DOUGLASTON — Look out Joe Rogan! America’s most famous podcaster could soon face stiff competition from an unlikely source — a group of Catholic school children in Queens.
The students are the centerpiece of a new podcast produced by Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy in Douglaston — “Voices of Divine Wisdom” — which dives into life at the academy featuring both students and teachers.
In the first episode, released on Jan. 29 and titled “United in Faith and Community,” students answer questions from a moderator on topics like “A person you admire,” “Your most memorable trip,” and “Foods you would like to see on the cafeteria menu.”
Third grader Franco Gentile’s answer on that third topic was tacos. As for a person he admires, it’s international soccer superstar Lionel Messi. He said he was excited when Principal Miriam Bonici selected him to participate in the inaugural episode.
“This school has so many opportunities that other schools don’t,” Franco said, admitting, however, that “it was harder than I thought” to have to talk for 20 minutes.
The plan is to record and release episodes once a month, said Bonici, who had a guidance counselor’s office on the first floor converted into a podcast studio complete with microphones and technical equipment to ensure that “Voices of Wisdom” could be done professionally.
Sixth grader Carolina Perez called participating in the podcast “the funnest thing ever!” After recording the podcast, she listened to the episode in math class. “I really always had this thing for acting and singing,” she said. “I never stopped talking.”
Gavin Barnett, who is in eighth grade, said the podcast “is a great opportunity to speak your mind and just talk about the school. … It’s a very good thing.”
Third grader Connor Arrington, who enjoyed working in the studio and being around the equipment, had a simple reason for wanting to do the podcast — “To be famous.”
Bonici’s original goal in launching “Voices of Divine Wisdom” was to familiarize parents with the various activities at the academy.
“We thought that this would be another way for families to be able to connect to the school and to get information, whether it’s tips from a math consultant, or hearing the teacher’s perspective on things, or how the kids are feeling about the school,” she said.
Bonici also loves that the podcast gives her students a voice.
“They love to share about what’s going on in their classrooms,” she said. “So this was just another way of really asking them about, ‘How are things going?’ and ‘What do they love about the school?’ The kids were really excited about being part of this podcast.”
Bonici said the next episode of “Voices of Divine Wisdom” will be released in late February.
In launching the podcast, Divine Wisdom has something in common with Bishop Robert Brennan, who has hosted his own podcast, “Big City Catholics,” since 2022.
Bishop Brennan and the students at Divine Wisdom are part of a podcast revolution taking place in the United States. According to Edison Research, an estimated 100 million Americans listened to at least one podcast each week in 2024.
During a Jan. 27 visit to Divine Wisdom for Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Brennan expressed great interest in the students’ podcast and suggested they appear on each other’s shows. Bonici said the students would be thrilled to get that kind of opportunity.