Senior Spotlights FWCD Teachers in Podcast
Walker Smith ’21 has launched an FWCD podcast highlighting what makes the School so special: its teachers. The podcast, titled Between Two Desks, is the culmination of Smith’s Senior Capstone Project at Fort Worth Country Day.
“I had been toying with the idea of doing something around audio. I did not know what that would look like … an essay on modern audio design for theatre, a detailed review of my system design for the musical, designing and writing overtures, or something else,” Smith said. “Ms. [Sara] Blan [Upper School Librarian and Capstone Coordinator] mentioned that she wished FWCD had a podcast, and I thought, ‘That’s something I can do.’ I have always enjoyed asking teachers questions and learning about their career paths.”
At the podcast’s core is how teachers came to FWCD. Smith wanted to connect students and teachers more. “When students arrive on the first day of school, teachers learn about their students to improve their understanding and interactions throughout the year,” Smith said. “But little is done in the opposite direction.” He also wanted his podcast to showcase that teachers are more interesting than they initially let on.
The podcast’s first installment, featuring Dr. John Cordell, Upper School Physics Teacher, launched in early March. Smith posed the first question: “What made high school John Cordell become physics teacher John Cordell?” The interview takes off from there.
Smith polled his Upper School Class of 2021 peers to choose the teachers to interview. Upcoming podcasts will feature Bill Arnold ’86, Peggy Wakeland, Austin Walton and Andrew Thomas. Sara Teegarden’s installment recently went live.
The podcast process is straightforward. Smith schedules the interview, sends out a form to the senior class to ask their questions, compiles those questions into a “script,” gathers his audio equipment, and completes the interview. After the interview, he does some editing and then uploads. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud.
“My audio career has mainly been in the live world, so this opportunity to branch out into post-production has been beneficial and provided a learning experience that has given me tools for my metaphorical toolbox that I will surely use later in my career,” Smith said. “There have not been many opportunities for production this year [because of the pandemic], so having another chance to make something and facilitate telling someone’s story, which I am truly passionate about, has been a wonderful thing.”
Teegarden serves as Smith’s Capstone Advisor, and Eric Tysinger is Smith’s Capstone Mentor. He chose Tysinger precisely because of his range of experience in the production world, including serving as Assistant Stage Manager of The Last Ship in 2014 and Stage Manager of the national tour of Hamilton. Walker chose Teegarden because she understands his workflow and how he accomplishes things.
“In my mind, Capstone at Fort Worth Country Day is the intersection of the classroom and the world beyond,” Tysinger said. “Walker has approached that crossroads at 100mph with no sign of slowing down. Through this podcast, he has capitalized on the foundation of his work at FWCD, connected to his present passion for audio production, and painted a clear picture of the path he hopes to travel as he moves forward on his journey. All of this makes for one proud teacher.”
Teegarden has enjoyed watching Smith grow, develop and mature in his passion for technical theatre arts over the last three years. “Seeing a young person find their passion and strive to follow that passion into the next phase of their life leaves a lasting impact on an educator and drives us to provide a space and opportunity for other young people to find their passions as well,” she said. “Walker's journey has taught me so much, not just about the technical arts, but about the importance of listening and supporting a young person as they create their path in this world.”
Smith plans to attend Middle Tennessee State University for audio production. He is particularly interested in sound design for theatre and building on what he has learned at FWCD. “I have always been interested in electronics, networking, storytelling, and not sitting in an office,” he said. “Audio is the perfect combination of all those factors, plus who doesn’t want to listen to music and tour the country for a living?”
About Capstone at Fort Worth Country Day
Capstone at Fort Worth Country Day is an interdisciplinary summary exercise consisting of four components: exploration, research, a final project and presentation. Capstone fosters intellectual curiosity, educational purpose and engagements as students conclude their Upper School experience at FWCD. The Capstone program provides time, structure and resources to develop a student's passion by examining questions beyond the constraints of traditional classes and academic disciplines. At its conclusion, students share their work with the school community and articulate their growth.
Capstone embodies FWCD’s core values. With expert mentors and supervisors as their guides, Capstone students learn from failure, stretch their abilities, try new endeavors, learn project management skills, assume leadership roles in the context of their projects, pursue known interests and passions, and discover new ones.
