Podcasts about Middle school

In this special episode, host Manya Brachear Pashman welcomes a co-host: her 11-year-old son, Max. Together, they sit down with Emmy-winning CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga to discuss her new novel, Don't Feed the Lion. Co-written with Yonit Levy, the book tackles the viral contagion of antisemitism in schools.  From the pressure of being the only Jewish kid in class to the stress of Bar Mitzvah prep, this multi-generational conversation explores the void in modern education and the power of empathy. A rare, heartwarming, and urgent bridge between the newsroom and the classroom, this discussion is a must-listen for parents, educators, and anyone looking to understand the next generation's fight against hate. A Note to Our Listeners: As we head into 2026, People of the Pod will be taking a pause. After eight years of sharing your stories, we are contemplating our next chapter. Thank you for being part of this journey. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Key Resources: AJC's Center for Education Advocacy Confronting Antisemitism In Our Schools: A Toolkit for Parents of Jewish K-12 Students FAQs for Parents of K-12 Jewish Students Listen – AJC Podcasts: Architects of Peace The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman: Bianna Golodryga is an Emmy award winning news anchor for CNN, who has reported extensively on the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She is a mother and she is now a published novelist. Co-written with leading Israeli news anchor Yonit Levy, Don't Feed the Lion is about how the rise of antisemitism affects Theo, his sister Annie, and their friends Gabe and Connor, all students in a Chicago middle school,  and it was written with middle schoolers in mind.  Bianna is with us now to discuss the book, along with my co-anchor this week, my son Max, a middle schooler who read the book as well and has a few questions of his own. I will let Max do the honors. Max Pashman: Bianna, welcome to People of the Pod. Bianna Golodryga: Well, it is a joy to be with you Manya, and especially you, Max. We wrote the book for you, for you and your peers especially. So really excited to hear your thoughts on the book. Manya Brachear Pashman: Well, I want to know, Bianna, what prompted you to write this book? Was it the mother in you or the journalist or a little bit of both? Bianna Golodryga: It was definitely a little bit of both. It was the mother in me, initially, where the idea was first launched and the seed planted even before October 7. You know, sadly, antisemitism has been with us for millennia, but I never thought that I would be having these conversations with my own kids in the city, with the largest Jewish community and population outside of Israel. But you'll recall that there were a few high profile antisemitic social media posts and controversies surrounding Kanye West and then Kyrie Irving, who's a famous NBA player at the time, and my son, who was 10 at the time, a huge sports fan, and was very upset about the fact that not only were these comments made and these posts made, but there was really no accountability for them. There was no consequence. Ultimately, Kyrie Irving was suspended for a few games, but there was just a deluge of news surrounding this. People apologizing for him, but not him apologizing for himself. So my son asked as we were on our way to a basketball game to watch Kyrie play. Asked, why do they hate us? Can I not even go to the game? Does he not want me there? And I really was dumbfounded. I didn't know how to respond. And I said, you know, I don't have the answer for that, but I'm going to reach out to your school, because I'm sure this is something that they're addressing and dealing with and have the resources for.  This was after the murder of George Floyd, and so we had already witnessed all of the investments, thankfully, into resources for our kids, and conversations, both at schools and the workforce, about racism, how to deal with racism, how to spot and identify it, other forms of hate. And I just assumed that that would include antisemitism. But when I reached out to the school and asked, you know, what are they doing on antisemitism, the response stunned me. I mean, it's basically nothing. And so as I said, the seed was planted that we really need to do something about this. There's a real void here. And then, of course, when the attacks of October 7 happened, you know, Yonit and I were on the phone and messaging every single day right after.  And it was pretty quick, maybe two weeks later, when, you know, we'd already started seeing an uptick in antisemitism around the world and here in the US and New York as well, where we said, you know, we have to do something. And I said, I think we should write this book. We should write the book we couldn't find, that I couldn't find at the time. Because I did a bit of research, and there were really no books like this for this particular age group. Max Pashman: It was kind of answered in your other answer to the first question, but when I first read the book, I started wondering whether the incidents described in the book, were they taken from your experiences, or was it a realistic fiction book? Bianna Golodryga: I would say the inspiration for the athlete came from real life events. You know, I am a big sports fan as well, and I grew up watching basketball, and I have a lot of admiration for so many of these players, and I actually believe in redemption. And so people say things and they make mistakes, and I don't believe in purity tests. If people say things that are wrong, I think they have a right to apologize for it, make up for it. I don't like canceling people. We learn from our mistakes. We grow from our mistakes. No one's perfect. I think it's just more about accountability for all of us.  And so the idea came about, yes, from real life, but you know, this is a soccer player in our book. I don't feel that he's very remorseful, even though ultimately he does have a quasi-apology. But you know, it's the impact that it has on society and fans and those who support him, especially like your age and my son's age, I think those are really the ones who hurt the most. Manya Brachear Pashman: Yeah, the impressionable minds. I mean, I thought the book did a lovely job of illustrating just how impressionable these young minds were, and then also how viral this was. I mean, once the celebrity athlete said his comments, what it unleashed. And, you know, you don't get into any violence. There's one incident that is rough, but brief, but it's, you know, the swastika painted on the locker, a rock through a window, but it's just that viral spread. I mean, was that your intent, to kind of illustrate this slow contagion? Bianna Golodryga: Yes, I think our kids are subject to so much more information than we were as kids and teenagers their age as well. You know, every society has had to deal with their challenges, and every generation has as well. And as we've said, antisemitism has been with us for millennia, but when you compound that with social media and the dangers. There's so many great things about social media. We have access to so much information, but then when you throw in disinformation, misinformation, you know, things going viral, news spreading, how much time people spend on social media sites and the influence that they succumb to by sometimes bad actors. So the book is not for antisemites, but I think what the book relays is what we've noticed, and sort of our theory, is that antisemitism has been somewhat accepted as part of society for far too long, and it's never been elevated to the level of urgency that other forms of hate has been. So I mentioned racism and post-George Floyd.  I would think that if that much attention had been put into antisemitism as well, that people, especially children and those at school, would understand the gravity of antisemitism, and you know how much danger can be created from people who espouse antisemitic views and, you know, draw swastikas because they think it's funny, or they don't think it's such a big deal because they don't spend time talking about it, and they don't understand so much hate and so much pain that's behind these symbols. That's behind these words. And you know, we are such a small minority that so many times it's Jews that feel like they have to carry the weight and the burden of other people's actions, even if they don't mean to be as hurtful and as vile as some of this language is. So you said impressionable. That is why we are targeting this age group specifically, because it's such a magical age group. Kids Max's age, and my son's age, anywhere between nine and 15. They're very impressionable, but they still communicate with their families, their parents. They talk at dinner tables.  They may not have social media accounts, but they are very well aware of what's going on in the world, and are very curious, and have access to so much good and bad. And so by not having this conversation at that age, you know, we're doing them a disservice, and I think we're doing ourselves a disservice as adults by not addressing these problems in this particular issue of antisemitism head on. Manya Brachear Pashman: I'm curious, once you identified that void in the school's curriculum and strategies for addressing prejudice, did they do anything to address that and to repair that void? I know a lot of Jewish parents are finding that really the burden falls on them to address these things in a very reactive manner. Not proactive. And I'm just curious what the situation ended up being at your school. Bianna Golodryga: I think we're starting, you know, without focusing as much on my school, because I feel that it's pretty obvious that that was status quo for many schools, not just in New York, but across the country, that you would have books and resources and materials on Hanukkah and Jewish holidays for kindergartners. And then some of the older kids in high school are introduced to the Holocaust. And some of these more challenging topics in areas in Jewish history to cover, and then the story sort of ends there. I don't know if it's because people are worried about conflating the Middle East and the conflict there with antisemitism, but there's a huge void, and it's something again, if you're 2% of the population and you are the victim of 70% according to the FBI, of all religious based violence, then there's a big problem. And the fact that that's not identified or discussed in schools, to us was just not acceptable. And so I think it's sort of a cop out to say no, it's because of the war. It's because of this. Antisemitism morphs and comes in different waves, and fortunately, I didn't experience much of it growing up. But that doesn't mean that, you know, it's not going to rear its ugly head again, and it has, and that was before the attacks of October 7.  We obviously had the Tree of Life shooting. We had so many incidents around the world in the First Intifada, the Second Intifada, you know, dating before that, I don't remember growing up without security outside of my synagogue, or, you know, any Jewish institution. This is the best country in the world, but we've sort of come to accept that. And now, you know, we're at a place where I don't necessarily feel comfortable walking into a Jewish house of worship or institution without security. So we really, I think, wanted to send a message that these are conversations we should have been having for a long time now, and the best way to start it is with our kids, because, like Max, they have so many questions, and they also have so much empathy. Max Pashman: You mentioned your son being your main inspiration for it. Has he read the book? Bianna Golodryga: Oh, yes, I was the most nervous, and Yonit has three kids too, so we were the most nervous about appealing to them. It wasn't our editor or anybody else, our spouses, or even people in the industry that we cared about more than our kids, because we knew their reaction would really set the tone for you know kids like yourselves, and you're not a monolith.  I know some kids like a certain book and some kids don't, but we wanted to make sure to write this book so it didn't feel like homework, so it didn't feel like you were forced to read it at school. And we wanted you to be able to identify with the characters and the story and find it really interesting, and oh, by the way, it just so happens to deal with the subject that we haven't really touched upon yet. So yes, my son really liked it. Both my kids really liked it. Manya Brachear Pashman: Would you agree, Max, that it didn't feel like homework? Max Pashman: Yeah, it felt like, well, a good book feels like, kind of like watching a movie, because it gives you enough details to the point where you can visualize the characters and kind of see what's going on. And that's also one of the reasons I like books more than movies, because it allows you to use your imagination to build the characters a little bit.  But a good book doesn't just leave you with a general outline of what you want. It will give you the full picture, and then you can build most of the picture, and you can build off that with your mind. And I felt that it really did not feel like something that you were forced to read, because that's a lot less interesting. Bianna Golodryga: Well, that is the best review one could get, honestly, Max. And I can tell you you like a good book, and you're a voracious reader, and I agree with you 99.9% of the time, the book will always be better than the movie because of that detail, because of using your imagination. And so we wanted this to be a story that appealed to boys, girls, parents. You know, kids. It was very hard for us to say, Oh, here's our target audience, because we really wanted it to be an experience for every generation and for every position in life, from, you know, again, a kid, a parent, a teacher, a principal, a coach, grandparents. Manya Brachear Pashman: You know, it's interesting. You mentioned generations, and you mentioned being a Soviet refugee, and clearly you're outspoken about antisemitism. You're raising your children to be outspoken about antisemitism. What about your parents? How did they address antisemitism, or the form of antisemitism that they experienced?  Bianna Golodryga: Yeah, I mean, as I said, we were so, I was so fortunate. I was like a piece of luggage. It was my parents who were courageous enough to decide to move to this country as Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, where antisemitism was institutionalized. I mean, it was from top down. I mean, that was a mandated policy. And so my parents knew they didn't have a future. I didn't have a future in the Soviet Union. And so, of course, their dream was to come to the United States, and it was still the best decision they've ever made, and the best, you know, place I could have been raised. As I said, I was very fortunate to not really experience antisemitism as a kid. And mind you, I was the only Jewish student for many years at my first school, and we were the only Jewish family in our neighborhood for many years.  Ultimately, my parents moved more into the center of the town and we always went to synagogue, so we were always around Jewish people and families, but the majority of my, especially early childhood friends, were not Jewish. And I have to say, for me, learning about antisemitism, it was more of a history lesson as to, like, why we left a certain country and why you can come to America and you're not identified as a Jew, by your race or religion. You're an American. I'm an American Jew.  And you know, that's just not how people were identified in the Soviet Union, that that was their race. I mean, my birth certificate said Jew. My parents' library card said Jew. There were quotas and getting into good schools.And the types of jobs they could get. So for me, it was sort of backward looking, even knowing that, yes, antisemitism still exists, but it's sort of controlled. You know, once in a while we would have a bomb threat at our synagogue, and again, there were always police officers out there. And I noticed that was a difference from my friends' churches, because what ended up being sort of a beautiful tradition that my parents didn't intend to do, it just so happened to be the case that when I would have friends spend the night at my house, or I would spend a night at their house, sometimes they would come to Shabbat services with us, and I would go to church with them.  And so for many of their congregants, I was the first Jewish person they'd ever seen. I was welcomed with open arms. But for you know, coming to my services, you know, it was the first time they'd been to a Jewish house of worship, and it was a very, very meaningful, I think, a great learning opportunity. But yeah, for me growing up, it wasn't a top priority. It wasn't top of mind just because I knew that I was an American Jew, and that was, that was who I was here. And it was only, you know, the last few years where I realized, you know, this is not something to be taken for granted. Max Pashman: I can definitely relate to being the only Jewish person in my class, because all through elementary school, there were no other Jewish kids in my grade. But as soon as I entered middle school, I met a few other kids who were Jewish. Who I've actually become very good friends with, and it's just like a lot more diversity. BIANNA; Yeah, that's great. I mean, I remember when I was in elementary school and it, you know, all the and we were trying to express this point too in the book, especially with Theo that, you know, so many kids at that age just want to be like everyone else. They don't want to stand out. And if you're the only Jewish kid you know on your soccer team, and all of a sudden you have practice or games right before Shabbat dinner, you know you're feeling the pressure, and you don't want to be excluded from your friends' activities after or have to keep reminding your coach, and it's incumbent on your coach and the adults in your life and who are not Jewish, to honor that, to respect that. To say, hey, we're going to move practice a little early, or, Hey, you know Theo, Max, I know you have Shabbat dinner, so we're going to, we're going to work on these, you know exercises 30 minutes before . . . you know, just to acknowledge that you are valued and you are respected. And that doesn't mean that everyone else's schedule needs to change because of yours, but it definitely doesn't mean that you have to walk on eggshells or feel like you're left out or stand out or different for all the wrong reasons because you have other responsibilities and plans. So for me, I remember as a kid, I was the only Jewish student in my elementary school, for the first elementary school I went to, and I remember leaving for winter break, and, you know, our principal getting on the intercom the loudspeaker, and wishing everyone, you know, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, Bianna. And I was like, Oh no, you know, I don't want to be excluded. And it wasn't out of malevolence, like it was just, I want to include. But at that point, I already had a funny last name. My parents had accents. I was from the Soviet Union, which was the enemy at the time, so I definitely stood out for a number of reasons. And on top of that, you know, I celebrate a different holiday. So yes, you know, we learn and grow from it, but we can remember, like I still remember it. Manya Brachear Pashman: The title of the book is, Don't Feed the Lion. And the book does get into that adage and what it means, don't take the bait, don't engage. That's how I interpreted it. But some would argue that it was not feeding the lion for a large portion of the book, you know, staying silent that really exacerbated the problem, or or you referring more to the more to the unproductive social media banter? Bianna Golodryga: Well, I think it's, you know, our message was that it shouldn't fall on the kids to do what's right, and that kids know what's right, and innately, I mean, in their gut, like I said that there's empathy. Most kids, you know when you've hurt someone else's feelings. You know when something makes you feel sad. But what we do, especially as children, as we're still learning, is we take cues from the adults in our lives, so if the adults aren't responding to what that initial reaction you have, that gut instinct is, then you start to question, well, maybe, maybe it wasn't a big deal. Or, you know, maybe the swastika isn't, you know, we'll just cover it up. Or, you know, why should we all suffer and have our team not play in the finals, just because of this one thing. And, oh, he didn't take it so personally. It's fine. And the principal then putting the pressure on Theo. Okay, I'm happy to write this report, but you know what it's going to generate and, and so ultimately, you know, you have the coach, and you have others who come around to, okay, no, we've got to step up and do the right thing.  But our biggest concern was for too long. And you know, we know of this in real life instances, for our from our own friends and family members, that the burden falls on the kids, on the students, who then have to deal with the ramifications, whether it's the victim of antisemitic attacks or slurs or those that are delivering them, because maybe they don't think it's that big of a deal, because they haven't had conversations like this, they don't know how much that hurts somebody's feelings. They don't know the backstory or the history behind what that symbol means.  So it was more on, yes, don't feed into your insecurity. Don't feed into the hate. You know, address it head on, but it's a two-way street, you know, as much as Theo should have, you know, and he realizes that he can learn from others around him, like his sister and Gabe, to do what's right and say what's right, it really is the adults that should have been the ones in the first place doing that. Max Pashman: Because in the book, you see Principal Connolly kind of pushing Theo to just like, say, oh, it's not a big deal, and to cover it up because of a sports team. And he wants the sports team to do well. Bianna Golodryga: Yes, and all the paperwork that this is going to involve now, and, you know, all of the sudden it's almost like it's Theo's fault, that he was victimized. Max Pashman: And he's kind of pushing, he's saying it's your choice Theo, and then kind of starting to make the decision for him. Bianna Golodryga: Right. So it really wasn't even Theo's choice, because he was playing mind games with Theo. And it took a lot of courage for Theo to even call for that meeting, right? So I'm so glad you picked up on that Max. But again, instances similar to that, you know, happen in real life that I know of, people close to me. And so we just want to, again, through fiction, through a really good story, make clear to people that this is not okay. Manya Brachear Pashman: So are you hoping that schools will pick up this book and use it as a resource, as a tool? Bianna Golodryga: For sure. I mean, that is our ultimate goal. I think it should be in every single school, library. You know, I see absolutely no reason why this would ever be deemed a controversial book or something. You know, we've had conversations with a number of Jewish organizations about maybe perhaps providing some supplementals for the book that can be added for class conversations around the book from teachers and others.  But Yonit and I went and we spoke at a couple of schools, and speaking to kids, it was just so eye opening to know that there is a need for this that they are so eager to have these conversations that, you know, it's as much for Jewish students as it is for non-Jewish students, if not even more so. You know, Jewish students feel that they can be finally heard, but non-Jewish students and allies can truly understand what it feels like, and can have conversations about what to do to avoid certain situations preemptively, you know, avoid or if they've seen certain situations, or know about, how to respond. Manya Brachear Pashman: And I do appreciate the statement that the book makes about allies. Those are, those are strong characters in the book. Bianna Golodryga: We can't do it alone. Yeah, we didn't want to throw away character. We didn't want just an ally. Everyone has their own stories and no one really knows what's truly going on in someone's home life and in their head and their heart and in their reality. So any day, anytime, any day, our favorite characters would change. You know, don't ask Yonit and me who our favorite characters are, because we love them all. Manya Brachear Pashman: And add Middle School hormones to the mix, and you've got, you've got quite the drama. Bianna Golodryga: Exactly, and crushes and Bar Mitzvah prep and a lot of stress. Manya Brachear Pashman: A lot of stress, a lot of stress, well, and that, he just heaved a heavy sigh, because he's just, you reminded him of his own bar mitzvah preparation. Bianna Golodryga: Well, you will see that it's a magical experience. Max, worth all the work, definitely. Manya Brachear Pashman: Well, Bianna, thank you so much for joining us. Bianna Golodryga: Thank you. I loved this conversation. I'm so glad that you liked the book, Max. Max Pashman: Thank you. Manya Brachear Pashman: So Max, you and I haven't really had a conversation since we both finished this book. We kind of went into the conversation with Bianna cold. I do want to know which character you identified with the most. Max Pashman:  I really related to Theo with his stress over his Bar Mitzvah and the stress of having a little sister, which I know very, very well. Manya Brachear Pashman:  And why Theo, besides having the annoying sister, why did you relate to him? Max Pashman:  Because, I guess the stress of having a Bar Mitzvah in middle school and kind of being the only kid in your, the only Jewish kid in your class,  Manya Brachear Pashman:  Well, you have a few. Max Pashman:  A few, but not a lot. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Did you realize before you read this book that the swastika, that spidery looking symbol, was as evil as it is? Max Pashman:  No. Well, yes, going into this book, I did know, but actually I figured it out in other books, allowing me to digress. I read Linked by Gordon Corman about this boy who finds a swastika in his school, and then figures out that he is Jewish, and then swastikas start showing up around town. He comes up with a plan with his friends to stop it, and it changes points of view, kind of like, Don't feed the Lion.  Manya Brachear Pashman: Okay. Max Pashman:  Very similar book. But what really helped me realize, I realized the meaning and terror of the the swastika was Prisoner B3087 by Alan Gratz, about this 10 year old boy who is alive right before the Holocaust, and he is taken to multiple, to 10 different prison camps throughout the course of the Holocaust before his camp is liberated by American soldiers. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Was that assigned reading? Or how did you come across that book? Max Pashman:  I was actually sitting in the library, just waiting for you to get to the library, because after school. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Alright, was there anything in particular that drew you to that book? Max Pashman:  I was just looking on the shelves because that was a summer reading book. So I was just like, Okay, I guess I'll read it, because we're supposed to read some. And I read, like most of them, and it was just there on the shelf. And I decided this looks really interesting, and I picked it up and I read it, and it really had a deeper meaning than I expected it to. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Excellent. You recommended Linked to me. I have not finished reading it yet. The Gordon Corman book. Would you recommend it to anyone else in your class? Or would you recommend Don't Feed the Lion? Max Pashman:  I would definitely recommend it. They're both great books. They're actually very similar. I'm not sure they would read it, though.  Manya Brachear Pashman:  Why not?  Max Pashman:  Not a lot of kids in my class are big readers. Manya Brachear Pashman:  Do you fear that they wouldn't be interested in the subject?  Max Pashman:  I mean, I don't really know, because I don't know what goes on in their heads, and I don't want to put words in their mouth, put thoughts in their head, or decide what they would like for them, so I don't know. Manya Brachear Pashman: That's fair. Okay. Well, good to talk with you.  Max Pashman:  It was great talking with you.  Manya Brachear Pashman: It was fun co-hosting. Happy 2026. We wish all of you a peaceful year ahead with time to pause and reflect. On behalf of the AJC podcast team. We thank you for listening over the past eight years, and we thank everyone who has joined us as a guest during that time as well. What a privilege to share your voices and your stories. People of the Pod will be taking our own peaceful pause in 2026 to contemplate how we can best serve our audience.  In the meantime, please continue to listen and share our limited series, The Forgotten Exodus and Architects of Peace, and we'd love to hear from you at podcasts@ajc.org. __ Thank you for listening. This episode is brought to you by AJC. Our producer is Atara Lakritz. Our sound engineer is TK Broderick. You can subscribe to People of the Pod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts, or learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod.    

