Mamaroneck High School students are constantly seeking ways to find different creative outlets that allow other students to engage and express themselves. Mamaroneck Public Radio (MPR) is a completely student-run online radio station. It has student-selected music, stories, and local news. The station was founded by Caitlyn Carpenter (‘22), Fatimah Khan (‘22), and Anna McDonald (‘22), who were inspired by Sleepy Hollow Radio, another high school’s online radio station. After communicating with the students in charge of the other station, the MPR co-founders developed a plan for a radio station based on their experiences. McDonald finds that “MPR is not only a means for communication, but also a means of highlighting unique student voices and accomplishments.”
MPR pairs nicely with the already-existing Journalism program at MHS, which teaches students how to create and publish their own podcasts. The radio will offer yet another medium for students to broadcast their stories, both those that are produced as part of the class and those that are specific to MPR itself.
The radio station is searching for the unique and diverse voices at MHS that have yet to be discovered by other school media sources. McDonald explained that she has, “found that a lot of school programs feature very similar types of students, and that it is difficult to get a diverse group of students involved.” MPR hopes that by finding and hearing from new voices, it will unite the student body, teachers, and staff. McDonald anticipates that the station will be, “a medium for school-wide communication and connection,” as students have the opportunity to host their own shows focused on their interests.
Beyond that, students are running the production and programming, which is allowing them to gain important skills specific to radio broadcasting. Todd Freifeld (‘22) is the executive music producer, and Anthony Cap (‘23) is the audio engineer on staff. MPR broadcasts—which will air as mini-segments in the midst of the station’s primarily-musical focus—highlight school events, announcements, and concerts. McDonald predicts that this will simultaneously provide, “a window into the personal experiences of the people that shape our school community.”
Rowel Jimenez (‘23) is a member of the club and is currently working on creating his own radio show. He described that, “producing an audio drama was more unconventional for something this new. But I’ve tried writing books, making music, and scriptwriting for film, so getting to try this new medium was like a mix of all three. And, better yet, I was doing it with a creative team.” Currently student-programs like Jimenez’s are pre-recorded and edited, similar to a podcast episode, before being aired on the radio. They will then air with regular time slots so that students and the community can easily tune in.
As for MPR’s future, the station wants to expand and experiment with live broadcasting, teacher interviews, and collaborations with already-established school programs. MHS students will be able to listen to MPR through its website, which will be released after the break. McDonald excitedly announced that the station, “will have programs of interest to everyone: from study music, to audiobook-like narrative dramas, to sports news. Students will be able to hear their friends and peers share music and stories.”
MPR is open to all MHS students and the Journalism class is now open to juniors and seniors.