The Bethel School District Presents Podcast

Episode 109: Middle School Medical Detectives

This week, some amazing eighth graders join us to talk about a cool new class called Medical Detectives. We discuss the hands-on experiences they're getting in the biomedical science field as well as finding out which famous fictional detective they'd like to be partnered with on a medical detective TV show. 

Episode 108: Minute Meetings

Here in Bethel, we have a counselor or social worker at every elementary school and teams of them at our middle and high schools. Across the district, they focus on three key areas, Academics, College and Career Readiness, and Social Emotional Learning. This week, we sit down with one of our amazing elementary school social workers to discuss what that looks like at the elementary level. We also learn about "minute meetings" that are helping to build a sense of belonging and trust in her school community.

Episode 107: Graduation rates and career and college readiness

This week we hear from fourth grade students about their hopes and dreams for the future. We also break out our emergency slide rule and dive deep into the data, looking at our district's graduation rates, our students' sense of belonging, and find out how many grads pursue some type of education after they finish high school. That and more, on this week's show.

Episode 106: From Paraeducator to Principal

This week we sit down with one of our assistant principals who started her career as a paraeducator in our district! Hear how she overcame adversity as a student, and was inspired by a teacher to work in education, before rising through the ranks to help lead one of our amazing elementary schools. 

Episode 105: Students weigh in on Election Day

This week we sit down with two AP Government students and their teacher for a spirited discussion about U.S. politics, history, and their hopes for the future of our country. We also discuss Rick Steves' book, "Travel as a Political Act," and ask them how travel has impacted their views of the world.

Episode 104: Students launch video games at PAX West and Steam

This week we talk with video game development students at the Pierce County Skills Center who secured two firsts in PCSC history. Not only were they the first students to take a game to PAX West as creators, but two games they developed are now available for sale on the Steam store! We talk about their success, future plans, and much more on this week's episode.

Episode 103: A heart for special education

October is Disability History Month. On this week's show, we sit down with an inspirational special education teacher who is working hard to help her students learn, grow, and thrive! You'll hear how as a young girl in Montana, a special education teacher helped her as she faced her own struggles to learn. She'll also share stories of her own students' success, and you won't believe her surprising answer about her favorite form of self care! That and more, all on this week's show.

Episode 102: All Bethel Community Day 2024

This week we sit down with some of the folks working behind the scenes to make this year's All Bethel Community Day a spectacular event for our students, their families, and our community! ABC Day is Saturday, October 5, from 9am to 3pm at Bethel High School.

Episode 101: Opening a brand new school with 'walking school buses'

This week we learn what it's like to open a brand new school with one of our amazing principals! We discuss her diverse school community with its 18 different languages, what exactly a "walking school bus" is, as well as her favorite places to camp in Washington state! We also sit down with students to get their take on the new school, as well as a few favorite Halloween costumes.

Episode 100: New grading standards and celebrating a milestone

This week we discuss our district's new grading standards for our middle and high schools. We also talk Disney, things that turned 100 this year, and TV shows that didn't make it to 100 episodes (like we just did!)

Episode 99: Technology, travel and tattoos

This week, we chat with a teacher about her trip to Washington D.C. where she was one of 32 lucky educators to take part in the Smithsonian's Teacher Innovator Institute! We discuss A.I. in the classroom, must-see museums, and how STEAM is helping students grow and learn.

Episode 98: Bethel’s budget and a few questions about coffee

This week we dive headfirst into our school district’s budget to better understand school funding in Washington. Once we finally resurface, we’ll have a caffeinated conversation about coffee.

Episode 97: From Lockdowns to Touchdowns

This week we discuss the difference between "lockdowns" and "modified lockdowns" as we spotlight safety and security here in Bethel. We also get a preview of the upcoming high school football season.

Episode 96: School nurses, urban chicken farming, and outdoor adventures

This week, our lead nurse joins us for a conversation about riding quads, true crime podcasts, urban chicken farming, and what parents need to be thinking about as school gets underway.

Episode 95: Who’s the voice of YOUR generation?

This week we talk to students and staff who got to travel to Seattle as part of their summer school experience! We also ask them who they consider to be the voice of their generation.

Episode 94: Car talk, trivia, and supporting students

We're kicking off Season 3 of the Bethel School District Presents Podcast with a very special guest! Our new Executive Director of Special Services joins us for a great conversation to talk about how her team supports students across the district. We also talk drag racing, old Volkswagens, and have a summertime trivia showdown!

Episode 93: Food insecurity in Pierce County

In the second part of our conversation with GoodRoots Northwest, we find out how students and technology are helping innovate the experience for families suffering from food insecurity in Pierce County.

Episode 92: After-school snacks and futuristic food banks

This week we sit down with the fine folks at GoodRoots Northwest and learn about the ways they're involving our students in their innovative spin on food banks.