Today our guest is Dr. Joe Sweeney, principal at Old Quarry Middle School and the 2025 Illinois Principals Association South Cook Region Middle School Principal of the Year. We talk about how Joe uses a schoolwide podcast to bring consistent lessons to life and elevate student voice. He shares how recording short episodes with students helps simplify implementation, increase engagement, and meet teachers where they are. He highlights how this approach builds consistency, reduces staff burden, and creates a culture where students look forward to the work. Learn More About CharacterStrong:  Access FREE MTSS Curriculum Samples Request a Quote Today! Learn more about CharacterStrong Implementation Support Visit the CharacterStrong Website Dr. Joe Sweeney is an accomplished educational leader, creator and host of the Principal Leadership Lounge Podcast, devoted husband, and proud father who has spent nearly two decades shaping the lives of young people. He currently serves as the principal of Old Quarry Middle School, a role he has held for seven years, where he is known for his student-centered leadership and his belief that exceptional schools are built upon three foundational pillars: strong academics, meaningful relationships, and a positive learning environment. As he often says, "Create a school environment where people want to be, and the rest will fall into place."

Faith Baptist Church in Hamilton, NJ. Michael Wilson is a Middle School teach at Faith Christian Academy. Visit us at www.fbcchurch.org

A conversation among Violet and Davyn about pop culture they enjoy. Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

Mike Johnson, Beau Morgan, and Ali Mac Middle hit halftime of the show where Mike, Beau, and Ali talk about a middle school basketball fight resulting in an adult getting tased and the announcers calling the action, Jay Vine winning the Tour Down Under despite a kangaroo crashing into him, and Waffle House accepting reservations only on Valentine's Day and turning their restaurant into a white table cloth, candlelit dinner.

Hallie and Tricia Detig chat about high school speech therapy.In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie sits down with Tricia Detig — creator of Thoughtful Talk and a high school SLP working with resource and life skills students. Tricia shares her journey from middle school to high school, getting real about the differences. She talks about building rapport with older students, ditching lectures for hands-on activities, and making therapy meaningful through real-world experiences like running a coffee cart and back-to-back drawing challenges. Plus, she dives into push-in services, student buy-in, and why working with secondary students is a "hidden gem." If you're in the high school world or thinking about it, this one's packed with practical tips and real talk.Bullet Points to Discuss: The vibe shift from middle to high school (and cracking that "too cool" shell) Building rapport and getting buy-in with older students Push-in vs. pull-out—how it's decided Why hands-on beats lectures (coffee carts > worksheets) Bringing job readiness into everyday therapy Getting students involved in their own IEP meetings Why secondary is a "hidden gem" worth exploringHere's what we learned: High schoolers aren't hard—they just need you to meet them where they are. Hands-on beats worksheets every time (especially for carryover). Functional skills like coffee carts teach more than homework help ever will. Progress looks different with older students—focus on life skills, not just data.Students in their IEP meetings changes everything (even if they just listen). Secondary isn't scary—it's a hidden gem once you adjust. Ask questions and lean on your team—secondary SLPs stay forever for a reason.Learn more about Tricia Detig: Website: https://www.thoughtfultalk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtful.talk/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoughtfultalk.llc Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thoughtful-talk-llc-formerly-detig-dialect Speech Therapy Goal Bank for Middle School [grades 6-8]Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

In this episode of the cityCURRENT Show, we're honored to welcome Beven Byrnes, Executive Director of Bridges Middle School. As a mom, wife, and advocate, Beven shares her personal journey and why she believes education must be designed to meet students where they are.We explore what neurodivergence really means, how Bridges supports academic growth alongside confidence, emotional regulation, and executive functioning, and why middle school is such a critical season for these learners. This conversation offers hope for parents, educators, and community members—and shows what's possible when students are understood, supported, and empowered to thrive.Learn more: https://www.bridgesms.org/

Police in Marengo say they will increase patrols at the community's middle school this week after a juvenile reportedly made a threat to bring a weapon to campus.

Bob Schwahn  |  Lead Pastor  |  January 25, 2026 Referenced Scripture: Luke 6:40, Romans 12:2, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 3:16, Luke 19:10 Reflection Questions: 1. Read Matthew 14:22-31
Why do you think Peter got out of the boat? What do you think Peter was thinking? (requires speculation)
(v. 31) Do you think Jesus was questioning Peter because he was doubting Jesus or because he was doubting himself? Explain your thinking. 2. Read Luke 6:40
Following Jesus is becoming like Jesus and imitating his life.
Why is learning about Jesus not enough? Is it possible that we can learn much about Jesus without being transformed by Him? Explain. 3. How can you know if you are being transformed by Jesus? What would be true of your life if Jesus was changing you? How can you see this in yourself and in others? 4. Read Romans 12:2
What things in this world can form us besides Jesus? What things have formed your life besides Jesus? 
How can a person know who or what is forming their life? 5. How can we intentionally be formed by Jesus rather than unintentionally formed by the world around us? 6. Framework of becoming like Jesus… (Triangle)
Imitating His love Relationships:
UP - love for the Father
IN - love for the Family of God
OUT - love for the Broken World In your own word describe how Jesus modeled these.
Which one of these comes most naturally to you?
Which one is the most challenging for you? 7. Why is it important that we are clear with others (and ourselves) what it means to be a follower of Jesus? 8. The invitation is not to be with Jesus when you die…
It's to die with Jesus while you live…
Agree or disagree with this statement? Why? 9. Assignment: 
Choose a gospel and read through it with these questions in mind…
How would I imitate what I see in Jesus in my own life?
What would I need to start doing? Stop doing? Keep doing?
How would my life be different if I took imitating Jesus seriously? What's your next step? Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman  Chapters (00:00:01) - The invitation to become like Jesus(00:08:02) - What Does It Take to Follow Jesus?(00:11:23) - Are You a Follower of Jesus or Who Are You Following?(00:20:33) - How Do We Grow in the Presence of God?(00:29:14) - The Bar of Being a True follower of Jesus(00:32:56) - An Immediate Look at the Life of Jesus

Become a member at www.blackwhitenetwork.com for just $10 per month with a 7 day FREE TRIAL and get exclusive content and extra discounts on merch!Member stream at 10am CST every Friday UNCENSORED!Locals: https://blackandwhitenetwork.locals.comBecome a monthly subscriber to the podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blackandwhitenetwork/subscribeFollow us on Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/BlackandWhiteNewsFollow Black and White Sports on Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/BlackandWhiteSports

Yahoo! Sports NFL writer Frank Schwab Sports Roulette

"The learner must attend with interest to the fact or truth to be learned."In this third episode of our series on John Milton Gregory's Seven Laws of Teaching, Ryan Gilmore is joined by experienced grammar school teacher, Kay Nunn, to explore the Law of the Learner. Together they reflect on why attention and interest are essential to real learning and how teachers can spark curiosity rather than demand compliance. Through practical classroom examples and years of experience, the conversation highlights teaching as an act of formation that honors the dignity of the student. This episode invites teachers and parents to rethink engagement, not as classroom management, but as a pathway to wisdom.Free PDF of The Seven Laws of Teaching by John Milton Gregory through Veritas Press! https://www.oakgroveclassical.com/https://www.instagram.com/oakgroveclassicalacademy/https://www.facebook.com/OakGroveClassical/https://naumsinc.org/ https://classicalchristian.org/

We're back to kick off our “third” season (and sixth year!) with learning strategist, National Board certified science educator, and special education teacher Tina Heineke-Kurtz. Tina is a delightful and adventurous human being with a strong passion for inclusive education, and her career in teaching and advocacy has touched the lives of countless students. We spoke with Tina about life in Oconomowoc, co-teaching in an inclusive classroom, and the challenges of meeting the needs of all learners. Welcome back, listeners, and enjoy the chaos of a gaggle of Midwesterners.00:00 Ice Fishing with the Stomach Bomb08:40 Teaching Journey and Career Path13:20 Middle School and Mentorship21:00 Co-Teaching In Inclusive Classrooms27:40 COVID and Social/Emotional Displacement34:40 Making Chicken Soup37:20 Inclusive Practices and Stakeholder Perspectives47:00 Professional Development and Personal Growth49:20 MARBLES, MARBLES, MARBLES!56:50 The One Who Cared1:00:00 What We LearnedFor a full list of episode sources and resources, visit our website.

The Inokashira Park dismemberment incident is an unsolved murder that occurred in Inokashira Park, a park between Mitaka and Musashino, Tokyo, in April 1994, wherein a dismembered body had been found. Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

How do you support a young athlete through the middle school years—when bodies are changing fast, emotions run high, and competition starts to feel real? Ages 11-14 are a pivotal phase in athletic development. Growth spurts, social comparison, and rising expectations can either build confidence and resilience—or quietly push kids toward burnout. In this episode of Inside the Wave, Perry Wirth sits down with returning guest Chandler Lewis for Part 3 of their four-part youth development series, focusing on the often tricky middle school years. Chandler is a sports psychologist, Certified Mental Performance Consultant, and competitive swim coach who has guided athletes from their first lessons all the way to NCAA-level competition. Together, Perry and Chandler break down how parents and coaches can support developing athletes without rushing specialization or adding unnecessary pressure. You'll learn how to: • Understand the major PIES shifts (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social) during ages 11–14 • Support rapid growth and awkward movement phases without overloading intensity or volume • Build skill, strength, and body awareness before chasing performance outcomes • Encourage ownership, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation in young athletes • Approach competition with process-based goals instead of result-based pressure • Support kids emotionally before, during, and after competitions • Avoid common parenting and coaching habits that unintentionally increase stress Chandler combines real-world coaching experience with mental performance principles to help athletes (and their parents) navigate this stage with clarity, patience, and long-term perspective. Whether you're coaching from the deck, watching from the sidelines, or parenting an athlete who's starting to feel the weight of competition, this episode offers a roadmap for turning the middle school years into a foundation for confidence, resilience, and lifelong enjoyment of sport. Connect with Chandler Swim Program: Clewis@wsacltd.org Sports Psychology: championshipmind.com | Chandler@championshipmind.com Stay tuned for more conversations that go beyond the mats.

Bob Schwahn  |  Lead Pastor  |  January 18, 2026 Referenced Scripture: Luke 9:23-24, Ephesians 5:25, Mark 1:14-15, James 2:18-19, Revelation 2:1-5 Reflection Questions: Luke 9:23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 1) WhoeverWhat were the requirements and pre-qualifications to be a follower of Jesus? Give some examples.What does that say about God that the bar to entry from a cultural perspective was really low? What thoughts might you have had in observing who Jesus chose to be his closest followers? Explain. 2) Wants to be my disciple“Wants” implies it is a choice that we make to follow Jesus or not. Why do you think Jesus would give us a choice and not demand that we love and follow Him? Can love be forced? Explain. 1 John 4:19We love because he first loved us. 3) Must deny themselvesWhat do you think Jesus meant by this? What does this NOT mean? Explain.What has it cost you to follow Jesus? Why is it important to know up front that following Jesus can and will be costly?Is there an area of your life that you find difficult to surrender to Jesus (or an area you find it difficult to follow)? Explain, why? 4) Take up their cross daily and follow me.What did the symbol of the cross mean to a first century person? How is that different from how we view the symbol?Why does that appear to be a “bad marketing” strategy by Jesus? What do you think he was trying to be clear about?How have you experienced humility, suffering, and death as a follower of Jesus?Do you ever experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) because you are a follower of Jesus? Explain. Luke 9:24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.5) Explain what Jesus is promising in this statement. Have you experienced the reality of this promise? Why or why not?6) How do you need to take up your cross TODAY in order to follow Jesus? Why do we need to do this DAILY?7) What do we do if our heart grows cold, hard, tired, or apathetic? Read Revelation 2:1-58) Why is repentance always the answer when we are off track in following Jesus?9) Being an ALL IN follower of Jesus is about DIRECTION and NOT PERFECTION.What does that statement mean? Agree or disagree? Why? What's your next step? * Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard* Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children* Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students* Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give* Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman* Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app * Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman Chapters (00:00:00) - One Christian's Challenge to the Gold Medal(00:04:18) - Who Will Follow Jesus?(00:08:50) - Jesus Says He Wants You to Follow Him(00:15:58) - Must deny themselves for Christ(00:23:19) - Taking Up the Cross(00:29:16) - All In Followers(00:34:04) - Come and Die and Follow Me(00:35:52) - Jesus Prays for Direction

After the United Soccer Coaches Clinic in south Georgia last weekend, SDH caught up with middle school head coach and TCC Varsity assistant Matt Tanner on how he views the game has grown in south Georgia.With his time in college there and now coaching teenagers, we asked about the evolution of the game, how he has his own questions answered, how he coaches, and what the World Cup means coming here in the spring and summer... 

Wayne Ruble Middle School computer science teacher Zahra Razi discusses the challenges of teaching AI to middle schoolers in Fontana Unified School District, integrating AI across all curriculum, AI literacy, starting an in-class mentorship program that encourages students to become leaders, and the importance of media literacy and ethics.

What if college admissions isn't about being more impressive, but about being more clear?In this episode, I break down why so many hardworking, high-achieving students are rejected from top colleges, and what actually separates students who get admitted from those who don't.Drawing on recent early-decision results (including acceptances to Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Vanderbilt, plus $100,000 scholarships) I explain the hidden trap families fall into when they chase what they think admissions officers want.You'll learn:Why “doing more” often makes applications weaker, not strongerThe two questions admissions officers are really trying to answerHow the Impressiveness Trap creates noise instead of clarityWhat successful students do differently to become “obvious admits”Why starting earlier (8th–11th grade) dramatically reduces stress and increases optionsI also share details about the upcoming live workshop, Hacking College Admissions, where you can learn how to build a clear, strategic plan that actually works. Register for free at TILC.to/janworkshopIf you want your teen to have real options. Confidence instead of panic, this episode is for you.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents

In this episode for Middle School ELA teachers, we tackle the nonstop "roast climate" that can hijack your class—yo mama jokes, put-downs, and the back-and-forth that feeds off the audience. You'll learn how to tell the difference between joking and harmful comments using the Roast Scale, what to say in the moment, and how to use clear, consistent consequences to shut it down and reset your classroom culture.   This link will take you to the Google Form for signing-up to be our very first teacher that we get to help launch 5 TPT Products with a personalized blueprint! !  We can't wait to help you!  Sign up today! We will select one teacher later in January!

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor Referenced Scripture: John 6:60-69, Mark 10:17-22, Ephesians 4:1-3, Matthew 7:21-23 Reflection Questions:1. Describe your current relationship with Jesus. DTR (Define The Relationship)What adjectives would you use to describe your connection to Him right now? Is it growing closer, getting more distant, or staying the same? Explain. 2. What is the difference between being a fan of Jesus and being a follower of Jesus? What characteristics would you use to describe each of these kinds of people? Where do you see yourself currently? 3. In the life of Jesus (gospels), how does Jesus describe what it means to be a follower of Him? How does Jesus make this definition clear in his teachings and invitations to follow him? 4. Read Mark 10:17-31 (Rich Young Ruler)What are some observations you can make about following Jesus from this story? How does Jesus separate fans from followers in this story? Can you relate to the response of the rich young ruler? Why or why not? 5. In the sermon we talked about identity based spiritual transformation. Identity → Process → Outcome (fruit)(who we are) → (what we do) → (what we get) Why is it critical to start with identity as we approach the pursuit of spiritual transformation? What is the cost/problem with focusing on outcomes first rather than focusing on our identity?How would your life be different if your core identity was being a follower of Jesus? How would it shape your habits/disciplines and the outcomes of your life? 6. Read Matthew 7:21-23How is it possible for someone to think they are a follower of Jesus and not actually have a relationship with Him?What thoughts or questions come to your mind when you read this passage? Why does this passage make it so important for us to really answer the question, “Am I a follower of Jesus?” (as Jesus defines follower)How does Jesus define a true follower of Him? 7. If you had a DTR (define the relationship) with Jesus what do you think you would say? What do you think He would say? What's your next step? * Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard * Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children * Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students * Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give * Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman * Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app * Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman  Chapters (00:00:00) - Am I a True follower of Jesus?(00:08:17) - What is an All In Followers of Jesus?(00:08:59) - What Does It Mean to Be a Follower of Jesus?(00:13:07) - The Rich Young Ruler(00:17:58) - James Clear on the Process of Spiritual Transformation(00:25:55) - Paul on His Calling and His Relationship with You(00:32:00) - A Question About Where Is Jesus With Me?

Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

I really enjoyed this conversation with Natalie and her mother, Mary, because it reminded me how an unstoppable mindset is often built quietly, over time, through creativity, learning, and persistence. Together, they share what it has been like to navigate life across generations while facing learning disabilities, health challenges, workplace adversity, and the constant need to adapt. We talk about Natalie's journey with attention deficit disorder and anxiety, how creative outlets like baking, art, music, and storytelling helped her find focus and confidence, and why returning to school later in life became an act of self-trust rather than fear. Mary's story adds another powerful layer. She reflects on growing up with low self-esteem, navigating male-dominated workplaces, and dealing with sexual harassment long before there were systems in place to address it. As a mother, artist, and professional, she shares what it means to keep moving forward while supporting her daughter's growth. Throughout our conversation, we explore accessibility, creative entrepreneurship, lifelong learning, and why accommodations and understanding still matter. I believe you will find this episode both honest and encouraging, especially if your own path has been anything but linear. Highlights: 00:00 – Hear how creativity and resilience shaped an unstoppable mindset across two generations.08:35 – Learn how attention deficit disorder and anxiety changed the way focus, learning, and confidence developed.14:33 – Discover why stepping away from a demanding career can open the door to new growth.21:23 – Understand how workplace sexual harassment leaves lasting effects long after it happens.35:16 – See why protecting and celebrating local artists became a personal mission.59:09 – Learn why accessibility, accommodations, and empathy still matter in everyday life. About the Guest: Mary Dunn: Mary was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA.  She was the only child of Norman and Lucille Rump.  At a young age, she liked to draw and as she grew older she enjoyed painting.  Her first painting was in oil and Mary was eleven years old.  However, because of the expense of art supplies, it was difficult to pursue a continuous endeavor in that particular form of art. While in high school, nothing really exciting happened as Mary was on the shy side.  She didn't belong to any groups and she really just wanted to graduate.  She graduated in the upper third of her class.  The most momentous part of the graduation was that Jeff Goldblum was also a graduate of her class. After graduation, Mary continued her education at The Pittsburgh Beauty Academy.  There she studied cosmetology and acquired a teacher license.  Although she never taught, she did work at a few different shops and also managed a shop.  These experiences helped Mary to become less shy. At that time, she met her first husband and had two children.  The marriage lasted for eleven years, and Mary was left with two small children.  Mary realized that her background in cosmetology would not be sufficient to raise two small children. She decided to go to college. With the support of her parents, she was accepted to attend Carlow College which is now Carlow University.  There she studied business and minored in theology.  She almost minored in art, but she needed one more credit to have that as a minor.  It was important for her to graduate in order to take care of her children.  While in college she belonged to several organizations.  One organization was an honor society called Delta Epsilon Sigma.  There she became an assistant chair of the organization.  The second organization was OASIS.  The organization was for non-tradition students.  She was vice-president during her senior year at Carlow.  She graduated in 1991 cum laude. After Carlow, she found her first employment opportunity working the Equitable Gas Company as a “Technical Fieldman”.  In this position, Mary would draft pipeline installations, work up costs for those installations, and fill in for supervisors when they went on vacations.  The job was difficult as it had usually been filled by men prior to her.  She was thrust into a job that she learned on her own and was subject to sexual harassment.   At that time, sexual harassment was not spoken about.  Mary didn't even realize that her peers were doing these things to her.  When she supervised union personnel, they were nice and valued her expertise.  However, when she returned to the office, more harassment continued. During that period, Mary decided to get a Master's Degree and enrolled in Carnegie Mellon's Heinz school of Public Management.  Her classes were very valuable as she learned about leadership, information systems, and marketing communications.  She graduated in 1996 with distinction.  Even though after she graduated from CMU, she continued to be sexual harassed.  She thought it might be a good idea to document the issues that made her position difficult.  She began to take notes on these incidents.  When she went to Human Resources, Mary was told that she should confront these people and tell them how she was feeling.  Mary couldn't do that because she felt it would make matters worse.  She applied for another position within the company.  In 1997, Mary became Program Manager of Energy Technology. While there, Mary developed and implemented a marketing plan to promote the use of alternative fuels.  As a Program Manager, Mary became a member of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities which focused on alternative fueled vehicles.  During this time, she became a board member and focused on grants and wrote the Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities Newsletter. In 1999, her position was eliminated at Equitable.  In some ways, Mary was relieved about the elimination, but in other ways, it was the first time this ever happened to her.  She was now remarried and was concerned about her children. It was very scary. Thankfully, Mary was not unemployed for long.  She was hired at Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission as a Transportation Planner.  In this position she implemented a newly designed client tracking system of their products and services that helped to increase revenue. Additionally, she worked on a communication plan to implement branding and crisis communications. Eventually, Mary became a Marketing/Communication Specialist for Southwestern Pennsylvania Communications.  She was responsible for multi-media communications connected with branding. Mary designed logos for special projects, arranged special affairs, open houses and conferences.  She remained a part of Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities.   Mary additionally prepared presentations for executive management to deliver regarding the Joseph A. James Memorial Excellence in Local Government Achievement Award that recognizes a municipal government elected or appointed official in any local government, agency, or Council of Government for a lifetime of exemplary governance or management. Unfortunately, a new Executive was hired to replace the past Executive who had passed away.  Because of this, our whole department was eliminated. After Southwestern, Mary was hired as the Manager of Administration and Human Resources for THE PROGRAM for Female Offenders.  While at THE PROGRAM, Mary was responsible for maintaining the policies and daily operations in THE PROGRAM.  She implemented a cost effective foodservice program, introduced staff ID cards and implemented the Windows NT network server and computer security using a Digital Subscriber Line which is a type of high-speed internet connection that uses existing copper telephone lines to provide internet access to three PROGRAM facilities. Additionally, Mary implemented a human resource database for directors and managers that targeted specific employment information. Mary maintained safety equipment and introduced a safe evacuation plan for her building.. Unfortunately, because THE PROGRAM was grant based and when it was time to acquire grant money much of the previous grants were not renewed and Mary lost her job.  Mary eventually was hired by Roach and Associates, Inc. as a Project Manager. In this position, she negotiated oil and gas leases for exploration and productions of future gas wells in Clearfield County Pennsylvania.  During this time, Mary was responsible for permitting activities with the state, county and federal agencies as well as prepared training seminars to meet pipeline safety regulations as per U.S. Department of Transportation, CFR49, Parts 192-193. Mary authored documentation regarding pipeline regulations for various housing authorities and gas production companies within Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York.  Besides working at Roach, Mary became part of the Transition Team for Peduto for Mayor of Pittsburgh.  That was such a memorable experience as my team focused on some of the issues facing the newly elected Mayor. It was nice to be a part of change. After working ten years at Roach and Associates, Inc., Mary decided it was time to retire in 2015. While working at Roach, Mary began dabbling in art again.  It had been quite a while since college and painting.  But she began to work in pastels and eventually more in the line of acrylic painting.  She became president of the Pittsburgh Pastel Artist League.  She no longer is president of that group.  Mary now belongs to the Pittsburgh Society of Artists where she was juried into the group.  She has had her work display at The Galaxie in Chicago,  Pittsburgh Technical Institute, Monroeville Library, Gallery Sim, Boxheart Gallery, Southern Allegheny Museum of Art, Saville Gallery in Maryland and various other galleries around Pittsburgh.  Her Study in Pastels won an Award of Excellence from Southern Allegheny Museum of Art.  Mary also came in second place in the Jerry's Artarama Faber Castel Contest. As time went on, Mary decided to focus more on her art work and began teaching students how to paint with Acrylic.  She also began a YouTube channel, Pittsburgh Artist Studio, where she gave free art lessons in acrylic to future artists around the country.  Unfortunately, Mary developed chronic back issues, and she had to give up her teaching.  She has had two back operations to alleviate the pain, but the second operation really didn't help.  It has caused more painful issues.  Therefore, it is difficult for her to paint a long period of time.  Currently, Mary devotes her time to illustrating her oldest daughter's books for children.  The books are a series about a little boy's adventures in his life.  Her books can be found on Amazon under her name “Nicole Leckenby”.  Additionally, she has illustrated a book for her younger daughter, Natalie Sebula, entitled “The Many Colors of Natalie”. In conclusion, now that Mary is retired, she has had more time to work on different art projects a little at a time.  She lives with her husband Steve and two dogs Grumpy and Sally.  She belongs to a group of wonderful women who review Bible Psalms each week. Since my minor in theology, I do enjoy reading various books on different religious subjects.  I am thankful for each day that I have and continue to work on the gifts God has given me. Natalie Belin: I am focusing on the arts. I am a creator with an ambitious attitude. I have no problem thinking BIG and dreaming BIG. While everyone else stays inside the lines, I boldly color outside the lines. Natalie resides near Pittsburgh, PA. She is 40 years old and loves adventures. Within these 40 years Natalie has experienced highs and lows. However, during the low points she was like water: adaptable, resilient, and always finding a way through. At toddler age, it was brought to the attention that she had high pressure in her eyes. However, nothing was really done about it because of her age. Typically, high pressures occur in older adults. After many years, one eye doctor took it seriously.  He prescribed eye drops and finally recommended a laser technique to open the tear ducts.  This alleviated the high pressure and since no eye drops have been needed. In 5 grade, she was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Her mother, Mary Dunn advocated for her until someone listened, and her teachers realized it was a real problem. Steps were taken to help Natalie focus more.  As she grew older, it was important to do activities that helped her focus such as cheerleading and possible careers in culinary. Because of the importance of focusing, Natalie decided that culinary arts would be beneficial.  Natalie graduated in October of 2004 from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute with an associate's degree in Specialized Technology Le Cordon Bleu Program in Patisserie & Baking.  While there, she was elected class president. The Pennsylvania Culinary Institute offered externships to various prestigious areas to hone the craft.  Natalie's externship was at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulpher Springs where she was ultimately hired. However, Natalie decided to return to Pittsburgh after a car accident. Natalie continued to work as a pastry chef for about five years. After, she decided to further her education, and Natalie graduated in December of 2023 from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. Some of her academic achievements are National Society of Collegiate Scholars, National Society of Leadership and Success, Alpha Sigma lambda-Alpha Chi Chapter at the University of Pittsburgh, Delta Alpha PI Honor Society. During her academic life, Natalie became an Emmy nominated producer for Pitt to the Point (a class focusing on the news as well as behind the scenes of a news/magazine program that covers the City of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh regional campuses as well as national and international events.) Currently, Natalie is in a Graduate Certification Program which is also at the University of Pittsburgh. The Certification is in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law (SEAL). She hopes to use this program as a steppingstone to complete her master's degree in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law. In addition to the SEAL certification, one could say that Natalie is a woman of many colors.  She works full-time as an Administrator for the Rehabilitation Science Program in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. This is where she provides administrative support for general program management, advising and faculty. Another aspect of Natalie's many colors is writing.  Several years ago, she wrote a poetry book called The Many Colors of Natalie. This is a book for 18+. There are several illustrations in the book that complement the poems. Mary Dunn, Natalie's mother, created the illustrations. In August of 2020, Natalie launched The Many Colors of Natalie Blog. She started this blog to give a new perspective to Pittsburgh other than being known for sports. This allows individuals the ability to educate themselves on different variations of Pittsburgh's art or artists as well as bringing awareness to the art scene. Natalie's motto is Love Art & Support Your Local Artist! Additionally, Natalie has been a model/actor since 2012. Most of her work consists of being an extra in various music videos and movies. Furthermore, she is an ambassador for Ambassador Sunglasses and Just Strong Clothing. Just Strong Clothing's Mission “We are a clothing brand on a mission to empower those who are not just strong for a girl, they are just strong. Whether you are an experienced lifter, a new starter or have simply overcome great adversaries in your life, the JustStrong community are here to empower and motivate you to never give up.” “Ambassador was formed to extract, refine, and exhibit the marriage between what was and what will be in fashion culture. When wearing Ambassador, you break the mold of the mundane to embrace your unmatched individualism.” Besides being an ambassador, Natalie became a Creative Percussion Artist in 2020. “Creative Percussion is a family-owned business, established in 2018, and run by husband-and-wife team, Kevin and Cheri Feeney.” Her picture is on the site as a CP percussion artist. Not only is Natalie a musician, but she dabbles in various mediums in art. Her mixed media piece Peace, Love, and Woodstock is currently in the Woodstock Museum located in Saugerties, New York. “The purpose for the Woodstock Museum is: To gather, display, disseminate and develop the concept and reality of Woodstock, encompassing the culture and history of a living colony of the arts, with special emphasis placed on the exhibition of self-sustaining ecological technologies. To encourage and increase public awareness of Woodstock by providing information to the general public through cultural events, displays of artifacts, outreach programs, communication media events and personal experiences, and to contribute, as an international attraction, to the cultural life and prosperity of our region; and to engage in all lawful activities in pursuit of the foregoing purposes.” Lastly, Natalie and her mother Mary Dunn started a side hustle several years ago. Mother and Daughter Collaboration (vending show name) is a great opportunity for Natalie to showcase her entrepreneurial skills in addition to her art. Their Etsy name is Maker's Collab Studio. In conclusion, Nat is excited for the future, and to see what is in store. She considers herself to be dynamic and resilient. Even those who know Natalie would say the same.  Regardless of what she has been through, she keeps going. She realizes that the tough times eventually do end. In self-reflection, the “tough time” may have been a life lesson, or a possible steppingstone to what's next in her life. Only time will tell. Natalie will always be a supporter of the arts, and she will always create in some way. As Natalie ages, she sees the importance of advocating for the disabled. At one point in her life, she was embarrassed about sharing her learning disability because she felt that we live in a society where having a disability isn't necessarily welcomed and is frowned upon. Do not fear individuals who need special accommodations.  Instead, educate yourself. Try being that individual who needs certain accommodations, and the accommodations are not provided or easily accessible. Progress has been made in educating the ignorant. However, there is more work that needs to be done. Ways to connect with Natalie & Mary**:** Blog website: Home - The Many Colors of Natalie Personal website: Home | natalie-sebula-belin Book of poetry: The Many Colors of Natalie: Written by: Natalie Belin - Kindle edition by Dunn, Mary, Leckenby, Nicole, Merlin, Grace, Palmieri, David. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. Facebook: (1) Facebook Instagram: Natalie Sebula (@themanycolorsofnatalie) • Instagram photos and videos Etsy: MakersCollabStudio - Etsy About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset. We're doing something that we've done a few times before, and we get to do it again today. We have two people as guests on unstoppable mindset this time, mother and daughter, and that'll be kind of fun they have, between them, lots of experiences in art, but in all sorts of other kinds of things as well. They live in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, and I'm not going to say a whole lot more, because I want them to tell their stories. So I want you to meet Natalie bellen and her mother, Mary Dunn. So Natalie and Mary, both of you, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:03 Well, thank you for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:03 having us. Yes, we're happy to be here. Thank you. Michael Hingson  02:06 Well, let's see. We'll start with mom. Why don't you tell us something about the early Mary growing up, and you know what? What life was like growing up? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  02:18 Well, growing up, I was born in Pittsburgh. I was actually born on in the south side of Pittsburgh, and it was called St Joseph Hospital, and now it's an apartment building, but we lived here. I've lived here all my life. I lived in Hazelwood until I was about the age of three. Then we moved to Whitaker, Pennsylvania, and now I'm in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. So it's like we hopped around a bit. Growing up in my family was a little bit difficult. I had been bullied quite a bit by my cousins, so it kind of like left you know how it does with bullying. You know, it's not like today. Of course, I didn't want to go out and do something terrible to myself. It's just that it left my self esteem very low, and I just kind of stayed and was by myself most of the time. So until I grew up, I graduated from high school, I went to West Midland, North High School, I graduated in the same class as Jeff Goldblum. Although I didn't know him, I knew that he was very talented. I thought he was more talented on a piano than he was with acting, but he is still he's still very good with the piano, with his jazz music, and that's basically it. I've been in West Mifflin now for she's been quite a bit Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  03:49 since I was in seventh grade, and now I'm 40 years old, so we've been here a long time. Michael Hingson  03:54 Yeah, so it's sort of like 3027 years or so, or 28 years? Yes, well, Natalie, tell us about you when it was like growing up in and all of that. Sure. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  04:08 No problem. So I grew up in Whitaker for the most part, my yearly eight years, like until about fifth grade, I guess about like fifth grade, and then we moved, well, we just moved to a different house and whatever. Yeah, that when we moved for the second time, it was more in a neighborhood with kids, so that was, like, a lot more fun. And we played like tag and all that. So that my early years, I remember that like playing tags, swimming, I love, like skiing on the water, jet skis, stuff like that. Definitely. I loved running around. And I loved dance as a kid too, that was a lot of fun. Michael Hingson  05:00 Okay, and so you went to high school? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  05:05 Oh, yeah, I went, Yes. I went to West Midland area high school, and I graduated in 2003 in 2004 I graduated from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute as a pastry chef and part of the things that I had to do to graduate, I had to do, like, about a six month internship where I resided in white sulfur springs, West Virginia, and I got to do my externship at the Greenbrier, and that was pretty exciting, because it has quite the history. There. People love it there for Well, one of the things that sticks in my mind is Dorothy Draper, who decorated that resort. Her taste is very cool, because she went bold, like with flower print and stripes mixed together for wallpaper. There's stories in history behind the sulfur water there. And then most people might know the Greenbrier for their golf courses, for the golf course actually, or in history about the sulfur water Michael Hingson  06:26 now, you had high eye pressure for a while after you were born, right? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  06:31 Oh, yes, the eye pressures. That's quite the story, let me tell you so at a very young age, like different doctors and eye doctors that I went to. They knew that I had high pressures, but they didn't seem like it was a big issue. But my mom had the inkling that I needed to go to a different doctor when I was like, I guess you Middle School, Michael Hingson  06:58 yeah, yeah, you were about now, was there a lot of pain because of the pressure. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:02 I didn't even know was happening, so I wasn't in discomfort or anything. So they said, don't they kind of dismissed it. So I wasn't worried about it, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:14 Neither was I. But you know, like eventually we did go to a doctor and he said, Oh, my goodness, you have these high pressures. And it's, it could be like glaucoma. We don't ever see that in a young person, you know, they haven't ever seen anything like that. He was just amazed by it. And go ahead, you can finish this. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  07:36 Dr Al, I have so much respect for him, because he truly took care of my eyes for a very long time. I started seeing him in middle school, and I saw him up until, like my late 30s, and he I would see him quite frequently, because he would always monitor those pressures, because he knew the importance of that and how they could damage my eyes and I can lose my sight. So he always had me do like fields test eye pressure checks, because your pressures in your eyes can fluctuate throughout the day. So I would come in in like different times of the day to make sure they're not super high and stuff like that. He would prescribe me on different eye pressure medications like eye drops, because the they like the eye drops would help my eyes to it to regulate the pressures to a certain point, and then my eyes would get used to them, it seemed like, so then we would have to go to a different prescription. I caused that doctor a lot of stress, I think, because he was always thinking about my case, because it was so rare. And he went to a conference, actually, and brought that up at a conference, and at that conference, they said for me to get the laser, laser procedure done to Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:10 open the tear ducts. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:12 Yeah, yeah. And luckily, that solved it. Michael Hingson  09:18 Wow, so you so the the tear ducts were, were small or not draining properly, correct? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:26 Yeah, it was points where, like, if I wanted to cry, no tears would come Michael Hingson  09:31 out, no tears would come out. Well, yeah, yeah. Then you also discovered, or somehow you you learned about being Attention Deficit Disorder. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  09:45 Yeah, so, um, when I was from like one or like, from kindergarten to third grade, I went to a Catholic school, and I didn't seem like there was anything. Being really wrong. But then when I went to a public school, I was really having a hard time grasping the material, and I would get really frustrated when I was at home trying to do the homework and I just wasn't understanding. I believe the educators there said like I was also behind, which could have been part of the issue. But my mom would like try to help me with my homework, and it was like Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  10:28 it was hard. She would, she would get so frustrated and throw the papers and just, you know it, because it was very difficult for her, and we really couldn't under I couldn't understand why. You know this was happening, because my, my other daughter, I never had issues like that with so we had, I guess we were told to go. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  10:53 I think that was Miss Lenz in fifth grade. Yeah, she had me get tested for a learning disability, and with all the testing that was done with that, they said that I had attention deficit disorder. So whenever that diagnosis was made, I was able to get like teacher teaching aids to help me through tests to help me understand the curriculum a little bit better. Tutors did the counselor Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  11:28 I well they I did take her to get tested outside of school, and that's they actually told me some things that could help her with this. And then I went to the teachers, and the teachers, some of them, didn't, like, actually take this into consideration. They, they didn't really realize attention deficit disorder at that time. It was new. And so they, they kind of said, well, we don't, we don't believe in that or whatever. And I said, Well, can you just have her, like, sit up front, because she would pay attention more and she would focus better, because that's the problem she couldn't focus on. So it took a while, and then finally, the principal in the fifth grade, he had a meeting with the teachers us, and he actually was the one who brought that to their attention, that this is a problem, that attention disorder, you know, does occur, and some of it is hyper, just hyperactive disorder. So it luckily she didn't have that part of it, but it was the focusing, and we just got her more involved in things that she could learn how to focus. They recommended cheerleading, they recommended culinary school, and I think that really helped her to learn more on focusing. But she still has anxieties and things like that. It's still Michael Hingson  13:03 it's still there. So why culinary school? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  13:07 So that is such a fun question. When my grandma used to watch me, she was very particular on what I was like watching. She didn't want me to watch anything like super crazy or out there. So I would always watch cooking shows, and I thought he was so unique, the different recipes and everything that these chefs were making. And I love some of their personalities, like emerald, he was always so hyper and loud, so fun. And it was interesting to see the different types of foods that they were creating that, like certain countries make. You know, I love Spanish food. It's so good. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  13:55 She decided not to even get into that part. That was the thing. She wanted to be a pastry chef, yeah, Michael Hingson  14:02 something to be said for chocolate chip cookies. But anyway, go ahead. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:07 Yeah, she makes a good one, too. At Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:10 this point, I don't even know why. What drew me to baking more than culinary I think the two different styles are cooking are very interesting, because like with cooking, you don't have to be so exact with the measurements and everything with certain things like the spices and stuff. If you don't like rosemary, you don't have to put it in there. But with baking, it's definitely more scientific. Have to be more accurate with the measurements of certain ingredients, like baking soda, because it's lavender and like, altitude will totally screw up your baking Yes, so many reasons that elevation is so important. So yeah, so Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  14:59 mine's to it. Or whatever, you know? Yeah, Michael Hingson  15:01 so you went and did an externship, and then what did you do? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  15:06 So with the externship, I was there for a little bit over six months, I was officially hired, and I graduated from culinary school, but, um, I got in a car accident. So that's like, why left? So I was in baking professionally for about a total five years, and then I went back to school. Sorry, that's grumpy. Can you hear him barking? 15:36 I'm sorry. I'll go. No, no, it's fine. Michael Hingson  15:41 So why did you leave culinary? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  15:43 Um, I was just ready for a change. Because I started working professionally when I was like 19, so by my mid 20s, I was just ready to go back. I mean, that is a very demanding field. You're working several hours. Um, you're working with all types of personalities, certain pressures, long days sometimes. And I was just ready to see what else was out there for me. Michael Hingson  16:12 So you went back to school to study, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  16:15 yes, so my when I graduated in 2023 with my undergraduate degree, it was in humanities, and it focused on three areas of art, music, studio, arts and theater. The main focus was theater, okay? Michael Hingson  16:39 And so, what did you do with that? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  16:42 So with that degree, I did several different things. I wrote a poetry book, which I provided a link so people can access if they would like to purchase it. I created a blog in 2020 called the many colors of Natalie, and I created a blog to help bring a different perspective to Pittsburgh, other than just it being a city for sports, because there's a lot of talented artists out there, and plus, like during a pandemic, that caused a lot of strain on a lot of things, and I was really worried about certain venues that were iconic here closing and completely wiping out the whole art industry here, you know. So, um, with that too, I also, um, I was doing music at the time as a percussionist, and that's when I got introduced to creative percussion products, and I was using that with the different performances that I was doing. And I ended up being one of their artists featured on their page, website or website, yeah. Okay, yeah, and I also volunteered at a local dance studio called Lisa de gorrios dance, and I got to work with the younger kids, and I did that for a couple years. So that was interesting to see what it was like to teach and put on performances. It's a lot of you get to see the behind the scenes and time management and stuff like that. Also, I'm thinking here for a second, sorry. How about, oh, we, my mom and I created an Etsy shop. So we started a few years ago, called Mother Daughter collaboration, a vending that was like our vending show name, and we did that for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  18:56 we've been doing that for a while. Yeah, we, we put different products up. I kind of tend to do my artwork, and she puts up some things also in art, we have, we have interesting things like CD, telephone, covers, cases, purses, you know. And we're working on a new product now to to put on to the Etsy shop this year. We didn't do many vending shows. I had surgery last last year on my back, and I had a hard time recovering because it was pretty expensive. So we're hoping to get that going again this year, or towards the end of the year, when the Christmas shows start happening, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  19:47 we did, um, create an Etsy shop called makers collab studio, and we were focusing more on that this year. Um, so we do have, like, a variety of different products. Um. Um, which I also provided the link to the Etsy shop. If anybody wants to check out our products and what we have, that'd be great if you stop checked out that. Michael Hingson  20:11 Yeah, my late my late wife, was a quilter and tried to run an Etsy shop, but people didn't want to pay any kind of real prices for handmade quilts, because they just thought that quilts should be, like, 50 or $75 and that just wasn't realistic. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  20:30 But, well, that's, that's the trouble. What we're seeing also, yeah, we do, I do, like, we do t shirts and things like that too. But people it. I don't think people realize what's behind the whole process. No, or they don't care. No, you know, I mean, there's a lot involved as far as your equipment. When it was covid, I was, well, I'm retired, but I was working part time, and I was able to, you know, get what is it, you know, workers, whatever, yeah, you know, yes. And with that money, I actually bought like things to do, T shirts, like the heat press and different parts to like a cricket that we can do things with. And so, you know, like the things that you know, you still have to buy supplies, even with my artwork, it's so expensive anymore, when I first started back in, you know, when my kids grew up and they were on their own, where I really focused on it, and I can't believe the expense of it. You know, it's just, it's everything's expensive these days. So, yeah, really watch what you're doing and how you approach it too. You know, you can't spend a lot of money on things. We don't have, like, a whole backlog of products. I mean, we just do a few things and hope that the things that we make are sellers, you know, Michael Hingson  22:05 yeah, well, and I hope it, it can is more successful for you going forward. That's a useful thing. You You've done a lot Mary with with art over the years, but you've also had other, other kinds of jobs where you've worked for some pretty large companies, and you've been reading your bio, you faced some sexual harassment issues and things like that, haven't you? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  22:29 Yes, yes, that was difficult boy, and I didn't realize that at the time I went to college late in life because I was getting divorced and I needed a job that I could take care of my family, my girls, and so I decided to go to college and my my mom and dad watched my kids while I went to school, which was nice. And the first job I had was with the gas company here, and I was called a technical Fieldman. And what I would do is, like, I would draw pipeline installations and the and sometimes I would fill in as a supervisor. When I filled in first as a supervisor, it was great. I mean, the guys were decent. We always came to a conclusion. I always trusted what they're you know what they would say about pipeline? Because I knew nothing about pipeline. It was all new to me. But when I would go back to the office, it was, it was just like crazy things that would happen. I mean, I won't go into detail, and I started writing these things down because I thought this just doesn't seem right, that these people are saying these things to me or doing these things to me. I had a nice little book of all these incidents that happened, and I went to the HR department, and they wanted me to confront these people in my office, to tell them how I felt. Well, that, to me, would have made everything worse, because that's just that, you know, kind of work environment. So luckily, I was, I was promoted into a job that lasted two years, and then my job was eliminated. So that was my first, my first thing with that was the only time I really had sexual harassment that was really bad. I went on to another which was the program for female Well, I worked for a university for a while, and then I went into the program for female offenders, which was really interesting work. I enjoyed that it was like people that were out on that needed to, that were like drug addicts and and they were looking for a new way. They had been in jail and this incarcerated, and they came into this. Program they had that was part of their incarceration or parole. They had to do this, this program, and that was so interesting. I mean, it was just heartfelt, because you just saw these people that were trying so hard to make a good life for themselves and not to go back to their original way of living. And unfortunately, that was all grant money. And that job ended also so that, you know, and I was a transportation planner, I did a lot of things, and then I ended up going back into the gas industry. I worked for an engineer, and we were working in the production side of everything. So he had drove to you wells, and we had leases, and I took care of those. And I liked that job for about 10 years. I stayed there, and then I I retired. I was getting tired of it at that point. Michael Hingson  26:02 Yeah. Why was your first why was your first job at the original gas company eliminated? Or when you were promoted and you said it was eliminated, yeah? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  26:10 Well, that's what I like to know why it was eliminated. I think sometimes that job was just to keep me quiet. That's how I felt. I mean, I, I they, they knew that I was upset and that I didn't like what was happening. And I think it was just to keep me quiet, and they realized that that job wasn't going to last, but it was a marketing job. We were using different ways to use gas, alternative fuel vehicles, fuel cells, you know. So it was an interesting job, too, but it it didn't really have the supervisor we had was not really a person that pushed the product, you know. So that could have been the reason, too, that they eliminated a lot of that. Yeah, so I wasn't the only one that went I mean, there was another person in that at that time, and eventually that whole department was eliminated. Now that gas company, they sold all that off, and another gas company took it over and equitable. Still is EQT here, and they work, I think at this point, they work with the leases and things like that, and horizontal drilling, they call it. Michael Hingson  27:38 So now that you're retired, what do you do? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  27:41 Well, for a while there, Michael Hingson  27:44 in addition to Etsy, yeah, for Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  27:47 a while, I was actually doing hair. I was my first, my first, I guess, employment type, or whatever. I went to beauty school, and I became a cosmetologist, and I also became a teacher in cosmetology. So when I first became all that the money wasn't so great. I worked my first job. I was so excited I had this job because I thought I was going to be making millions. You know, they they really pump you up in in beauty school that you're going to really succeed and you're going to make this money. Well, my first job, I worked over 40 hours at that job, and I only got $15 in my first pay. It was like we had to stay there the whole time until everyone was finished working. So the girls that had their clientele that they worked the whole day and into the evening, like till eight o'clock. Maybe we had to stay till eight o'clock. Even though I didn't have anybody to do. I might have had one person that day, yeah, so that that wasn't too I just worked at that for a few years, and then I decided to leave and take care of my family. Yeah, well, that that I went back to it when I retired, and it had changed significantly, making pretty good money. I was only working three days a week, and I did pretty well. But then my back. I had the issues with my back, and I couldn't go back to it, which really upset me. I really love that job. Michael Hingson  29:29 Well, things happen. