode of the TidePod’s third season, we will be talking to Jake Singer about the mock trial team. Mock trial has been a fixture of the RM community for years now, and the mock trial team has won multiple national and statewide championships, including the Maryland State Bar Association’s High School Mock Trial Championship in 2019. In the past, members were given a fictional fact pattern at the beginning of the year to prepare for the case. Members gave opening and closing statements, and direct and cross-examined witnesses like a real trial. Participating in mock trial in RM gives members direct exposure to the legal system and law. Today, we’ll be learning how mock trial has been adapted for the virtual school year.
The featured guest is Jake Singer.
The episode is hosted by Amna Shamim.
The script was written by Mirula Prasad, Rediet Ghebrehiwet, and Annie Guo.
Publicity and Outreach by Amna Shamim.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the sixth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we talk to Nick Asante about his role as the 43rd Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB). The SMOB is a crucial position on the Board of Education that gives a voice to MCPS students through their votes every year. This year, Nick has taken on unique challenges and responsibilities as SMOB because of the pandemic and the start of online learning. We'll discuss how he manages his schedule as a senior while being a representative in the Board of Education for the students of Montgomery County. Sophomores and juniors are able to fill out the candidate nomination form to run for SMOB until January 28th, and Nick will be giving us some tips for those looking to run and apply to be a candidate. In this episode, listeners will get an exclusive look into the life of SMOB and the expectations they are required to fulfill as SMOB.
The featured guest is Nick Asante.
The episode is hosted by Lydia Yeh and Annie Guo.
The script was written by Courtney Kim, Kyson Taylor and Lydia Yeh.
Publicity and Outreach by Nikki Shah, Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the fifth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we talk to two teachers to understand their perspectives on the recent grade change policies enacted in Montgomery County Public Schools. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen many changes made within our school district, MCPS, to accommodate student needs in a new learning setting. Most recently, MCPS has altered its grading policy, allowing for 16 total assignments and credit for late work. In this episode, we will be examining the perspective of two RM teachers on the new policy, discussing their thoughts and its impacts on their jobs.
The featured guests are Ms. Leckie and Dr. Kovacs.
The episode is hosted by Lydia Yeh and Annie Guo.
The script was written by Courtney Kim, Kyson Taylor, and Lydia Yeh.
Publicity and Outreach by Mirula Prasad, Amna Shamim, Annie Guo, and Lydia Yeh.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the fourth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we talk to RM teachers about their Thanksgiving plans. This episode is part of a special two-part series. The first part will be an interview with teacher couples about their Thanksgiving plans. The second part will be an interview with prominent teachers in the RM community. It’s November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. 2020 has had its fair share of ups and downs, but one of the most challenging things about Thanksgiving this year is the loss of most Thanksgiving traditions. Due to COVID-19, traditional in-person gatherings in large groups with family/friends and traveling far distances are not an option. Instead, people have had to come up with other solutions to carry out their thanksgiving traditions. Today we have Shoshana Peck and Thisuli Meepagala hosting today’s show. We are joined by Mr. Fahrner, Mr. Stillman, the Albaugh’s, and the Goetz’s, who will be sharing their Thanksgiving plans this year in addition to how they have adapted in these difficult times.
This episode of the TidePod was hosted by Shoshana Peck and Thisuli Meepagala.
The featured guests were Mr. Goetz, Mrs. Goetz, Mr. Albaugh, Mrs. Albaugh, Mr. Stillman, and Mr. Fahrner.
The script was written by Anne Moser, Jupleen Kaur, Charlyn Chu, Angelina Xu.
Publicity and outreach by Alyssa Lee and Nikitha Shah.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Narrated by Mirula Prasad. Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the fourth episode of the third season of the TidePod, we talk to RM teachers about their Thanksgiving plans. This episode is part of a special two-part series. The first part will be an interview with teacher couples about their Thanksgiving plans. The second part will be an interview with prominent teachers in the RM community. It’s November, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. 2020 has had its fair share of ups and downs, but one of the most challenging things about Thanksgiving this year is the loss of most Thanksgiving traditions. Due to COVID-19, traditional in-person gatherings in large groups with family/friends and traveling far distances are not an option. Instead, people have had to come up with other solutions to carry out their thanksgiving traditions. Today we have Shoshana Peck and Thisuli Meepagala hosting today’s show. We are joined by Mr. Fahrner, Mr. Stillman, the Albaugh’s, and the Goetz’s, who will be sharing their Thanksgiving plans this year in addition to how they have adapted in these difficult times.
This episode of the TidePod was hosted by Shoshana Peck and Thisuli Meepagala.
The featured guests were Mr. Goetz, Mrs. Goetz, Mr. Albaugh, Mrs. Albaugh, Mr. Stillman, and Mr. Fahrner.
The script was written by Anne Moser, Jupleen Kaur, Charlyn Chu, Angelina Xu.
