Episodes

Send us Fan Mail Pensacola Code Ninjas owner JoDawn Brown noticed a huge change in her child’s academic performance after learning to code. In this episode, she talks about why learning to code isn’t just for gamers, how coding could set your kid up for employment & how their summer camp or after school programs could be a haven for technologically creative and curious kids. Guest: JoDawn Brown Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! htt...

Send us Fan Mail District Data Scientist, James Bobbitt, breaks down what the new state grading scales will mean for Escambia County Public Schools. Guest: James Bobbitt Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn more about Escambia County School District: https://www.escambiaschools.org/ Find additional ...

Send us Fan Mail Arelia Laster is a former quality nurse at Sacred Heart & the current Director at Next Step Distribution, a non-profit providing emergency support supplies within 24 hours of crisis. In this episode, she shares the origin of this grass roots effort, how she collaborates with Escambia County Public Schools & how you can help or be helped. Guest: Arelia Laster Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotfor...

Send us Fan Mail Angela McFarland is a business & multimedia teacher at West Florida High School & the 2024 Teacher of Year for Escambia County Public Schools! Learn how she inspires her students, what students inspire her & what makes this 26-year career educator such a deserving person for this award. Guest: Angela McFarland Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect loca...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. KK Owen with the Huron Studer Group explains one way Escambia County Public Schools reaches out to give parents a voice in their child's education by rating how we're doing. Guest: Dr. KK Owen Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn more about Escambia County School Distri...

Send us Fan Mail From rotations to ride-a-longs, this is as real as it gets. Instructor Terry Thomas and graduate Dakota Ward openly discuss the riggers and rewards of the Critical Care & Emergency Medicine Academy at West Florida High School. Guest: Terry Thomas & Dakota Ward Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories tha...

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to the success of every student, we're all in. That means taking every step possible to keep our kids safe at school. Director of Protection Services, Kyle Kinser, covers what all that means. You’ll hear how the new Centegix system & the Aaron Feiss guardian program cover use technology & humanity to keep our kids safe. Guest: Kyle Kinser Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/...

Send us Fan Mail Not all learning happens in the classroom. The Great Outdoors is a pretty great teacher. National Park Rangers Jennifer Watson & Cas Rosiecki share how fourth graders and their families can get free access all our National Parks. Get your free parks pass now. Guest: Cas Rosiecki & Jennifer Watson Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with th...

Send us Fan Mail Do you know where your food comes from? You do if you're an FFA member or taking an AG class with Leanne Jenkins at Beulah Middle School. In this episode, she talks about the how the AG program inspired her as a student & how it’s helping kids & supporting our community. Learn more about Future Farmers of America in Florida today. Guest: Leanne Jenkins Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotfor...

Send us Fan Mail Reading and writing go together like chips and salsa. For Alexander Fitzgerald, teaching creative writing is equally delicious, but goes deeper than a playful food metaphor. In this episode, he shares how he transformed from a slow reading student who hated reading, to becoming a creative writing teacher who reads philosophy for fun as well has the three problems creative writing solves: apathy to learn, lack of follow through & relationship disconnect. Guest: Alexander F...

Send us Fan Mail Many performance-based scholarships revolve around sports, which can often take a toll on academic performance. Christina Frierdich is the orchestra director at Washington, Pine Forest & Escambia High schools. In this episode she shares how music scholarships can provide college scholarships AND improve student performance on standardized testing. She also shares her family tie with Pensacola string music history & its lasting impact on kids. Guest: Christina Frierdic...

Send us Fan Mail Claire Frear, military spouse and teacher, shares her perspective on the unique needs of students with active duty family members & what specific resources are in place for them at Escambia High. Guest: Claire Frear Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn more about Escambia County Sch...

Send us Fan Mail For many students with an IEP, their full potential can only be accessed outside of the traditional school framework. Donna Perry is the program specialist & Dr. Jared Stanley is the administrator on special assignment at Hope Horizon, a center school that works with students & families individually to find holistic solutions. In this episode they share what students are best served at Hope Horizon & the services they provide. Guests: Donna Perry & Dr. Jared S...

Send us Fan Mail Tristan Harris is the coach for Escambia county’s Allstar Academic Team, a place where kids with drive & book smarts can gain a sense of community & competition. She proudly and passionately nerds out about how Escambia County students are winning by working together and scoring so much more than points as she explains how this trivia style tournament team is making a difference for students in Escambia County. Guest: Tristan Harris Vot...

Send us Fan Mail Zac Stefanko is the welding instructor at Pensacola High School, where they were recently awarded a grant for the program that is giving students a way to cut through and seal together a career in welding and other trades. Guest: Zac Stefanko Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn mor...

Send us Fan Mail This isn't your dad's shop class. Learn how boys and girls at Ernest Ward Middle School are certified in engineering and equipped with the skills and knowledge to thrive in industry and emerging technologies. Guests: Tyvanna Boulanger & Ray Sellers Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories ...

Send us Fan Mail No one will argue the roles teachers play in the lives of our children and the future of our country. The need and openings for teachers couldn't be greater. Melia Adams discusses a career in education and recruiting the right people for a job that impacts so many and means so much? Guest: Melia Adams Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the r...

Send us Fan Mail Tapping kids full potential. Kristin Fairchild, founder and executive director of Chain Reaction focuses on giving our children the perspective and soft skills to succeed globally. Guest: Kristin Fairchild Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn more about Escambia County School Distri...

Send us Fan Mail Why does mental wellness matter? Silvio Fina explores how connection and quality care can boost academic success, and what services and steps are available to ECPS students and parents. Guest: Silvio Fina Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with the resources they need & the stories that get missed. Learn more about Escambia County School Distric...

Send us Fan Mail Post high school education can be expensive and out of reach for many families. Holly Busse explains how the Bright Futures Scholarship is helping unlock a path to college or vocational education, up to five years after graduation & takes just 15 minutes to apply for. Guest: Holly Busse Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 ...

Send us Fan Mail It seems like there’s a new app every week that poses a potential trafficking threat to our digital savvy kids. In this episode, Stacey Kostevicki, the Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Kids House shares practical tips to keep kids safe & how prevention education can unite parents, teachers & community members to safeguard our kids. Guests: Stacey Kostevicki Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://fo...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a busy working parent, you’re a busy worrying parent, especially when it comes to after school care. Do you give your child a key to the house with instructions to do their chores & finish their homework? Or do you send them to aftercare? Will they be safe? Will they make friends? Robin Heller is the founder & executive director Seastars Aquatics, a USA Swimming Registered team that provides individualized attention as part of a structured competitive swim t...

Send us Fan Mail Getting kids to read is a challenge every parent & teacher can relate to. How do you pry the screen out of their hands & get them to get interested? John Ham of Animal Tales shares how the animals from his live animal presentations has inspired students all over the county to read. Guests: John Ham Vote for Voices United in Education as "Best Podcast" 2026 in InWeekly's Best on the Coast! https://form.jotform.com/261185754425158 This helps connect local families with ...

Send us Fan Mail Is it possible to get kids interested in science *and* give them a break from screen time? Cheyenna Novotny & Adam Bretschneider think so. They are the Science Specialist for Escambia County Public Schools & the Teacher on Special Assignment of the Roy Hyatt Center. Together they’ve combined their passion for the outdoors, science & teaching to inspire the next generation. In this episode they share what’s happening on the 320 acres of the Roy Hyatt Center & h...