Daniel Guerrero

Since its conception, the radio has been a fundamental source of entertainment and news. People currently have the luxury to listen to the radio anywhere with the invention of satellite radio and smartphones. Building on the availability and popularity of radio, the students and teachers behind last year’s radio club have created a new course for students interested in the broadcast field.

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Last year, the radio club was led by recent graduate Anthony Dersahkian and current senior Marielena Lampriandis. Lampriandis had envisioned creating a radio club since her freshman year, taking inspiration from movies in which students worked radio stations, such as the Disney Channel’s Radio Rebel. 

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“The goal is to start a radio station at Granada. So they are going to do a radio station website and a broadcast and music station made by and led by students,” Lampriandis said. 

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The radio club’s opening grabbed students’ attention from the start. However, as the school year began to progress, both club presidents and their sponsor, English teacher Kate Bryan, decided there was not enough time to cover all the topics they wanted to discuss, as they were limited to one lunch period out of the week. Moreover, the club did not have the budget to create a radio station run by the students. Therefore, Bryan created the curriculum and petitioned the school to create the class, which was approved and enrolled.

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Currently, the radio class is held during 6th period. In it, students learn about the origins of media and communication. In addition, students learn about how media functions and garners people’s attention. They also discuss media from a business and ethics perspective. After that, students practice their speaking skills. Then, towards the end of the year, the students will try different types of radio such as amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM). 

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During the spring semester, students will begin a school radio station in which each student will be assigned a specific role. These roles will include announcer, program director, and music director among others. 

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“I picked radio because I want to try something and I want to be an influencer. I want to learn to communicate on the internet and understanding how the media works in general, ” junior Jayda Largie said. 

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Bryan created the class in order to offer another opportunity for students to be involved with the school. 

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“First of all, I teach Humanitas and want to expand that sort of art technique and skill to other programs. I want to give a voice for other kids. There are a lot of students on campus, and so I want them to have different opportunities and be involved with the school in general,” Bryan said. 

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