Publicity and outreach by Alyssa Lee and Nikitha Shah.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Narrated by Mirula Prasad. Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the third episode of the third season of the TidePod, we talked to members of different political activism organizations to learn more about their contributions and the importance of participating in local elections. Election season has come to the end and we’ve witnessed a lot of attention and energy being dedicated to influencing the outcome of the presidential election, whether that be simply exercising one’s given right to vote or organizing initiatives to educate and mobilize large groups of citizens. Understandably so, as the future president will possess the ability to approve or deny critical legislation, have power over the armed forces, and nominate Supreme Court justices, among many other responsibilities. However, in the midst of the presidential election commotion, Americans tend to overlook the importance of state and local elections. In this episode, we will be breaking down the role of the central versus local governments by talking to members of different political activism groups at RM and our county as a whole to get their input. Today, we are joined by Claire Gelilo, Nikhitha Balijepalli and Julia Angel. This episode is hosted by Courtney Kim and Kyson Taylor. The script was written by Annie Guo and Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Publicity and Outreach by Mirula Prasad, Amna Shamim, Rediet Ghebrehiwet, and Kyson Taylor. Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters. Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the second episode of the third season of the TidePod, we told spooky stories in time for the season of scares and horror. As Halloween is quickly approaching, we decided to make a special edition episode for the holiday. For this episode, we will be telling three scary stories. We will be telling an original story by our very own TidePod contributor, Jupleen Kaur about a terrifying monster in a cabin. Then, we will be telling the infamous story of the Bell Witch which has been circulating pop culture for quite some time. Lastly, we will be telling you the well known urban legend of Slenderman. So grab a snack, lay back and get ready to be spooked! Your hosts today will be Nikki Shah and Rediet Ghebrehiwet.
This episode is hosted by Nikki Shah and Rediet Ghebrehiwet.
The script was written by Jupleen Kaur, Mirula Prasad, and Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Publicity and outreach by Amna Shamim and Mirula Prasad.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Mirula Prasad and Amna Shamim.
In the first episode of the third season of the TidePod, we interviewed leadership from four different cultural clubs in RM: the South Asian Student Association, RM’s Asian American Club, the Jewish Student Union, and the Bilingual and Biliterate Spanish Club. Here at Richard Montgomery, we have a variety of academic and special interest clubs. The category that we’ll be looking at today is culture. Cultural clubs promote awareness of different cultures present which is important for representing the diversity in our school and the world.
With 140 clubs registered this year, there are 32 clubs that identify themselves as cultural/ethnic. Today, we will be speaking to members of four different cultural clubs about their culture and how they use their club to start conversations.
Featured guests: Kaia Lee-Espiritu, Anjali Natarajan, Sydney Weiss, and Desiree Ascensio Coto.
Hosts: Savva Brown and Alyssa Lee.
The script was written by Julia Craig. Publicity and outreach by Nikki Shah, Amna Shamim, and Mirula Prasad.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Produced by Amna Shamim and Mirula Prasad.
In the eleventh episode of the second season of the TidePod, we interviewed three teachers on their thoughts of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and how it is affecting their lives and the education system.
Coronavirus has caused schools all around the country and even world to be shut down until further notice. Many schools have announced that they will be closed for the rest of the year. At this moment, all Maryland public schools have been closed through May 15, 2020. This event has left school officials scrambling for ways to keep students educated during these unprecedented times. Schools are lending technology and Wi-Fi hotspots to students without access to these things to start online learning. Students are now participating in Zoom calls and are given assignments to complete to finish off the school year or the time they are gone from school. AP exams are now being held online and are adapted in response to this crisis. Teachers have had to adapt to this technology as well and find out the best ways to teach students during this time. We have emailed three teachers for their thoughts on the situation and will be reading them out loud on this podcast today.
Featured guests: Mr. Goldstein, Mrs. Vires, and Ms. Carter.
This episode was hosted by Mirula Prasad.
The script was written by Mirula Prasad.
Publicity and outreach were done by Mirula Prasad
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown, Rediet Ghebrehiwet, and Amna Shamim. Produced by Grace Burwell.
In the tenth episode of season two of the TidePod, senior contributor Ella Koenig and her friends came up with a list of 50 fun activities to do during COVID-19 school closures. Right now, students find themselves with a lot of time on their hands, as all Maryland schools are currently closed from March 16-27. Recently, Maryland has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases, and nearby states such as Virginia have shut down all schools for the rest of the year. This has caused shock and uncertainty for everyone in the state, as well as students wondering when they'll go back to school. Social distancing, while important, can be hard to practice, so these fun projects and ideas are here to help you flatten the curve and hopefully beat the pandemic blues!
