CDA Charter Academy Panther Podcast

As we say goodbye to the end of the school year, Weatherly, Wasson, and Lippy share a few stories and some advice from their experiences as high school grads headed to college. This episode is dedicated to the senior class of 2020. What a year! Congrats on each of your achievements. We wish you all nothing but the best. Hopefully your future graduations will be VERY normal and pandemic free!  

Wasson and Lippy are joined by special guest Sandy Midgley. They discuss the happenings of their lives and then Mrs. Midgley speaks about her journey into teaching. 

May is mental health awareness month so Wasson Weatherly and Lippy take some time to share some relevant information regarding mental health. They also discuss self advocacy and different types of communication styles. For more information and more mental health resources, check out www.nami.org

The Panther podders return with special student guest and new ASB president, Kiley Cutler. Lippy gets grounded, Weatherly gets mad, and Wasson finds an "interesting" food item. 

The Panther Podders return from spring break for episode four and find out they have been accepted by big podcast distributors iTunes, Google and Stitcher(Thank you for taking the time to listen to us, listeners! It is you guys listening that got us approval. I guess you too, Tim Cook. We know you like to tune in after a long day in Cupertino.). They are then joined by ASB President and Charter senior, Carson Benzinger. Carson discusses how he has been spending his isolation dodging angry chickens, as well as what it is like being a high school senior during this moment in time.  This weeks' resource, brought to you by Mrs. Wasson, is www.niservicesdirectory.com Check them out if you are experiencing a moment of need.

Marco Ercole, one of the Charter Academy’s foreign exchange students, joins the panther podders to discuss his life and hometown in Italy and the struggle he has had trying to get back during the COVID lockdown. Lippy and Wasson share funny stories from quarantine life, while Weatherly is inspired by "His Airness". Mrs. Wasson’s resource of the week is an app and website, www.happify.com.

In this edition of the Panther Podcast, Mr. Ralph Ginorio discusses his life and upbringing on the east coast as well as some of his teaching philosophy. He shares some of his ups and downs on his path to becoming a teacher and reminds us that studying and learning history is a great way to help us understand current issues while providing us with hope during troubled times. 

"Have you seen Jeff?" is one of the most frequently asked questions at The CDA Charter Academy and luckily for our Podcasting crew, the answer is yes. Jeff Rigg, Charter's every-man and all around nice guy, takes time out of his packed schedule to join the Panther Podcast and shares some thoughts on health during our time of isolation, what he has been doing with his family and what he doesn't like to eat(not a fan of mustard!). The panther podders discuss things that give them delight as well as share a few recent stories from their lives. The mailbag is opened! Mrs. Wasson's resource of the week is www.nicrisiscenter.org. That is the North Idaho Crisis Center, a nonprofit aimed at helping anyone experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. 

Lippy covers the stay at home order issued in Idaho this past week. Weatherly shares isolation tips from an astronaut. Mrs. Wasson shares some thoughts on maintaining a sense of humanity and value during this time. Charter's very own Language Arts guru, Heather Solsvik, joins the Panther Pod crew to discuss her life, liberty and the pursuit of the best way to eat m&m's. Then, the mailbag is opened for the first time! 

Wasson, Weatherly and Lippy discuss how they are passing the time while isolating themselves with (very few)friends and family. Mrs. Wasson valiantly  tries to educate Lippy and Weatherly on what sheet masks are. Lippy pulls a quad. Then, they are joined by Mr. Nicklay. Mr. Nicklay dishes on what it was like from his perspective leading up to school closure before answering a "speed round" of random questions. 

Mr. Lippy, Mrs. Wasson, and Mr. Weatherly sit down and discuss the current state of affairs at Charter as well as what they are doing at home to handle the stress and strange times we are all living in.