The Titanic and the historic Boston Molasses flood…

What do they have in common? They're both the subject of early entries we loved for the Student Podcast Challenge!

View this email online Early Entries We Love As we listen to each of the thousands of podcasts that were submitted for this year’s student podcast challenge, we’ve pulled a few that made us laugh, smile, and stop to think for a moment, and we want to share them with you! This year’s podcasts came from 45 states and the District of Columbia and covered a range of topics – from social media and its impacts on mental health to rating fast food joints from best to worst. We’re hearing students interview their parents, teachers and friends, recount history from their classes, and reenact drama at their school to tell their stories.  To hear all of the early entries we loved, head here. For now, we’ll preview two podcasts that were especially stand-out.  Listen To All Here Did Jack Dawson have to die? "Did we really have to cry at the end of The Titanic?" asks Samantha Quiroga, a student at Morton East High School in Cicero, Ill. The podcast investigates the iconic movie scene where (spoiler alert!) the character Rose is saved from the frigid waters, floating on the piece of a door, on a fragment of a door while her romantic interest, Jack, dies of hypothermia in the water. Samantha provides her own opinion on the movie she's seen "over 100 times," refers to a Mythbusters episode to get an expert opinion and conducts her own interviews to get to the bottom of the question that has been plaguing us since 1997: was there room for Jack on that door? Newsletter continues after sponsor message Unnatural Disasters: Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 Calling attention to a rather, ahem, sticky situation. Eighth graders Alma Woods and Ella Horvath at Clearwater Fundamental Middle School in Clearwater, Fla., use their entry to guide us through the very real disaster of the Boston Molasses Flood, an incident that caused millions of gallons of molasses to flood city streets. The podcast oozes with highly detailed, (albeit fictionalized) interviews based on historical research and their storytelling takes you to the scene, where you learn just how quickly molasses can move. That’s all for this week! Stay tuned for next week when we announce the finalists for both our middle and high school divisions.  See you next week. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Vermont Public Radio (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: studentpodcastchallenge@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Education, Health, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Student Podcast Challenge emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy