Year 5 and 6 students at Tamborine Mountain State School have taken initiative to create their own radio program, Schoolyard Sounds, which broadcasts weekly on Switch Brisbane radio.
The student-led project began in 2023 when Principal Jason Smith accepted a challenge from Switch Brisbane founder Matt Boyd to develop a youth-led broadcast. Originally planned for high school students, Smith believed his primary students could handle the responsibility.
Student hosts write, research and record their own segments covering diverse topics. Cooper hosts Cooper’s Time Capsule, bringing historical moments to life, while Hannah reviews current children’s films in Hannah’s Movie Reviews. Ollie and Louis share travel experiences in Around the World in 90 Days, and Etta tackles serious topics like energy drink consumption in The Good, Bad and the Ugly.
The program airs every Wednesday from 2-3pm on multiple platforms including 1197AM, DAB+, iHeart Radio and Spotify. Starting from broadcasts in the principal’s office, students fundraised in 2024 to build a purpose-built recording studio for school and community use.
Student host Cooper explains the program’s value: “Public speaking is known as the number one human fear. So, it’s a really good thing to learn how to overcome that and learn all these different life skills.”
Student leader Louis says: ‘It’s one of the best things I’ve ever volunteered for. It taught me a lot of life skills and it’s just a lot of fun.’
Well done Tamborine Mountain State School leaders!
