Keen youngsters from a Border school have had the chance to showcase their voices through being a radio host for the day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
That was thanks to 2REM 107.3 FM community radio station presenter Robert Hutchings, who has put together a program to help year 5 and 6 students with public speaking.
Four Glenroy Public School students took to the microphone on Wednesday, November 29, to show The Border Mail just how keen they were about being hosts.
Year 5 student Alexander Sergi, 11, said he was a natural when it came to presenting.
"It's a lot of fun," he said.
"We host for around one hour and do introductions, music, news and weather reports."
Fellow student Zoe Stevens, also 11, said it was something she might one day turn into a career.
"I enjoy getting to know how everything works," she said.
"It is so fascinating."
Poppy Colvin, 11, said the aim was not to "have too much dead air".
"As soon as somebody finishes talking, make sure to be on top of it," she said.
Mr Hutchings said it was a passion for him to teach students how to talk on air, the basics of radio and how to do so with confidence.
'I've got 20 students on board this year," he said.
"They all enjoy it and we've had very good positive feedback from the public and the teachers."
Mr Hutchings said it was a great learning outcome for the students being on live radio and that bloopers were even welcomed.
"They're only 10, 11-year-olds, so they're going to make mistakes, but overall they do a good job," he said.
Mr Hutchings, who has been in the radio industry for more than 20 years, said "kids' confidence improves a lot after they've done the show".
The program runs once a week over a school term and takes groups of four students through a range of skills, including learning how to produce a segment, play music, read news and role play.
