This week, school counselor Sarah Avila joins the show to talk about her favorite Pixar film, what holiday movie character she most identifies with, and how counselors help students to, "become better humans."This is the last new episode of 2023.The next new episode will be posted on January 4th, 2024!

This week, Conor is banished from the studio to make room for all four members of our district's Equity Department. While Conor listens at the studio door, Doug directs the conversation which ranges from removing barriers to students' education, all the way to reality TV. It's our longest podcast ever, and it starts as soon as you click the play button.

This week Conor and Doug compare radio voices before talking with staff and students from the Transition Lab, a program for special education students between the ages of 18 and 21. The Lab assists students toward independence in independent living, community participation and future employment.

Conor and Doug weigh in on the age-old Thanksgiving Day debate: Do we watch football or the parade? Then Conor heads over to one of our high schools where two varsity footballers split their time between the gridiron and the grandstand pep band.In honor of Turkey Day, the next new episode will be on November 30.

Conor and Doug sit down with CFO Bryan Verley and learn how an EMT from Hollywood became the Chief Financial Officer of our school district. Conor also debuts a new segment called the Lightning Round and the boys kick around the age old question, "what would you do if you had a million dollars?"

Conor and Doug break out their bucket lists and talk dream travel destinations before visiting with a Namibian teacher who guest taught at Clover Creek Elementary! She discusses the differences and similarities between teaching here and in Namibia before talking about her experiences at Mount Rainier and the Puyallup Fair.

This week, students from Cougar Mountain Middle School join the show to talk indoor skydiving, native plant gardens and other amazing activities their school's science club is up to. Conor and Doug also find out what the kids favorite Halloween costumes are, and share their own 80s inspired picks.

A former Spanaway Lake High School alum stops by the studio to chat about his journey from the Pierce County Skills Center's Sports Medicine classroom, to the fields of Texas A&M where he now works in sports medicine for a living. Conor and Doug also discuss the district's new "Portrait of a Graduate" and annoy all the guests with the perplexing question, "When's the last time, you did something for the first time?"

New words are added to the dictionary every year. But before Conor and Doug scroll through some of the 690 new words that Merriam Webster deemed worthy, they're joined by one of our ASL teachers to talk about some of the new words in American Sign Language, the benefits of being bilingual, and much, much more!*An extended version of this week's interview is available on our YouTube Channel youtube.com/bethelschools

On this week's show, Conor and Doug talk "First Concerts" with three very special guests. First up, they're joined by Jodi Greyeyes and Todd King from our Behavioral Health Department, and then Principal Julie Shultz-Bartlett drops by the studio to chat about restorative justice, her new role at Challenger High School, and country music legend Kenny Rogers.

Doug-a-mania finally runs wild before Conor reigns it in and gets on with the show. Community Connections Director Darius Alexander helps the boys with some breaking news about the Superintendent's Student Leadership Council, and they also discuss the upcoming game between the Harlem Wizards and the Bethel All Stars.

What if you could go back in time and have dinner with any person in history? Conor and Doug discuss the possibilities with none other than Superintendent Tom Seigel on this special, one-year anniversary episode of the Bethel School District Presents Podcast!

Even though "Conor the Marathoner" doesn't have the same ring to it as "Frank the Tank," Conor and Doug still get out their togas and reminisce about their days on the quad in college. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Brian Lowney joins the conversation and talks about how our district is setting kids up for success after high school. Along the way the boys also discover who the most important person in the district is.

Conor and Doug sit down for a little "Car Talk" with Director of Transportation Joel Stutheit. In their conversation they cover the bus driver shortage, the new walking routes that are in place this fall, and follow a former firefighter's long and winding road to becoming Bethel's Bus Baron.

This week, Conor and Doug debate which one of them has traveled the farthest from the hallowed halls of Bethel. They then talk with teachers about the summer school programs that helped nearly 1,000 elementary and secondary students get ready for the new school year.

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence this year, Conor and Doug have been pondering what grim sci-fi future awaits us. Is it The Matrix, the Terminator, or is Johnny 5 simply alive now? Chief Technology Officer Mike Christianson joins the boys with his own, unexpected answer. He also weighs in on what our district is doing when it comes to AI in our classrooms, plus a number of other techy topics, including his favorite piece of technology he had as a kid.

Season 2 is finally here, and Conor and Doug kick things off talking about times they've rubbed shoulders with celebs. Then they invite artist Koda Witsken into the conversation before talking about the murals she created for the new Challenger High School thanks to the Washington State Arts Commission. They also discuss her background, her work with the students at Challenger, and her thoughts on the future of art when it comes to the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

Conor and Doug end the school year with some summer reading recommendations from three of our teacher-librarians. Plus we learn which book made Doug cry as a kid, and Conor shares his candid thoughts on John Steinbeck ("He's a hack!"). All that, plus a bonus blooper reel at the end of the show. Have a great summer, everyone!New episodes will resume in August 2023.

Under the tutelage of Teacher-Librarian Christine Link, students at Elk Plain School of Choice produced some outstanding podcasts this year! From dinosaurs to kitty cats, Goonies to Jurassic Park, Conor and Doug showcase a few of their favorite student-created shows on this special edition of the Bethel School District Presents.

This week, Conor and Doug turn the mic over to four of this year's graduating class to hear what makes their high schools so special. Then Conor talks with two seniors who made history at the Top Tech Competition. Doug then challenges Conor to a backyard barbecue battle to determine which of them will be crowned "The Podcasting Pitmaster." All that, plus an outstanding performance from our Combined High School Orchestra students.

This week Conor and Doug reminisce about some of their unfortunate youthful sartorial choices before lacing up their running shoes and taking a crack at the Boston Marathon with one of our amazing teachers. The boys also talk about middle school math and dive deep into the district's new dress code policy.

Last week, Pierce County Deputy Carly Cappetto joined us for our special "One Pill Can Kill" episode. This week we wanted to share our full interview with Carly. Conor and Doug talk to her about her time working as a Family Resource Coordinator for Team Bethel, and what families need to know about drugs, vaping and more.

In this very special episode of "The Bethel School District Presents" podcast, we sit down with DEA Acting Special Agent In Charge Jake Galvan and Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Carly Cappetto to discuss fentanyl, vaping and other drugs that students and families need to be aware of. We know these can be difficult topics to talk about, but ignoring them doesn’t make the problem go away. Drugs are very prevalent in our own community and communities across the country. Warning: This episode...

A two-minute podcast with news from around the Bethel School District, plus our ever popular "Joke of the Week" segment!

Conor and Doug break out the Scantron forms and talk state testing at our elementary schools. They also cover fad diets through the ages, school construction, and even talk with some of our preschool students!