Water in the West: A Look at the Gallatin Valley
Peak Academy Student Podcasts 2023
This part of the website is designed by students of Peak Academy in grades 4-8 as part of our project-based learning unit on Water in the West. With this podcast and website we want to share with you about what we have learned about the water crisis our home, the Gallatin Valley, is facing, and also how we made our podcast, and of course we hope you listen to each of the three episodes linked to below!
To visit our official school webpage go to www.peakpotentialmt.org.
Phantom of the Water
"Phantom of the Water" explores the ongoing water shortage in Montana. We discuss the current crisis, the challenge of water in this region, and what everyone can do to reduce their water footprint.
“Phantom of the Water” is a podcast created entirely by students at Peak Academy, a small project-based learning school teaching grades 4 through 8 located in Bozeman Montana. At Peak, we value community and the outdoors.
Big Sky, Little Water
In Bozeman, many people enjoy fishing, skiing, swimming, and being outdoors with nature. As water becomes more scarce it raises the question of how much longer we will be able to continue these activities. All of these activities are key parts of Montana’s culture. In this podcast we ask the key questions “Is this a water crisis?” and “What can we do to conserve water?” If everybody uses one less gallon of water daily,the people of Bozeman could save over 19,710,000 gallons of water every year!
“Big Sky, Little Water” is a podcast created entirely by students at Peak Academy, a small project-based learning school teaching grades 4 through 8 located in Bozeman Montana. At Peak, we value community and the outdoors.
Flowing Through Time: The Past, Present, and Future of Water
"Flowing Through Time: The Past, Present, and Future of Water" is a podcast where we discuss the timeline of water in Montana. We cover past events, current events, and events to come. We talk about the water situation with multiple stakeholders here in the community and beyond. Through this podcast we aspire to change the water situation for the better
“Flowing Through Time: The Past, Present, and Future of Water” is a podcast created entirely by students at Peak Academy, a small project-based learning school teaching grades 4 through 8 located in Bozeman, Montana. At Peak, we value community and the outdoors.
About Water in the West Podcast
Our goal for the Water in the West podcast is to inform people about the water crisis in the Gallatin Valley. We want to make sure people know that water is priceless, and that it is worthy of conservation. We want to help our environment and show you that there are many ways you can help too.
This podcast presents student and community voices about the water crisis in Bozeman. Water has long been limited in the valley due to the semi-arid climate and lack of availability. Climate change is causing reduced snowpack, hotter temperatures, and earlier spring runoff. A growing population demands additional water supplies that the watershed can't provide.
In 2021 we had a summer of scorching heat and minimal precipitation across Montana that prompted a drought declaration in Bozeman. This affected everyone in the community, from ice cream shops to our local agriculture businesses. The city predicts it has reliable capacity for now, however we need to act to make a difference in the future.
About Peak Academy
Peak Academy is a nonprofit field school utilizing project-based learning serving grades 4-8, and committed to providing outdoor experiences. We develop strong community leaders who solve problems using curiosity, creativity and resilience through authentic academic experiences in the classroom and in the field. Peak Academy offers an interdisciplinary combination of challenging and progressive core academic classes, authentic in-depth projects, and insightful learning expeditions. Students are empowered to work with faculty to develop an academic plan that provides long-term academic success, personal challenge, and growth. Each day begins with the groundwork of challenging academic classes: Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science and Spanish. Content mastery is emphasized over the traditional fixed-time learning model, and small student to teacher ratio allows for individualized learning plans. In addition to the essential curriculum, we use Project-Based Learning, a teaching method in which students learn by engaging in authentic, real-world projects within their community. This Trimester, Students have taken on a podcast project to learn more about the Gallatin Valley Water Crisis.
Our work
In the photos below, students are working hard on their podcast scripts, recordings, and edits.