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  29:31 Yeah, it does. You know, I'm happy not to stay at home. I figured now that I'm actually 73 years old now, so I think I I should retire Michael Hingson  29:47 and enjoy my life a little. Well. So Natalie, you graduated in 2023 and so then what did you start to do? And what are you doing now? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  29:57 So what I'm doing now is I'm. Still focusing on the Etsy shop, but I also got into a graduate certificate program, and this certificate is in sports entertainment and arts law, and I really hope to use this program as a stepping stone to complete my master's degree in the sports entertainment and arts law program. Michael Hingson  30:25 What exactly is a graduate certification program, as opposed to a master's degree? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  30:32 So that's a great question. So the certificate program is like a newer program, and it's like the only one in the world, I'm pretty sure, that focuses on sports, entertainment and art. So it's like a newer, more modern type of learning program. And this certificate is a great stepping stone, and for me to check it out before I actually go in to the master's program. This is, like, my second week, and I love it so far, and all these classes that I'm doing, and if I keep my grades up and everything, will apply to the master's program if I get in. Michael Hingson  31:15 Okay, well, so Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  31:20 less credits than, like, what you would need for a master's program, and it's less I don't need a textbook. I have these things called nutshells, where I'm pretty sure, like, I'll be studying different types of cases or something like that through that. So it's like online stuff. Michael Hingson  31:43 The Okay? And how long do you think it will take you to complete that Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  31:49 the certification program should be about a year, and it's all online, okay? Michael Hingson  31:55 And how, how long have you been doing it so far? Just two weeks. Oh, so next August, yeah, yeah, yeah. And the hope is then you can use that to go forward and actually work toward getting a master's degree. Which, which sounds pretty cool, yeah, for sure. What do you want to do with it once you get a master's degree? Well, like Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  32:20 all those points like sports entertainment and arts, I think is Pittsburgh is a great city to represent all of those. And I hope to help represent like clients, maybe do like to protect their works and them as an artist. And I would like to hopefully get into paralegal work. That's what I'm focusing on right now. Michael Hingson  32:47 So is school pretty much full time for you these days? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  32:51 No, it's still part time, and that's what I like love about this program, because, like all week, you'll be doing 10 hours outside of so I still work full time as an administrator in the SHRS program, and I am the administrator for Rehabilitation Science. So yeah, it's great to have like, bosses and everything that support me in my educational journey, because that makes my life a lot easier too. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  33:26 Yeah, that's some great bosses. Michael Hingson  33:29 Well, it's good to have some people who tend to be a little bit more supportive. It helps the psyche when you get to do that. Yes, yeah. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  33:39 Because the one thing that I noticed with this program, it is definitely more manageable, because, like the undergrad program, I did enjoy the process. For most parts, some of it was really challenging. But the undergraduate program, it was really hard for me to get late night classes. Most of those classes that I had to take were I had to be in person, so like late classes were pretty hard to get, but my bosses allowed me to take earlier classes so I could help finish the program faster, but I just had to make up that time. Right? Michael Hingson  34:28 When did you discover that you had artistic talent? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  34:32 Um, I don't know if I ever really discovered that I had the talent, but I was very passionate at a young age, like when my mom was going back to school, I always loved watching her paint, because she had like the painting classes. I always thought so I like sit on the floor and watch her paint. And at a very young age, I was in the dance class. Do you remember the name? A France Dance School of Dance, France School of Dance. And I love dance class so much. I remember one time the dance school was closed because of a holiday, and I was, like, so upset, like, I didn't believe, like, the dance school was closed and I didn't understand, like, why I wasn't allowed to go. So they called the school and it went straight to, like, the answering machine so they could prove, like, it was closed and nobody was there. I was like, ready to show up. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:30 She wanted to go, yeah. She was just about three or four when she was taking the dance classes at that time. Yeah. But then it became on, you know that they both the kids were involved, but I couldn't afford it anymore. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:45 So dance is very expensive. Yeah? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  35:48 Well, you know, like, at that time too, I was going to school, and I didn't have much of a salary, and I was living with my parents, so, I mean, and they were retired, so it was, like, very tight. Yeah, right. Michael Hingson  36:04 Well, it nice to have an enthusiastic student, you know, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  36:13 so true. Well, Michael Hingson  36:15 so you've created the many colors of Natalie blog, tell me about that. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  36:22 So I reach out to different artists that were that are located in Pittsburgh or at one time, working or living in Pittsburgh. So this is like musicians, photographers, actors and they, I I create questions for them, for them to answer in their own words, like advice that they would give, or funny stories that they had while working in the field. And that's that's the main point of the blog, because I want it to be a resource for people and for them to also see, like, why that genre is cool. And I think another reason that motivated me to create that blog is some people just don't see an importance to art, and I find that so offensive. Like, yeah, so I just wanted it to be as an educational type thing as well. Michael Hingson  37:28 How long has the blog been visible? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  37:33 So it's been visible for about five, six years now, five years, yeah, and I did over like 50 some posts. Michael Hingson  37:45 Do you do that with consistency? Or So do you have one, like, every week or every three weeks, or every month, or something like that? Or how does that work? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  37:53 So when I first started, I was consistent with the posts I don't ever leave my blog, like, not active for like a year. Like, I always try to post something, but it's a little more challenging to do a post. Like, every month, whenever I'm working, going to school, volunteering for different things, running the Etsy shopper, vending so I had to cut it back a little bit because that is just me running it. Michael Hingson  38:30 So you've also created a mixed media piece. First of all, what is a mixed media piece? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  38:35 You want to explain Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  38:36 the mixed media? Oh, well, a mixed media is like different mediums. It could be paint, it could be pictures, and it's posted on a board, a canvas, or whatever it can be in a journal. You know, you just use various types of mediums. It could be using lace, it could be using fabric, it could be using, like I said, pictures, paper, and they call it mixed media. So she decided she wanted to create a mixed media. I had a huge canvas that was given to me. It was like 36 by 36 giant. It was huge, and I knew I couldn't do anything on that, because I don't paint big. I like to paint on smaller canvas, like an eight and a half by 11, or eight and a half by 14. So she, she decided she wanted to use that Canvas for something. But you go ahead and tell them. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  39:38 So, um, whenever Woodstock had their 50th anniversary, and I believe that was around 2019 I had the opportunity to go to yaska's Farm and camp where the original campers from the very first Woodstock would stay in that. Campsite was like, right next to this yaska farms. So I took some pictures of it, like me with the yaska farm house. And so it was very inspirational to go to that because I was doing research on what Woodstock was, the original Woodstock. And what that was about, I talked to Uber drivers that were actually at the original Woodstock. Jimi Hendrix is one of my favorite musicians, and for him to not be there, I was like, so sad. Very sad. So with all the education experience. I needed to release that. And I took my mom, let me have that canvas, and like I created a mixed media giant collage, and I got that into the Woodstock Museum in Socrates, New York. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:01 Wow, it's actually there now, Michael Hingson  41:04 yep. How long has it been there? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:07 I believe got that in there? Yeah, about two years. Michael Hingson  41:13 Wow. So it's kind of almost a permanent piece there. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:17 I hope so. I hope they keep it there for sure. What? Michael Hingson  41:21 What prompted them to be interested in having it there. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  41:25 So I that piece was so giant, and I loved how it turned out, and I wanted that more than just in my house, my art pieces are very close to me, because that's like my soul and my work, and I want it out there to somebody who cares about it. So I reached out to Shelly nation, Nathan, because they, I believe, are the owners of the Woodstock Museum, and they were more than happy to have it. I had it shipped out there. And then, whenever the season was to reopen the museum, I went out there and visited it. And it's a very great it's a very cool place. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:10 Recommend, yeah, she, she was interviewed by them, also, right? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:14 Oh, yeah, we did go on a radio station. And that was also a cool experience, because I was never on a radio show at that time. Cool. Michael Hingson  42:25 Well, that's pretty exciting. I have not been to the Woodstock Museum, so that might be something to explore at some point when I get get back there next that'd Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:35 be great. Yeah, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  42:37 all those things like, you know, like I grew up during that period, of course, I didn't go to the Woodstock. Original Woodstock wouldn't let me do that. I was only 16 at the time, and but I mean, you know, like, like looking back at that and and seeing how all those people were there, and not nothing terrible happened, you know, I mean, hundreds of 1000s of people, and nobody got hurt. Well, they might have passed out, maybe from things, but nobody was, like, shot or killed or and like today. I mean, you can't you're so afraid to do anything today, you don't know what's going to happen. And it just was a different time. And the musicians that were there. I mean, that music was is still good today. You know, it's it, it hasn't faded. And I wonder sometimes about today's music, if it will continue to be popular in years to come, or if it's just going to fade out. You know, we won't know that, and so well I won't be here, probably Michael Hingson  43:44 we won't know for a while anyway, yes, but I did hear on a radio station a rebroadcast of a lot of the Woodstock concerts that was kind of Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  43:56 fun. Yes, yes. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:00 Sorry I didn't mean to cut you. Go ahead. Go ahead. When I was talking to like the Uber drivers and stuff like that, and people who were at the original Woodstock, it seems like they were reliving that experience when they were telling the stories. I mean, it was great. Michael Hingson  44:15 Yeah. Well, you play creative percussion. First of all, what is pre creative percussion? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:23 So I actually have that written in some notes, what it actually is. So do you mind if I read off my notes? Michael Hingson  44:30 You're welcome to however you want to answer, perfect. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  44:33 So I was asked to be a creative percussion artist in 2020 and creative percussion is a family owned business established in 2018 and run by husband and wife team, Kevin and Sherry Feeney. They're great. I've had the opportunity to talk to them very much a couple of times, and my pictures also on the site. Um. Uh, under like my stage name now is a Bulla. So if you scroll down spell that it's S, E, B as a boy, u as in unicorn, L, L as in Len and a is an apple. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  45:16 Okay, what types of things, kinds Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  45:18 of there's various types of shakers that I played because of various bands that I was in, I was the percussionist, so I played tambourine and stuff. But like, they have uniquely shaped shakers, like there's the hatch shakers, which I love them. They had a baseball shaker, and these little golf ball shakers, and they all carry different sounds, and they really blended differently with the type of song that I was playing was playing, yeah, so it's cool, Michael Hingson  45:53 yeah, so interesting. So you you play them as part of being with a band, or what Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:01 for the most part, yeah, sometimes there was an acoustic band or just like a full band, and either way, I tried to have those pieces blend into the song. What I didn't learn when I was doing that is and an acoustic you really have to be on your game, because, like, if you mess up, like, people are gonna hear it more than if you're in a full band. So, yeah, right. Michael Hingson  46:38 So you do you still do that? Do you still play Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:42 at this time? I don't, um, just because I wanted to focus on other things, so I took a step back from that. Michael Hingson  46:51 Do you think you'll do more of it in the future, or Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  46:56 possibly, but like, that's how I am. I kind of just like, experience it, do it until I'm ready to move on to something else. Michael Hingson  47:04 So you flit, you flip from thing to thing, yeah, yeah, yeah. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:10 So, like, if you ever follow me, you might just see, like, me evolving and just trying other things. Michael Hingson  47:19 Well, you're adventurous. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:22 Yes, I love adventure. Michael Hingson  47:25 Nothing wrong with having an adventure in the world and getting to really look at things. So what are you doing now if you're not doing creative percussion and so on? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  47:38 Well, for the last couple months, I was helping my mom recover from like the back surgery. And then I was I was focusing on my blog, just really paying attention to that, getting certain interviews, and then schooling, getting ready to go into the certificate program. Michael Hingson  48:05 So you think you're gonna go ahead Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:09 and I'm setting up the Etsy shop. Michael Hingson  48:13 So you're pretty excited about seal, the sports entertainment, art and law. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:19 Yes, I'm very excited about that. I was very excited to get into the program. The professors are great. The whole programs like really good. The people involved in it, they seemed, they seem really organized and let me know what I need to do to get into the program. And they are really nice. If I have a question, they're happy to answer it. I love the curriculum, so I hope you go, Well, Michael Hingson  48:46 do you experience anything any more dealing with like attention deficit? Oh, 100% it still creeps up, huh? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  48:55 Well, it's more anxiety than anything. But like this program, I think, is to help calm my anxiety with just different things that are set up. And like, how responsive the professors are and how nice they are. But my goodness, when I was in my undergraduate program, like I was really pushing myself, and I would like, of like, when 2020, came around in the pandemic, I needed to talk to my doctor and get on meds, like I could no longer not do that without meds. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  49:29 Yes, she was, she was struggling. It was tough. Yeah. I mean, when I went for my Bachelor's, I I I wasn't working. She was working. When I went for my master's, I was working, but, and I know how hard that is, you know, trying to balance things, especially I was working at equitable at the time, and the things that I was going through and being, you know, filling in for supervisors was I. I was on call, like, 24 hours a day, and it, you know, like that was, I can see how difficult it is to do both. It's just, I know what she was going through there, and she goes through it, but she did well. She graduated sigma, sigma cum laude. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  50:17 Yeah, I did get some honorary, like accolades for like, whenever I graduated. So that was pretty exciting, because the hard work did pay off. Michael Hingson  50:29 What do you think about studying and attending classes virtually as opposed to physically being in the room? Hybrid learning? Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  50:38 Some people may have an issue with that, but I personally, cause I was working full time and it was hard for me to get later classes, I preferred the online learning, but I understand, like some of the classes really did need me to be there, like the theater classes, and I was okay with that. I don't mind either, either or, but it just seems like online learning is more manageable. For me, it Michael Hingson  51:08 takes more discipline to to stick with it and focus on it, as opposed to being in the classroom. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  51:14 Um, yeah, I agree, but I think which, which is not a negative thing, by the way. Oh, yeah, no, no, no, I totally understand, but I think, um, I forget what I was going with that. Michael Hingson  51:26 Sorry. Well, we were talking about the fact that more discipline dealing with, Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  51:33 Oh, yeah. Oh, that's right, thank you. It's just, um, I think if you truly want it, you're gonna put forth the effort in anything. You know, it's may not always be enjoyable, but like, if you want it, you'll put through it. You'll push through it, like with high school, my mom knows, just like from elementary to high school, like that curriculum, I was just not feeling it, but I knew I had to stick it out. I wanted to be a high school dropout. I voiced that many of times, but like, I knew if I wanted to get to culinary school, I had to really focus on my academics through then and just try to push through and just do it, do what I had to do to graduate. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  52:19 Yeah, it's such a different environment to high school, I believe, you know, like I found that I really enjoyed college. I enjoyed my subjects. They went fast. The classes went fast. It was fast paced, but it was an I learned more. I you know, I think that slowness of the way that they do things in in the high school, it takes them like three weeks to get through one chapter, you know, and so it, it just, it just made it a big difference. And I, I wished I could continue to go to school. I think I was a really good student. Michael Hingson  52:59 I think one of the things about college is, and I've talked to several people who agree, is, you certainly learn from the courses that you take, but College offers so much more with with with the extracurricular activities, with the interaction with people, with The greater responsibility. College offers so many more life lessons if you take advantage of it, that really makes it cool. And I, I always enjoyed college. I liked it a lot. Natalie Belin & Mary Dunn  53:29 Yeah, yeah, I did too, I think with some of my challenges and frustrations, not only with my learning disability, but like the fact that