Episode 91: Trivia showdown and aspiring educators

Conor and Doug go head to head in a trivia challenge for the ages before chatting with a former student and her teacher about our Careers in Education program and how it's preparing students to become future educators.

Episode 90: Most popular sports and a marathoning teacher

This week, we get a little sporty discussing the most popular sports in the world before we revisit an interview with one of our amazing teachers who ran the Boston Marathon!

Episode 89: Celebrating 75 Years of Bethel with 100-Year-Old Ed Niehl

Happy Independence Day! The podcast crew is off this week and we have a special rebroadcast of an earlier episode for your podcasting pleasure. Bethel legend Ed Niehl joins the show to celebrate the district's 75th anniversary. Ed taught in our district when it was formed back in 1949. Hear about the history of the district from a man who was there, along with plenty of stories, advice, and lots of laughs!

Episode 88: Blockbuster movies and fond farewells

This week we talk summer blockbuster movies and bid a very fond farewell to Superintendent Tom Seigel, who is retiring after 23 years at the helm of the Battleship Bethel! We'll talk to him about movies, history, archaeology, and more in this jam-packed episode!

Episode 87: America’s Favorite Foods and Skills Center Success

This week we peruse the list of America's 50 favorite foods and are equal parts surprised and hungry afterwards. Then we venture to the Pierce County Skills Center to learn about the newest happenings there, including a student created video game that's going to PAX West, the new Mechatronics program, and some culinary innovations that are feeding hungry families in our community.

Episode 86: Celebrity Speeches and Senior Spotlights

This week we celebrate the Class of 2024 with several seniors who join the show to talk about their high school experiences, their plans after graduation, and which celebs they wish had given their commencement speeches.

Episode 85: Near-death experiences and fish stories

This week we're featuring podcasts made by students! Press play for some family fishing fun, near death experiences, and some behind-the-scenes podcast data you'll have to hear to believe!

Episode 84: Band of Bison; Happiest states in the USA

This week, we find out which states are the happiest in the USA before sitting down with the Bethel High School band to talk about music, life after graduation, and the school's new marching band, which will take the field this fall.

Episode 83: Earworms and influence with the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council

This week, members of the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council join the show to discuss the way they are helping to influence district and school culture, engagement, policies, procedures, and practices. We also chat about their dreams for after graduation, and find out what song was last stuck in their heads.

Episode 82: Crime Scene Investigation in high school

This week, we venture to the Pierce County Skills Center's Criminal Justice class to talk with students who are learning Crime Scene Investigation in high school. We also find out where they're heading after graduation, and ask them about a key moment in history they'd like to visit.

Episode 81: Battle of the Books

Our annual Elementary Battle of the Books is upon us! This week we sit down with students at Katherine G. Johnson Elementary to hear more about the competition, books they recommend, and what their dreams are after high school.

Episode 80: Instant experts and graduate success

This week we chat with students about how their high schools have prepared them for life after they cross the graduation stage. Conor and Doug also ponder the following question: If you could snap your fingers and instantly become an expert in something, what would it be and why?

Episode 79: Middle school scholars and their cello-playing principal

This week, we talk with students who are using their middle school years to challenge themselves academically. We also sit down with a principal who played a concert on the Great Wall of China!

Episode 77: A Freaky Friday with our Dual Language program

This week, 8th grade students who have been in our Dual Language program since kindergarten talk about the impact it has had on their lives, both socially and academically. Conor and Doug also kick around the age-old question, if you could walk in someone else's shoes for 24 hours, who would it be and why?

Episode 76: Daffodil Princesses and fictional families

This week, all three of our Daffodil Princesses join the show to talk about their high schools, their future plans, and which fictional family they'd like to be part of. Find out why the "Jones family" is a top pick, which student store sells the most iced coffee, and a whole lot more!

Episode 75: Running, coding, and Dungeons & Dragons

On this week's show, a mystery guest stops by the studio to talk about the ways her school is innovating and changing the game when it comes to PLTs. We also discuss social/emotional skills for students, why our elementary schools are talking about high school graduation, and how running, coding, and Dungeons & Dragons are making an impact on students.

Episode 74: Teachers and principals team up against behavior issues

Before the COVID shutdown, teachers and principals on our Behavior Task Force were already working hard to create strategies to help educators across the district. This week, Conor and Doug sit down with members of the Task Force to learn more about the work they're doing, how COVID changed behaviors in students, and how they plan to keep our district moving in a positive direction.

Episode 73: Helping special education students thrive

This week, Conor and Doug discuss inclusive building design with some experts from NAC Architecture. NAC has designed many schools in our district and has a philosophy that uses classroom design, building layout, and more to help special education students feel welcome and included.

