MENDON, Mass. - Growing up, it can be hard to get your ideas out into the world, but a group of local elementary school students are making their voices heard with a new podcast.

At Clough Elementary School, $1,200 in grant funding from the Mendon-Upton Education Foundation helped teachers purchase microphones, recording software and mixing boards for the third and fourth grade students. Their recently-launched podcast is called "Clough Speaks Up," and principal Liz Garden said it's been a valuable learning experience for the students. 

“What I hope to see in education is that kids are part of the process, we’re not teaching to them, they are part of their learning," Garden said. "This gives them the opportunity to be involved and invested. What’s been amazing is the kids have impressed me and surprised me every time with their confidence.”

Topics on the podcast have included recess, sports, proper grammar, a Spanish language podcast and more. 

"A lot of people think dance isn't a sport, so we thought we might as well make a podcast because we both agree that dance is a sport," one student said. 

Students meet once a week before school to brainstorm ideas for new episodes with the help of technology teacher Jen Hall. She said they're already well on their way to becoming podcasting experts. 

"What I've loved seeing is some of those students who have found their element that they really enjoy," Hall said. "They may not always be up front and center being seen, but their voice can really be heard through this."

Hall said the podcast experience has also helped students with their writing skills. This initial group of students will eventually teach some of their classmates how to successfully record a podcast, and Garden is excited to see where this experience takes them in the future. 

"We didn't teach them about this, but it naturally came out where they were adding in transitional phrases in their conversation, which is what we try to teach during writing class," Garden said. "It's coming out here. I think that there will be a lot of benefits beyond elementary school. I hope they continue wanting to use different formats to express themselves and to be engaged and invested in their learning process."

The podcast is released every other week, and students get to hear it play after the morning announcements in their classrooms. Episodes will also be included in the school's weekly newsletter for parents and guardians.