To prepare for Homer, Virgil, Beowulf, the Eddas, and Dante—The Heights begins with Tolkien. In a talk from 2016, former middle school core teacher and current upper school classics teacher Tom Cox defends the place of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in the epic tradition. He then explains why Middle Earth is so uniquely suited to the middle school, using Samwise the Stouthearted as our guide to the heart of a middle school boy. Chapters: 2:46 Rethinking "the middle" 4:01 How LotR prepares boys for upper school 7:57 How LotR meets boys in middle school 12:47 Contrasted with other epics 14:41 Samwise as a middle school model 24:47 Tolkien's lessons for teachers and parents 26:07 Samwise the Stouthearted: earning his epic epithet 31:18 "Bear one another's burdens, fulfill the law of Christ" Links: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien The Iliad by Homer, prose translation by A. S. Kline Plutarch Podcast by Tom Cox Becoming Greece, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Becoming Rome, textbook by Bill Dardis and Tom Cox Also on the Forum: The Forum Faculty Podcast hosted by Tom Cox The Hope of Hobbits and the Despair of Denethor by Tom Cox Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (January 7-9, 2026 / May 6-8, 2026)

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January can feel like the first day of school all over again—except your middle schoolers are louder, bolder, and ready to test every boundary. In this episode, we're sharing practical, real-life strategies for middle school ELA teachers who need a true classroom reset after winter break. You'll learn how to choose the most important behaviors to reset, tighten routines without long lectures, prevent problems before they start, and respond calmly and consistently when students push back—so you can get your class back on track fast.   This link will take you to the Google Form for signing-up to be our very first teacher that we get to help launch 5 TPT Products with a personalized blueprint! !  We can't wait to help you!  Sign up today! We will select one teacher later in January!

What does it actually look like to support a highly driven teenager—without controlling, pushing, or burning them out?In this episode, I sit down with Karen DiNapoli, mother of nationally ranked speaker and Ivy League Challenge alum Ava DiNapoli, to pull back the curtain on the parent side of an extraordinary student journey.Karen shares:What it felt like when Ava first came home with an overwhelming, world-scale project ideaWhy seeking outside guidance was essential—for both parent and childHow Ava's first projects weren't the final answer, and why that matteredThe moment Karen realized Ava had found her own core values, not her parents'How internal motivation changed everything—from reminders and resistance to self-driven actionWhy parents must learn when to step in—and when to step backThis conversation is a powerful reminder that:You don't need a perfect plan to startGrowth comes from action, reflection, and course-correctionThe right support system helps teens become drivers of their own lives-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents

What was Jesus like as a 12-year-old? We don't know for sure, but Luke 2:40-52 gives us a rare glimpse into Jesus' childhood that reveals profound truths about who He is and who we are. We see Jesus listening to religious leaders in the temple, not because they had perfect theology but because He shows up for sinners like us out of love. We also see Jesus submitting to His parents, demonstrating that submission isn't something to fear but a good gift designed by God for our relationships. Most importantly, this passage reveals the difference between humanity and Christ: we have no spiritual power but crave control, while Jesus has all power but yielded control, submitting to the Father's will so He could go to the cross and restore our relationship with God. A lot has changed since Jesus was 12, but one thing remains constant: His unchanging, undeserved, unconditional, unending love for you.

