On January 27, Kinsale Community School welcomed Dr Domnall Fleming, UCC to formally launch its Radio and Podcast Studio ‘Voice of KCS’. The specialised Digital Media Hub is the first purpose-built studio of its kind. Students at the school now have the unique opportunity to create and broadcast content that reflects the issues and topics that they are passionate about and provides them with a platform to broadcast their views and opinions.
Principal, Fergal McCarthy said: “It’s the student voice that determines what it is that we put in place. When you journey through our school, the school options are determined you. It is student voice that looked for the best sport facilities that we could have, that determines our subjects, that looks for the inclusion of children with autism in our school and who welcomes children with moderate learning difficulties in our school. This Digital Media Hub is an important piece of infrastructure that allows every student voice to be recorded.”
The soundproof studio, designed and built by school caretakers, Brendan Barry and Eoin Wright, contains state of the art recording equipment that would rival any professional recording studio.
The Digital Media Hub is a powerful tool giving accessibility to students across a range of abilities from Junior to Senior Cycle. Student dialogue empowers the students allowing them to truly have a voice informing the direction of the development of their educational environment.
Kinsale Community School has an active Student Council and TY audio module. The TY audio module has so far trained approx. 100 students in pre-production, performance and sound editing techniques that allow them to create and develop podcasts. The Student Council also took part in an intensive one-day session on podcasting. Michael O’Shea, teacher said: “ The aim of the module is to equip students with the skills they need to explore topics and questions that interest them. Topics have ranged from examinations of androgynous fashion to discussions on commercial fishing. The audio module is an opportunity to highlight the unique and varied nature of student voices in Kinsale Community School.”
