Parkview Middle School student, Miles, has taken over the "Let's Talk About It" podcast! He takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of Parkview's 2024 spring play Goldilocks on Trial. Miles (actor) with fellow Parkview student Avery (set designer & builder), and Ms. Alexa Long (teacher sponsor and producer) talk about the process of bringing the play to life and how more students can get involved.

Student voices are crucial to a thriving academic community. This show introduces you to student school board representatives Megan Rembert and Kalyani Baht and Ankeny Centennial student council member Mya Maron. The next generation of leadership begins here, take a listen.

Ankeny Schools is preparing the next generation of public school teachers and administrators. Our Teacher's Academy is a concurrent course with Des Moines Area Community College's Foundations of Education where Ankeny students earn college credit and classroom experience. Students Anna Sash and Ingrid Dietrich give you an inside look at their experiences. Join Teacher Academy instructor Julie Blevins and Northeast Elementary 5th grade teacher and Teacher Academy mentor Jessie Purviance at the goal and future plans for the program.

Join guests Kayla Bell-Consolver the Director of the Counseling Center at Broadlawns Community Clinic at Drake University, Shawn Beirman the Social-Emotional Learning Specialist at Ankeny Schools, and Al Neppl, Director of Professional and Leadership Development at Ankeny Schools as they discuss the importance of soft skills like adaptability, empathy, and collaboration for students.

We know students have different learning styles, so in this episode, we're shining a light on project-based learning (PBL). Our guests include Jason Clark, a teacher at Ankeny Centennial High School. He's adopted PBL as his method of teaching. Hannah Robertson is a Des Moines Area consultant on PBL and a recent instructor at Ankeny's summer teacher academy and Dr. Amy Dittmar, Assistant Superintendent of Ankeny Schools. She leads the planning team for Ankeny School's new Innovative Hub. You'll find this and many other Let's Talk about It topics on the We Are Ankeny podcast channel found at www.ankenyschools.org , Apple podcasts, Spotify podcasts, Amazon Music, and Audible podcasts.

Opening Fall 2024! Dr. Pruitt has the new Abbie Grove principal- Andrew Burg, Executive Director of Elementary Education- Tara Owen, and District K-5 Teacher Librarian- Corissa Thompson on to give you a peek at what it takes to open an elementary building in Ankeny.

On November 7, 2023, Ankeny residents will vote on the renewal of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. This renewal happens every 10 years, and the funds are used by Ankeny Community Schools to make building repairs, purchase new equipment, and increase security systems. Listen and learn about PPEL and it's relationship to the Ankeny Community through Ankeny Schools.

Podcast Guests: Northeast Elementary 5th grade teacher Kristen Recher, Parkview Middle School Counselor Nate Tobey, and Parkview Principal Ben Huebsch. Ankeny 5th graders have a big transition in the fall when they move from an elementary building to a middle school building. Our guests today are here to let you know what conversations our 5th-grade teachers are having in the classroom and how the middle schools are preparing for their arrival.