In this episode, RM sophomores Samadhi JQ, Ella Koenig, Elianna Hart, Laurel Dexter, and Reese West hosted five different segments with ten activities each: arts and crafts, activities with friends, chill activities, family activities, and self-care activities for anyone to do during the break. These activities range from making origami to using Netflix Party with friends to learning how to do yoga, and will certainly provide a fun way to spend time for anyone who needs "coronacation" inspiration. Need help managing your time? These activities will help you be productive and creative with friends and family, even while staying inside.
Featured guests: Reese West, Elianna Hart, Samadhi JQ, and Laurel Dexter.
This episode was hosted by Ella Koenig. The script was written by Ella Koenig, Emma Hubbard, Genevieve Cowl and Christina D’Albora. Publicity and outreach were done by Ella Koenig.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Ella Koenig. Produced by Grace Burwell.
In the ninth episode of the second season of the TidePod, we hosted a trivia game between candidates for this year's Mr. RM.
Mr. RM is an annual tradition in Richard Montgomery where senior boys compete head to head in various contests and performances to see who will ultimately be crowned Mr. RM. This is also a charity event sponsored by RM's Student Government Association, where the money candidates collect and ticket sales are donated to Pennies for Patients, to support cancer patients across the country. This year, Mr. RM was held in the auditorium on Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. The various competitions include a group performance, talent show, formal wear competition, and a swimwear competition. Then, audience members voted on who they'd like to elect Mr. RM, following in the candidates being narrowed down to the final five. The final five then answered questions, and the winner, Tudor Postolache, was crowned after a judging period.
In this episode, we held a friendly competition to test the candidates on their knowledge of Richard Montgomery High School history, pop culture, and general knowledge trivia. In this episode, candidates Christian Rivera, Michael Thomas, Justin Hall, Logan Turner-Mannix, and Matthew Giantelli competed on the gold team, and Rob Kearns, Eddie Rizkallah, Ethan Kwun, Pranav Tadikonda, and Freddy Martinez competed on the black team. Candidates Kevin Hrozencik, Tudor Postolache, and Camber Vincent were not present.
Featured guests: Mr. RM 2020 candidates Christian Rivera, Michael Thomas, Justin Tang, Logan Turner, Matthew Giantelli, Rob Kearns, Eddie Rizkallah, Freddie Martinez, Eric Hall, Ethan Kwun, and Pranav Tadikonda. Candidates Kevin Hrozencik, Tudor Postolache, and Camber Vincent was not able to make it.
This episode was hosted by Ella Koenig, the script was written by Nikki Shah and Mirula Prasad, and publicity and outreach were done by Ella Koenig.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music by Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
In the second episode of the brand new TidePod SGA segment, hosts Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer speak to junior Nick Asante, who is RM's very own Student Member of the Board of Education (or SMOB) candidate for the 2020-21 school year. Asante, who announced his run for SMOB in early 2020, has made it to the final two and is competing against Magruder HS junior Victoria Kidder. The SMOB election will take place on April 22. Montgomery County is one of two counties in Maryland to give its SMOB full Board of Education voting rights. To learn more about Asante and why he is running for SMOB, listen to "SGA Segment #2: RM's SMOB Candidate."
The featured guest for this episode is Nick Asante.
Hosted and narrated by Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer. Script, publicity, outreach, and editing by Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
In the eighth episode of the second season of the TidePod, we interviewed leadership members of RM's Black Student Union, or BSU, about Black History Month, which takes place during the month of February. At RM, the BSU is one of the school’s most active and popular clubs. From February 10th- 14th, the club planned a spirit week consisting of spirit days such as Motherland Monday and Flag Day Friday to celebrate their heritage and share their pride, leading up to the second annual Black Student Union’s African Diaspora Night event. We talked to incoming BSU leaders Lydia Daniel and Janna Stewartson about what Black History Month means to them, as well as what the club is like. In addition to interviewing BSU leaders, the hosts for this episode conducted research on the history of Black History Month to familiarize audiences on the topic.
Featured guests: Lydia Daniel and Janna Stewartson
Hosted by Alyssa Lee and Rachel Wang.
The script was written by Victoria Koretsky and Rediet Ghebrehiwet. Publicity and outreach by Brennan Rose.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Amna Shamim. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
In the first episode of the brand new TidePod SGA segment, hosts Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer discuss an upcoming act that could impact Montgomery County schools, the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2019. At RM, the SGA is working with the Girl Up club to campaign for menstrual equity. This campaign by Girl Up will include donating menstrual products to be used in the restrooms at RM until the bill is passed, signing a petition to express support for the bill, and writing letters to representatives in Congress in support of the bill. Ita Teta, a member of Girl Up, joins Carver-Tchagna and Meyer on today's episode to discuss this act, how RM students are advocating for it, and why it is important for schools to implement.
The featured guest for this episode is Ita Teta.
Hosted and narrated by Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer. Script, publicity, outreach, and editing by Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer.
