Aarti does a great job of using description to paint a picture of a completely visual medium: fashion. Her narration is fluid and never redundant; she manages to avoid the common trap of explaining what a piece of tape will say instead of letting it speak for itself. Aarti makes the feature personal at the end by discussing what she learned from her research on Seattle's sustainable fashion world. This is a well-written piece that doesn’t allow the listener’s attention to drop even for a moment.

Summer Soundwave was a truly ambitious Weekday High summer program where kids produced features four days a week during August of 2010. The girls who produced this episode, the last one of the season, are very understandably bummed about the program's end and apologize for the lack of a theme that unifies this episode. They shouldn't--the two features are both very strong: interesting topics, solid editing, and professional-sounding narrator voices. It reminded me a little of This American Life (it covers the cool, small-town stories that get overlooked in hard news shows) but was clearly a youth show in its freshness and the banter between the hosts. Best line: "I'm concerned about the equipment over there getting wet...with your tears."

This feature showcases a cool program that gives Alaskan teenagers the opportunity to see how state government works. It could benefit from more student perspectives, and maybe an interview from a legislator about his or her opinion of the program. But this piece has a clear narrative flow and does a good job showing diverse aspects of the summit. It seems like a great way for students to really learn first-hand how state government works.

Kaila makes the most of the one-minute format to deliver a nice piece about what there is to appreciate about winter. What's Real is a really cool series put out by KBEM in Minnesota. Most of the features in this series deal with more serious topics, like succeeding in high school or dealing with racial prejudice. The light tone of Kaila's piece sets it apart, and the music she chose enhances it as well.

Dolna could have edited the tape of the GYLI speaker a little more, as the strongest aspects of the feature are tape from other students and the segment about the Amistad schooner. In these sections of the piece, we really get a sense of what being at this conference felt like. This is where Dolna's voice comes through the clearest as well. By the end, we are invested in her as well as the GYLI conference. Dolna chose a good angle from which to approach the feature; the story about the storm provided direction to the piece. Overall, this is a great feature that sheds light on an interesting program.

This feature provides an interesting new take on the world of teenage wilderness programs. Not only does HOWL seem to take more risks than most adventure programs I’ve heard of (bear survival, anyone?), but it was also conceived by an 18-year-old girl who had just finished climbing Denali. The piece is very sound technically, although Aviva could tighten up the narration-to-music transition at the end of the piece. Interspersing HOWL program participants’ voices with narration and an interview of the founder creates a solid a youth-radio voice, but one of the best kind: authentic, easy to listen to, and smooth.

Dolna Smithback’s feature reports on an event at the Parliament of the World’s Religions concerning clean water. The opening clip sets a great tone for Dolna’s piece by immediately establishing an international theme. Next she brings the topic home. Dolna pulls the listener in further by describing her experience growing up in New Mexico, where she had to be very aware of her personal water use. Next we move to the conference, where Dolna incorporates some great sourcing from attendees. I found hearing these diverse perspectives to be one of the most compelling aspects of the piece. The last speaker in particular really drives home all of Dolna’s points. The narrative transitions from one speaker to the next could use some revision; in most cases, Dolna has earned the right to make stronger statements than simply introducing the next speaker. This piece could be really inspiring to youth producers; it’s an example of how far you can take your work if you have the right resources. Dolna’s feature would work well on a show about the environment, international issues, or human rights.