Roslyn High School's student podcasting program had a big week. RosPod, the school's student podcasting program led by English teacher Matthew Vogt, received a Program of Excellence Award from the New York State English Council, and days later one of its peer leaders, junior Eva Spiegelman, earned an Honorable Mention in NPR's 2026 Student Podcast Challenge.

A statewide award for an English class that records

The New York State English Council presented the award at its annual conference on Friday, October 23, at the Albany Marriott, where Vogt accepted it alongside honorees from across the state. The Program of Excellence Award recognizes English Language Arts programs that have been running for at least three years and have given students and teachers creative ways to learn. In RosPod's case, that means students reporting, writing, editing and producing their own audio pieces rather than turning in a paper.

According to the Roslyn School District, the program has produced finalists and a national champion in NPR's Student Podcast Challenge in its short life, has been featured in The English Journal, and has had student work broadcast on NPR's Weekend Edition.

A junior's podcast on Holocaust memory

Spiegelman's honorable mention came for an audio piece called Combating Holocaust Denial with Creativity. The idea grew out of her time in Names, Not Numbers, the Roslyn High School documentary club in which students interview Holocaust survivors. Her podcast is built entirely around survivors' own voices and follows one survivor who uses modern photography to keep survivors' histories in front of new generations.

The district says the recognition is RosPod's third honorable mention from the NPR challenge. The program is now in its fourth year, and Spiegelman serves as one of its peer leaders, helping younger students learn to plan, record and edit their work.

What RosPod is

RosPod is part of English Language Arts instruction at Roslyn High School. Students choose a subject, report it, script it and then produce it, building storytelling and communication skills along the way. The program keeps a public website where finished episodes are posted, so families and neighbors can hear what students made.

How to listen

Spiegelman's podcast and the rest of the RosPod catalog are free to stream on the program's website, linked below. The district's announcements of both honors are posted on the Roslyn School District news page.

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