Norah Weiner (L) and Erika Young (R), the grand-prize winners in grades 5-8 of NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge, at Presidio Middle School in San Francisco.
Talia Herman for NPR
School shootings, social media, beauty standards and fast-changing fashion trends – say that five times fast.
Adolescence has always been tough, but the acceleration of modern forces makes it more stressful than ever. In the words of two San Francisco best friends – the middle school winners of this year’s NPR Student Podcast Challenge – welcome to Middle School Now.
In a classroom at Presidio Middle School, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge, 13-year-olds Erika Young and Norah Weiner sat down to tell us about their podcast. It is one of two Grand Prize winners chosen by our judges from more than 3,300 submissions from 48 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The two friends just finished the seventh grade, but haven’t been separated yet — they have seen each other every day since school let out. Norah shows up to our interview wearing boots that she borrowed from Erika for the special occasion. Their giddy laughter fills the empty school, their energy fueled by the knowledge that, in just a few days, they’re off to summer camp together.
While our high school winner this year tackled a big local news story, with reporting from students and educators, Erika and Norah took on a more universal experience – the ups and downs of being a middle-schooler today.
“Gun violence, social media and mental health are literally shaping middle school,” Erika says in their podcast.
They walk listeners through their day-to-day lives – everything from school lockdowns to TikTok…
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