Our very own Mrs. Walker is bringing the voices of high school girls, accompanied by her own input and narration to the Internet through podcasting. The Chemistry, Physics, and Navigating Relationship teacher, Young Life leader, student activities organizer, and mom to three must have gotten bored with all of her free time, and thus, this podcasting project was born.

I have seen Mrs. Walker’s vision for this evolve through many lights and perspectives as she sharpened her intended audience and discussion questions/topics. Through podcast episodes, Mrs. Walker hopes to provide a solution to the struggle of every busy high schooler who sacrifices time with Jesus for other worldly distractions. Beyond this, she hopes these clips will provide guidance to those who want to “get to know Jesus, but have no clue where to start”.

Each episode features a different upperclassmen girl from Ascension discussing a passage in a book of The Bible, beginning in James. The girls allow listeners in on an intentional and intimate conversation about the way that the passage speaks to them and how God has taught them in this specific area. The episodes are shorter (10-15 minutes), with the intention that people can listen to them in the car, getting ready, working out, or cleaning their room. Through sharing these conversations, Mrs. Walker hopes to provide listeners with just “a nugget of truth to take with you throughout your day”.

Mrs. Walker believes that our voices, as high school girls, are absolutely unique and underestimated. In conversation, Mrs. Walker explained to me that it bothered her that most podcast speakers are greatly accomplished people, those who seemed to have it “figured out”. Namely, people who have written novels, ran campaigns, or planted churches. Those impressive people certainly have more experience and wisdom than a few high school girls do, but they are also in an entirely different stage of life. There is no one that high school girls relate more to than, well, high school girls. Hearing from young women in the “launch pad season”, in which they attempt to figure out who they are and where they are headed, provides an exclusive insight. These voices are relatable to fellow high schoolers (the intended audience), but all the while refreshing for people of all ages, background, or genders.

For most of the featured girls, this just allows a microphone to record a conversation they likely would have found themselves in already. Each episode is casual and honest. Hannah Dees explained that “It felt more like nice, deep conversation rather than me making sure I said the right things to sound like I know what I am talking about. [Mrs. Walker] created a very relaxed atmosphere that allowed me to feel comfortable in what I was saying.” I, for one, was very honored by the opportunity to share even a piece of my story, complete with struggle and redemption, trials and wisdom earned. The recordings seem to be just as beneficial to those recording as they will be to the listeners.

What has not been decided permanently, however, is a name for the project. It will be something along the lines of “Let’s Get Salty!” or “The Salty Podcast”. This is a clever, double-sided reference. Firstly, to a passage in Matthew 5 from The Sermon on the Mount where Jesus describes the purpose of salt as a metaphor saying, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” Through this imagery, Jesus is explaining that just as salt does, all of His creation has a divine purpose to enhance the world around them, but that faith is useless without fruitful demonstration. The other side of the “salty” reference refers to the classic high school slang. If for some reason you aren’t aware of the expression, it basically means to be mildly offended or agitated. For example, you’ve probably been salty when people are walking too slow on the way back from chapel, when you get a lower grade than you expected, or when you get fussed at for a uniform or facial hair violation. Mrs. Walker, in her hip nature, chose to use a concept we all understand but to put a positive spin on it. Thus, the title itself is a meeting place between candid, imperfect high schoolers and God’s restorative, challenging word — which is the entire podcast in a nutshell.  

Mrs. Walkers hopes the completed series should be done around Easter, and available to the public by the end of the school year.