Elijah and Felipe join Abigail and Mr. McDonald to talk about their argumentative papers from their AP Seminar assignment. Both Elijah and Felipe discussed communism. Elijah focused in on the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe while Felipe looked into why communism would not work in America.

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Mr. McDonald sits down with Nevaeh, Abby, and Maya to discuss Nevaeh's research project on team bonding. Nevaeh wrote an argumentative paper for AP Seminar where she concluded that team bonding is the most important aspect to the success of a high school volleyball team.

The podcast is briefly interrupted by Christmas carolers from Mr. Viera's 7th grade ELA Honors class after they lost a bet.

Mr. McDonald and Mr. Green recap the second week of the Burns Model Congress. The only thing is that they are on a camping trip and need to take a smores break midway through. McDonald and Green sit by the camp fire to discuss the craziness of The Great Seal War, admitting a 51st state, some creative bills written by the students, and other thoughts on what we learned about the fake and real government.

Tune in for the cozy campfire vibes, stay for the extensive conversation. And by extensive, I mean EXTENSIVE. Sorry for 2-hour pod....

P.S. Yes, we brought a third mic to record the crackle of the campfire.

Mr. McDonald, Mr. Green, and Abigail recap a busy week at BST. McDonald and Green started a model congress for the senior class which ramped up quickly. With Mr. Green as the Speaker of the House, Mr. McDonald as the President, and the 12th grade students as Congress, the school devolved into chaos. Abigail and the ATOMics pass an incredibly oppressive bill that Green and McDonald celebrate.

Crazy things happen in the class and out so the trio debrief and recap what exactly happened and how the model congress started. They talk about what bills passed and the overall sentiment of the students. Factions are formed and lies are spread. Everyone in the building gets involved, for better or for worse.

Stay tuned for week two, where the Supreme Court hears some cases, a crisis befalls the Executive Branch, and the Speaker of the House faces an investigation. What will come of the big Beautiful Bills?

Mr. McDonald is joined by Cayden and Roman, two promising computer students in AP Research. The topic of the day: AI in education. They talk the benefits and limitations of using it across grade levels, and even the ethics of teachers using it. How will AI affect the brain long term?

1. Intro: Welcome and shoutout Grams
2. What is AI? How is it trained?
3. How is it used?
4. How do students versus teachers use it?
5. AI and the job market
6. AI grades Florida State Tests? Whaaaaat????
7. Brain development with regular use of AI (not great)
8. AI in the future

Shout out Cayden, happy birthday!

Mr. McDonald is joined by Maya and Abigail to analyze the contributing factors to the current youth mental health crisis. They then analyze possible solutions, while understanding the limitations. Abigail and Maya get real with their discussion of personal experiences with mental health.

• Intro: Why its important to have different opinions and listen to other people
• Main Topic: Youth Mental Health Crisis
  • Factors
  • Solutions
• Ending with shoutouts

Mr. McDonald hosts Maya, Roman, Cayden, and Abigail on the first episode of WITL. They dive deep into the different types of schooling they have personally attended and the advantages and disadvantages of each type. They analyze public, charter, and private schools along with homeschooling. What is the solution to Florida's education system? We still have no clue...