“City Pride” Highights Everything Positive at Michigan City Area Schools

Come and join the Michigan City Area Schools for their weekly “City Pride” radio program on WEFM 95.9 FM. Every Saturday at 8:30 a.m., MCAS will be putting on a 12-week radio broadcast, showcasing different MCAS topics each week.

“City Pride” kicked off with a broadcast featuring outstanding athletes at Michigan City High School. The second show, which is slotted to air April 5, will feature Michigan City High School students involved in publishing the school newspaper and yearbook. The third broadcast will feature students and staff from Pine Elementary School, which is an Arts Magnet School, talking about all of their experiences and the benefits of magnet schools.

“I think all of our schools are special and important, and that each have something unique to offer,”Scott Braun, principal of Pine Elementary School stated during the broadcast recording.

The idea for the radio broadcast came about when MCAS Superintendant Dr. Barabara Eason-Watkins met with some citizens of Michigan City who wanted to do something to showcase everything positive that goes on within the school system. So, they put their heads together and came up with this idea for a 12-week program to promote the schools.

“Dr. Eason-Watkins began networking with some people in the community that had really expressed an interest in doing something, doing a radio show, to get the positive word out about our schools,” MCAS Director of Communications Betsy Kohn said. “They wanted to remain anonymous, but they actually have funded the production and the air time of this. We’re just grateful for the support of our schools from all of the people who have donated their time and money, including our funders and Ron Miller from WEFM.”

A couple months in the making, Eason-Watkins and Kohn got the ball rolling on the project as quickly as they could, pulling together ideas and volunteers to help them promote the schools as they go. With the school year winding down, and open enrollment soon to begin, it was important that the show begins as soon as possible, especially for magnet schools like Pine and Lake Hills, whose open Kindergarten enrollment begins soon.

“I think it’s really important that people know just what is going on in our schools," said Ron Miller, station manager at WEFM. "We have positive things going on with the students, positive things going on with the teachers, positive things going on with the administration. Sometimes the tendency is to focus on the small number of kids that are disruptive, but there are so many positive things going on. That’s what people need to remember."

The first show, which aired on March 22, featured stand-out athletes at Michigan City High School talking about their experiences and accomplishments within the MCAS school system. The next few shows, which return on April 5, will feature student publications at Michigan City High school, including their school newspapers and this year’s yearbook and question and answer sessions with teachers and students at Pine and Lake Hills Elementary schools, two of MCAS’s Magnet Schools. Future broadcasts will feature subjects like the A.K. Smith Career and Technical Education Center, Gifted and Talented programs within the district, and Project Lead the Way.

“Hopefully, the community will have a better feeling, a better idea of what goes on in the classroom on a day to day basis and how many outstanding kids we have in this community that are the future leaders of our community,” Miller said about his expectations of the radio broadcast.

 Don't miss the "City Pride" radio show on WEFM Radio broadcasted on Access La Porte County.

Kohn said ALCO-TV is another "great partner" and have agreed to air the shows on television. Kohn credits ALCO executive director Mike Dempsey as an integral part of this as well.

Rebroadcast daily on Michigan City Public Access Comcast Channel 99

Saturday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Sunday at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Monday at 6 am.. and 10 a.m.

Tuesday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Wednesday at 1 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Thursday at 3 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Friday at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Michigan City Area Schools thanks both WEFM and ALCO on their support of this program.