Graphic by Valerie Wang. Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
This Valentine's Day, the TidePod interviewed both a student and teacher couple about their thoughts on Valentine's Day. Is Valentine's Day only for couples or a way for friends and family to celebrate their love too? Is it over-commercialized, or sweet? Hear two students and a teacher discuss their opinions on the holiday in the seventh episode of the second season of the TidePod.
Featured guests: juniors Xochi Atienza and Caleb Hart, and science teacher Bessy Albaugh.
Hosted by Emily Huang, and narrated by Mirula Prasad.
Script by Mirula Prasad and Ella Koenig. Publicity and outreach by Savva Brown, Brennan Rose, Ella Koenig, Emily Huang, and Mirula Prasad. Graphic by Valerie Wang.
Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Amna Shamim. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
This year, the TidePod is partnering with Richard Montgomery's Student Government Association (the SGA) to publish a podcast segment that will update the RM community on all of the relevant events and information about RM that students, teachers, and staff want to be in the know about. Written, hosted, and edited by SGA student advocacy coordinators Sabrena Carver-Tchagna and Lucy Meyer, the TidePod SGA segment will air once to twice a month and aims to be a shorter version of the TidePod aimed specifically at educating the RM community about what's going on at school. Tune in to find out more about everything Rocket Nation! The SGA segment will be available to listen to on Spotify and Buzzsprout alongside TidePod episodes.
In the sixth episode of the second season of the TidePod, we interviewed the student producers of Richard Montgomery's own One Acts festival, an entirely student-run show comprised of four one-act plays that are often student-written and directed. Listen to "A Look Into the Making of One Acts" to find out more about RM's favorite winter show, and to hear from some of the students in charge of creating it!
The producers for One Acts this year are Ciara Culligan and Lilah Katz, and the assistant producers are Anand Chitnis and Rediet Ghebrehiwet. The technical directors are Rina Levy and Alisa Leung, and the assistant technical directors are Erin Sanders and Elsa Vincent. The assistant producers and technical directors will take over for the current producers and technical directors for next year's show.
The shows in this year's One Acts Festival are: Check Please, directed by Becca Howlett and Jordyn Gershoni, No Signal, written and directed by Tudor Postolache and Adam Winchenbach, Morally Grey, written and directed by Ali Saffel, and What's In a Name?, written and directed by JJ Kusnetsov, Ethan Hankins, and Julian St. Denis. The 2020 One Acts Festival will take place on Friday, January 31st at 7 pm.
Featured guests: One Acts assistant technical directors Erin Sanders and Elsa Vincent, assistant producer Anand Chitnis, and producer Lilah Katz.
Hosted and narrated by Victoria Koretsky and Ruth Taddesse.
Script by Rediet Ghebrehiwet and Victoria Koretsky. Publicity and outreach by Brennan Rose. Graphic by Valerie Wang.
Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Amna Shamim. Produced by Grace Burwell.
The TidePod is back for 2020! The fifth episode of season 2 was originally comprised of an interview with four students of different ideologies about their political beliefs. These four students were contacted based on a political demographics survey put out by the Tide in the fall of 2019 as well as their interest in being interviewed. This survey was meant to gather a representative glimpse of Richard Montgomery students’ political beliefs and involvement, however, we only had 348 responses. Unfortunately, the TidePod had issues with the original audio of this episode that resulted in the intended recording being unpublishable.
Instead, the TidePod interviewed three Tide editors and Advanced Journalism students to give audiences an inside look into the making of the political survey and an analysis of the results. These editors have a unique perspective on the survey as they contributed to making and sending it out to RM students. In this episode, you will hear from these editors about the questions, results, and demographics of this survey.
Featured guests: Mary Ma, Shevani Tewari, and Christine Zhu.
Hosted by Brennan Rose, and narrated by Grace Burwell
Script by Grace Burwell, Mirula Prasad, and Brennan Rose. Publicity and outreach Grace Burwell, Mirula Prasad, Brennan Rose, and Ella Koenig. Cover art by Valerie Wang.
Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.
Edited by Savva Brown. Produced by Grace Burwell.
You can listen to the rest of the TidePod podcast here.
In the fourth episode of the second season of the TidePod, we reached out to a few different cultural clubs and honors societies at Richard Montgomery to learn more about their unique Thanksgiving holiday traditions, as well as one of our history teachers, Mr. Beach, to talk about what Thanksgiving means to them.Featured guests: Elizabeth Haupt, Isaac Lim, Ita Teta, and Mr. Pete Beach.Hosted by Alyssa Lee and Rachel Wang.Script by Rediet Ghebrehiwet, Eashana Subramanian, and Rachel Wang. Publicity and outreach by Brennan Rose.Cover art by Valerie Wang.Music courtesy of Corrigan Peters.Edited by Amna Shamim. Produced by Grace Burwell.