Trout Creek boys script podcast

There has been much discussion on whether stricter gun control laws should be adopted to protect and safeguard U.S. citizens. At the home of the Eagles in Trout Creek, four students have taken the gun control debate further and have created a podcast, a digital audio file that is available via the Internet or to download, concentrating on the issue.

Until recently, most politically debated topics were appealing to adults only. With schools seeing an increase in gun violence, students are becoming more involved in these debates as they are directly affected by the issue.

The seriousness of gun violence has invoked eighth grader Colton Wormwood to join seventh grade classmates Giovanni D'Angelo, Nathan Levey and Julian Flick to enter the National Public Radio (NPR) Student Podcast Challenge. The challenge is for students to create a podcast limited to 12 minutes long. The students collectively decided to base theirs on debate that they feel is important in their community.

"Over 95 percent of households in Montana have firearms or guns in them," Levey commented as being the main reason the gun control a debate seemed fitting for their podcast. "With that, we decided as a group to do this topic because everyone in this group has shot a firearm and has access to them," the group collectively shared.

Senator Jennifer Fielder represented one of the two sides of the podcast debate. Fielder, who is also on the Fish and Game Commission, argues her belief that guns are a cultural way of life here in Montana. In addition, according to the boys, Fielder commented that guns help with our community since we are rural, so stricter gun laws are not necessarily the answer.

On the other side of the fence, Levey and Flick took the stance that stricter laws may help deter further gun-related violence. Levey shared that he bases his argument on the fact that he has personally had a friend die from a gunshot wound and has had loved ones injured by gunfire.

The boys made it very clear that everyone involved in the debate agreed that firearms should not be in the hands of uneducated people and that the purpose of guns is not to induce violence. "It is the person behind the gun, not the gun itself that does the killing," D'Angelo stated confidently.

"I pushed for this to be our podcast topic because we live in a very deep red part of the country and I wanted to have a turning point for citizens, young and old, to see that we can tackle this issue," said Levey, explaining how the topic was developed. "Guns are something that we have in our daily lives here, but it is something that splits our nation right down the middle, almost evenly."

With help from their teacher, Elizabeth Swanson, the podcast has taken shape. The process has provided her students with many learning opportunities. The boys have learned about technology and what computer programs would provide the best outcome for their podcast. But perhaps most importantly, it taught the group how to work together, with respect.

"We continuously disagreed on the script," the boys admitted. But they all said that together, they listened to one another, did not get upset or angry, and realized that they were not going to get anywhere by arguing. They also noticed that most disagreements occurred after three to four hours of working together, so they set time limits on their work sessions.

Not only did the boys learn how to create a podcast, but they feel they gained some important life skills. These include perseverance, the value of research to fully understand an issue, respect for others, not to take things personal and that sometimes you must back down and take the high road.

If their podcast is selected as one of the top two submitted, they will be featured on Spokane

NPR's Morning Edition or All Things Considered. Winners will be announced later in April.