Episode 72: District growth and movie star dreams

This week, Conor and Doug analyze the recent projections of student enrollment growth for the next 20 years. Along with this week's special guest, Executive Director of Operations Paul Marquardt, they talk about the need for future schools, learn about the work of the community's Facility Advisory Committee, and examine county zoning changes that are accelerating families moving into our district. To wrap it all up, Conor, Doug, and Paul also discuss who would play each of them in a blockbuster movie.

Episode 71: Domo arigato, LEGO Roboto

This week, students from Camas Prairie Elementary join the show to talk about LEGO Robotics. Their team recently advanced to the semifinals and they share their thoughts on the competition, teamwork, and the future of robotics.

Episode 70: Karaoke anthems and bowling scores

This week, Conor talks karaoke anthems and bowling scores with the Spanaway Lake High School bowling team. Learn who on the team recently bowled a 299, and how bowling fosters a welcoming and inclusive "family" at school.

Special: From Soccer Mom to Washington’s Most Wanted

Kristyn Dahl and Jodi Borrelli went to junior high school together. They stayed in touch into adulthood until Jodi disappeared. It was a period Kristyn refers to as the "blank pages" from Jodi's life. Jodi resurfaced and those blank pages are now full of her harrowing story – from being a soccer mom to being one of Washington's Most Wanted – all thanks to an addiction that started with a prescribed pain killer and ended with heroin. But Jodi's is a story of hope. She is now a drug and alcohol counselor and public speaker, sharing her story to give hope to others. On this special episode, we talk with Jodi and Kristyn about the dangers kids are facing when it comes to drugs, how kids are, "the great experiment" when it comes to legalized marijuana, and what hope looks like, from a mom who was lucky to survive her spiral into addiction. As Jodi said, "I don't dwell on the minutes I've lost. I focus on the minutes I have." And we thank her for spending some of her minutes with us to help educate our families and students about a dangerous world that is just one pill away.

Episode 68: Dog Rescue Stories

This week, Doug introduces us to Pancake the Wonder Dog, and Conor talks to some of our students who wrote persuasive essays for a local animal rescue. Find out how many dogs and cats got adopted, who owns a bearded dragon, and what happened after Conor's dog Cooper licked a toad – all on this week's episode!

Episode 67: Dream Vacation Homes

This week, Conor and Doug daydream about where they'd buy a vacation home, before posing that question and more to a Spanaway Lake High School teacher and her students.

Episode 66: Late Night Talk Shows and Blue Ribbon Schools

Conor and Doug are joined this week by Principal Lisa Whitmire. Lisa has been in our district longer than Doug and Conor combined, and she shares her journey from teacher to principal, her excitement for the new bond-funded expansion to her school (thank you, voters!), and even weighs in on the question of the week: If you were the host of a late night talk show, who would be your first guest, and why?

Episode 65: Would you rather meet your ancestors or descendants?

Conor reveals some surprising ancestral heritage which prompts today's titular question. The boys reveal their own answers and bring in some outside help to get some more perspective, including Transitional Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Kimble who tells them all about the TK program and how it's helping our youngest students be successful.

Episode 64: Kicking off the New Year with Kage Dallas

This week, Conor and Doug kick off the New Year with singer/songwriter Kage Dallas. Kage spends his days as a grounds maintenance specialist here in Bethel, and his nights as an up-and-coming country music star. They discuss life, love, and the pursuit of well-maintained school grounds before Kage performs his hit single, "Only If You're Sure."

Episode 63: Becoming better humans

This week, school counselor Sarah Avila joins the show to talk about her favorite Pixar film, what holiday movie character she most identifies with, and how counselors help students to, "become better humans."This is the last new episode of 2023.The next new episode will be posted on January 4th, 2024!

Episode 62: Equity, The Bachelor, British Accents, and more!

This week, Conor is banished from the studio to make room for all four members of our district's Equity Department. While Conor listens at the studio door, Doug directs the conversation which ranges from removing barriers to students' education, all the way to reality TV. It's our longest podcast ever, and it starts as soon as you click the play button.

Episode 61: Bethel Radio, where the mountain dances!

This week Conor and Doug compare radio voices before talking with staff and students from the Transition Lab, a program for special education students between the ages of 18 and 21. The Lab assists students toward independence in independent living, community participation and future employment.

Episode 60: Touchdowns, tunes, and turduckens!

Conor and Doug weigh in on the age-old Thanksgiving Day debate: Do we watch football or the parade? Then Conor heads over to one of our high schools where two varsity footballers split their time between the gridiron and the grandstand pep band.In honor of Turkey Day, the next new episode will be on November 30.

Episode 59: How a Hollywood EMT became the CFO in Bethel

Conor and Doug sit down with CFO Bryan Verley and learn how an EMT from Hollywood became the Chief Financial Officer of our school district. Conor also debuts a new segment called the Lightning Round and the boys kick around the age old question, "what would you do if you had a million dollars?"