Jim Keena | Guest Speaker | January 4, 2026 Sermon Outline:I. THE MALPRACTICE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER (1 Corinthians 11:17-22)II. THE PRACTICE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER (11: 23-25)III. THE PURPOSE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER (11:24-26)1. Remembrance: We Look Back (11:24b)2. Proclamation: We Speak Out (11:26)3. Fellowship: We Look Around (10:16).4. Self-Examination: We Look Within (11:27-28)5. Thanksgiving: We Look Up (11:24)6. Expectation: We Look Forward (11:26 & Matthew 26:29). Referenced Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-28, Matthew 26:29 Reflection Questions:1. As the New Year begins, what's one tradition, habit, or routine that reminds you of what's most important in your life? 2. Read 1 Corinthians 11:17–28 aloud together. Which words or phrases stand out to you as you hear this passage? Why do you think Jesus specifically commands his followers to remember him? 3. Why do you think Christians are prone to spiritual forgetfulness, even when we genuinely believe the gospel? 4. How does the Lord's Supper help address guilt, fear, or spiritual weariness? 5. In what ways does communion remind us that faith is not only personal but communal? 6. Paul encourages believers to examine themselves before participating. What does healthy self-examination look like, and what does it not look like? 6. How does the promise of Christ's return shape how we understand and experience the Lord's Supper today? 8. When you receive the Lord's Supper, which aspect do you tend to focus on most: the past (what Christ has done), the present (your relationship with God and others), or the future (Christ's return)? 9. What might change if you approached communion more intentionally as an act of remembrance and hope rather than routine? 10. Close your time by thanking God for the gift of the Lord's Supper and asking him to deepen your gratitude, unity, and hope as you remember Christ's sacrifice and await his return. What's your next step? Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman 

In the last few episodes, we've explored the many ways students can lead through innovation, dialogue, and action.We've seen, again and again, that when teens identify their core values and then make a meaningful impact aligned with those values… that's the kind of leadership colleges simply cannot ignore.But today, I want to zoom in on something even more foundational:What does it actually mean to make an impact?When adults talk about impact, it often sounds abstract, almost mysterious.And for teens who are used to classroom projects that stay theoretical, the idea of solving real problems in the real world can feel overwhelming… even scary.The students you're about to hear from — Ava Dinapoli and Aavi Patel — felt all of that.They ran into roadblocks.They doubted themselves.They had to figure things out step by step.But they stayed committed to making the most meaningful impact they could.And because of that persistence… their work is literally saving lives.I hope you listen to their stories and feel as inspired as I am, not only because of the size of their impact, but because of the way they achieved it.They didn't leap into greatness.They moved forward one step at a time, exactly the way any young person can.Let's listen in.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents

This week we are honoring the life of Betty Reid Soskin, who was the nation's oldest national park ranger and a civil rights icon. She passed away on December 21st at 104 years old. To honor her, we are rebroadcasting an episode from 2021, about how a California school district came to rename a school after her. Guests: Anaya Zenad, Student, West Contra Costa Unified Ali Tadayon, Reporter, EdSource Read more EdSource stories on this topic: East Bay middle school renamed to honor local 100-year-old park ranger and activist How a California middle school's history project led to name change Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource's Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald. Subscribe: Apple, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube

Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor | December 24, 2025 Referenced Scripture: Philippians 2:6-11, John 1:9-11, Luke 18:14 What's your next step? * Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard * Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children * Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students * Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give * Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman * Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app * Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman  Chapters (00:00:00) - The Message of Christmas(00:08:43) - Christians Are a Hypocrites(00:17:48) - How Jesus Entered into My Messy Life(00:24:53) - Christmas message of Philippians 2

Middle school boys spread AI nudes of 13 year old girl and she gets expelled HR 2 full 2376 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:01:21 +0000 NFZCQJ0tr0K8viMdhtiHAlNBvtpFCH3M news MIDDAY with JAYME & WIER news Middle school boys spread AI nudes of 13 year old girl and she gets expelled HR 2 From local news & politics, to what's trending, sports & personal stories...MIDDAY with JAYME & WIER will get you through the middle of your day! © 2025 Audacy, Inc. News False https://pla

We're talking about the state of DC's police — the old chief is out, and her replacement is going to have to deal with an investigation into alleged manipulation of crime stats, among other challenges. Plus, DC's top public middle school has stopped teaching novels. A nightmare story about an Airbnb tenant who wouldn't leave, and what DC's laws did and didn't allow the frustrated owner to do.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: ⁠(202) 642-2654⁠. You can⁠ also become a member⁠, with ad-free listening, for as little as $10 a month. Learn more about the sponsors of this December 19th episode: ⁠Nace Law Group⁠ ⁠Black Cat⁠ ⁠Public Welfare Foundation⁠ Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info⁠ HERE⁠

Justin Erickson, CMAA is the Athletic Director at Nicholas Ferri Middle School in Johnston, RI and today he shares his athletic journey along with some Best Practices - THIS is The Educational AD Podcast!

The Brody Middle School Principal wants help fulfilling the students' giving tree.  Thank you to Amish Haus Furniture for the table and Fridley Theatres for a movie for the kids.

It can be a scramble to find that perfect holiday gift for a loved one. Luckily, the staff at a western Wisconsin middle school have made it easy — and affordable — for students to buy gifts for their friends and family. Author and teacher Ken Szymanski of Eau Claire tells us about this beloved tradition at his school.

Shout Out to the Saco Middle School Sebago Team Kids + Kelly's Comments by Maine's Coast 93.1

Is social media silently sabotaging your success?In this episode, Steve Gardner — founder of The Ivy League Challenge and Harvard Summer School instructor — shares the mindset and strategies that set high-performing teens apart. Discover how top students manage (and often delete) their social media apps during critical periods like finals, and why this one decision can be a game-changer.You'll learn:Why most teens are reactive with social media — and what to do insteadThe exact challenge Steve gives his students during high-pressure seasonsHow to use social media strategically (not addictively)A 5-step plan to take back your attention and protect your goals Whether you're prepping for finals, writing college essays, or just ready to feel less scattered — this episode will give you the clarity and tools to focus on what really matters.-----To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our websiteTo follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallengeTo join us on our Facebook group for parents

Logan Holloman  |  Next Gen Pastor  |  December 14, 2025 Referenced Scripture:  Philippians 2:8, John 14:15, Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 14:35-36, Hebrews 4:15-16, Philippians 2:12b-13   Reflection Questions:  When you hear the word obedience, what emotions or memories come up for you?   Who in your life modeled obedience to God in a way that shaped you?   Have you ever read a Scripture and felt resistance because of past experiences or assumptions?   Where do you find your strongest desires competing with your deepest desires?   Where are you tempted to give up because you've failed before?   How does seeing Jesus' obedience (Gethsemane → the Cross) shape your own willingness to obey?   What's the difference between obedience that grows out of fear and obedience that grows out of love?   Where in your life are you choosing the “Wonder Bread” option—easy, fast, convenient—but not healthy?What might the “sourdough” version look like?   What ripple effects—positive or negative—have you seen from your obedience or disobedience? Who in your life might be impacted by the choices you're making now?   As you wait in this season of Advent, what area is Jesus inviting you to trust and obey Him in?   What's your next step?  Connect: We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our Connect Card to receive more information, have us pray for you, or to ask us any questions: http://journeybozeman.com/connectcard Connect: Get your children connected to our children's ministry, Base Camp: https://journeybozeman.com/children Connect: Our Student Ministry is for High School and Middle School students: https://journeybozeman.com/students Give: Want to worship through giving and support the ministry of Journey Church: https://journeybozeman.com/give Gather: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/JourneyChurchBozeman Gather: Download our app: https://journeybozeman.com/app  ••Gather: Join our Facebook Group to stay connected throughout the week: https://facebook.com/groups/JourneyChurchBozeman

Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

Audio stories from Marwen's Middle School community. Young people interview, research, and collaborate to tell their story in a podcast format. students from the Podcast Program at Marwen engage in conversation with professionals that shape Chicago's vibrant life. Marwen exists to educate and inspire young people to nurture their growth and build their futures through art and community. Rooted in the core values of creative youth development (youth voice, racial and social justice, collective action) our programs aim to cultivate youth-centered, supportive, and collaborative environments and communities to facilitate relevant visual arts programming with Chicago's young people since 1987. This episode is fully sponsored by Marwen's Young Voices: Podcast Stories (Pathways). Music Tracks by Beat by Beat.

What if the habits your child builds in middle school could shape their entire future?In this episode of the MindBodySpace Podcast, Dr. Juna reconnects with Noelle Naito—now a Juilliard-trained violinist and marathon runner—who began her brain training journey as a homeschooled middle schooler. With just a few simple tools like daily logging, mindfulness, movement, and mental training techniques like cognitive reappraisal, Noelle learned how to manage stress, build focus, and become the boss of her own brain.Together, they reflect on how small changes led to major transformation, from running one block at a time to crossing a marathon finish line—and how any young person can learn these same tools to set them up for lifelong resilience!Whether you're a parent, educator, or high-achiever yourself, this conversation will leave you inspired, grounded, and ready to build the kind of brain that thrives—on stage and in life.Brain Boss is the MindBodySpace program designed especially for tweens to build these exact skills—using neuroscience, visualization, and habit-building to create real, lasting confidence.

It seems like everywhere we turn, everyone's got a hot take, even in the world of student ministry. And we're not talking about what's the best pizza topping (it's definitely not pineapple, by the way). On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve is joined by Jonny Radcliff to tackle 3 of the bigger hot takes focusing on the best night for youth group, the importance of camps and retreats, and if you should be preaching more or less.   Links referenced in this episode:  Find your next speaker at The Speaker Hub - https://youthminhub.com/speakerhub  Connect more with Jonny at https://jonnyradcliff.com  Follow Jonny on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jonnyrad5  Support Jonny's ministry at https://bit.ly/nnym_jradcliff  Learn more about Make it Middle School at http://makeitmiddleschool.com  Sign up to get Steve's ministry newsletter at https://bit.ly/cullumnewsletter  Support Steve's ministry by giving online at https://bit.ly/cullumsupport  Contact Steve about partnerships, speaking, coaching, or consulting at https://bit.ly/cullumcontact  Follow Student Ministry Connection on Instagram: https://instagram.com/studentministryconnection  Read Steve's blog at https://stevecullum.com  Follow Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevecullum  Follow Steve on Instagram: https://instagram.com/stevecullum  Follow Steve on Facebook: https://facebook.com/stevecullum    Be sure to join us in prayer for revival every Wednesday at 11am PT, 12pm MT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET.    Get a copy of the Cards Christians Like card game by using the link https://bit.ly/cardschristianslike and also support Student Ministry Connection.    Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. By clicking them, Steve may receive commission to support this ministry.    Subscribe on your favorite podcast app. Links to the more popular ones are at https://linktr.ee/studentministryconnection     If you like what you hear, be sure to like, subscribe, share, and comment! Thanks, be sure to get connected, and may God bless your ministry!    

Zach is joined by three of his students, Hansi, Ian, and Kennedy, to talk about their experiences in his class, both when they had his class in Middle School and, currently, in 10th and 11th grades. Show Notes Radiohead (https://radiohead.com) Ezra Weisz (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Weisz) Miraculous Ladybug (https://www.miraculousladybug.com) Zach's tracker template (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rnBNAWyuKMirEbesDdw5kMHDltfkKqA706uzhpNLeRU/edit?usp=sharing) DCI's student podcast, The Lair (https://sites.libsyn.com/595555/site) (check back here after 12/10/2025 to hear Hansi's alien invasion segment) Adobe Audition (https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html?sdid=1NZGD3HT&mv=search&mv2=paidsearch&ef_id=CjwKCAiAxc_JBhA2EiwAFVs7XOucidDAcD1xiwZHSViLfwacBCL9kUTczaYe-FIi1qiFFBXJRx-m3xoCwwoQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!3085!3!379243313516!e!!g!!adobe%20audition!1712851908!83024457248&mv=search&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1712851908&gbraid=0AAAAAD5r4AwNF29vkAyASO4uIzfebc3dU&gclid=CjwKCAiAxc_JBhA2EiwAFVs7XOucidDAcD1xiwZHSViLfwacBCL9kUTczaYe-FIi1qiFFBXJRx-m3xoCwwoQAvD_BwE) The New Sound (https://open.spotify.com/album/07YS7ooqYtvPZLlW59MHY5?si=FiARX_n5T8qSApyXgO3yXg), by Georgie Greep (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geordie_Greep) Contact us, follow us online, and learn more: Email us questions and feedback at: podcast@modernclassrooms.org (mailto:podcast@modernclassrooms.org) Listen to this podcast on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1SQEZ54ptj1ZQ3bV5tEcULSyPttnifZV) Modern Classrooms: @modernclassproj (https://twitter.com/modernclassproj) on Twitter and facebook.com/modernclassproj (https://www.facebook.com/modernclassproj) Kareem: @kareemfarah23 (https://twitter.com/kareemfarah23) on Twitter Toni Rose: @classroomflex (https://twitter.com/classroomflex) on Twitter and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/classroomflex/?hl=en) The Modern Classroom Project (https://www.modernclassrooms.org) Modern Classrooms Online Course (https://learn.modernclassrooms.org) Take our free online course, or sign up for our mentorship program to receive personalized guidance from a Modern Classrooms mentor as you implement your own modern classroom! The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond (https://twitter.com/zpdiamond) on Twitter and Learning to Teach (https://www.learningtoteach.co/) Special Guests: Hans Neseth, Ian Paulino, and Kennedy Pendleton.

Louie and Yoatzi are joined by power couple Karen and Eddie to discuss how they met, crazy nights out, and their plans for kids. Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/pretty #rulapod Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/PRETTY . Promo Code PRETTY To get 15% off your unique gifts this year https://uncommongoods.com/pretty Follow us on TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@prettynotsmartpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow the Podcast on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@prettynotsmartpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Louie: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@louiecastro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Yoatzi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yoatzi⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To watch our podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Yo9OopqvIsgKmzXX6UR_g⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/PrettyNotSmart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/PrettyNotSmart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Edited by Nicole Lyons Productions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolelyonsproductions/ Website: www.nicolelyonsproductions.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawsuit alleges Colorado district assigns overnight rooms by gender identity without parental consent. Constitutional expert, lawyer, author, pastor, and founder of Liberty Counsel Mat Staver discusses the important topics of the day with co-hosts and guests that impact life, liberty, and family. To stay informed and get involved, visit LC.org.

Terry Lindvall returns to the show with his daughter and son-in-law to talk about "The Joy of Narnia", about teaching laughter to Middle School students.[Show Notes]