NPR Podcast Entries: Bergen Tech Law and Justice Major

Hosted by Jake Park, this podcast episode was created by Daniel Mun, Ashish Panicker, and Noah Kim at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, New Jersey. This podcast follows four Asian American men who are navigating through their life during one of the most stressful periods of their lives, the college admissions season. We will be discussing the societal pressures that we face from our family and our community. We will then delve into the Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard Supreme Court case that banned affirmative action, our views on the current system, as well as changes in the Asian American community as a result of this decision. Tune in as we unpack the true feelings of rising seniors who have a passion to find problems in the community and fix those problems. Thank you for listening.

This podcast was created by Erick Peralta, Astra Phoon, and Nicole Biegun, seniors in the Law & Justice major at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, New Jersey. This podcast follows the topic of our country’s current jury system, specifically involving forensic evidence and regular citizens. What would happen if someone was on a jury and had no prior knowledge or understanding of forensic evidence? We explore this issue more in-depth, drawing insights from local expert interviews with legal professionals and forensic experts. Through our research, we uncover the complexities of integrating forensic evidence into the jury deliberation process and the potential impact on justice outcomes. By examining real-life cases and expert opinions, we shed light on the challenges faced by jurors and the necessity for improved education on the myths behind valid forensic evidence. Tune in as we delve into the intersection of forensic science and the jury system, aiming to provoke critical thinking and discussions on how to enhance fairness and effectiveness in our judicial processes.

Recently, Sesame Street introduced an episode with a character named Karli, who has a mother who suffers from drug abuse. It introduces the topic of opioids to children, allowing them to have a better understanding. There has been controversy between parents and the media on what is appropriate for children to watch. This leads to two very important questions that will be discussed in this podcast:  How are young children impacted when exposed to severe information such as drug abuse on TV shows? Is this a parental control issue, or should children’s TV shows be controlled? In this podcast, high school students Renee, Marina, and Josh explore these questions, which have many nuances and could forever impact the future of children’s media, specifically on the topic of opioids. 

Our names are Mathew Cheng, Vincent Gavazi, and Jinu Kim, and we are seniors in the Law and Justice program at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, New Jersey. Here, we follow a specific curriculum that includes unique courses such as Constitutional Law, Criminology, and Senior Seminar, which is the class that we made this podcast for. Inspired by our background in criminal justice due to being in the Law major, we decided to explore electronic monitors (EMs) and determine whether they can be used as a solution to the problem of incarceration in New Jersey. In this podcast, we present what we learned from interviewing the following experts in the field of criminal justice: Dr. Hyoungah Park, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Saint Peter’s University, Jin-Sung Kim, Undersheriff at the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and Dr. Gabriella Kirk-Werner, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Syracuse University. You’ll learn about the origins and history of electronic monitors, the extent of their present usage, and the possible ways they could be used in the future. Thank you for listening, and we hope you enjoy!

Our names are Tommy Rotella, Aaron Peña, Remi Bachrach, and Jolie Rodriguez, and we’re seniors at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro NJ. As students in our law and justice major, we’ve taken multiple courses in law, government, and forensics. Our experience with criminal justice inspired us to come together to make this podcast on some instances when this system fails. In this episode, we discuss the pseudoscience of Shaken Baby Syndrome and explain how this false concept has had heavy influence on American courtrooms.

This is not exactly a movie review of the newest movie in The Hunger Games series. Bergen Tech high school seniors Abbie Chang, Raquel Diaz, and Deborah Chung are here to discuss the message that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes presents to its viewers: modern media desensitization. Through analysis of the antagonist President Cornelius Snow and his methods to glamorize the Games, we connect his manipulation of media to the world WE live in, especially through social media. As we are bombarded constantly with the newest breaking news, we can often find ourselves numbed, hardened, and emotionally desensitized. However, we bring to you potential solutions from experts who can speak well on these issues.

In the wake of controversial legislation surrounding the New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act (MAiD), enacted on August 1, 2019, Bergen Tech seniors Anand Bhimjiani, Madelyn Bello, and Joel Mason discuss the societal implications of the act at play.  Through discussion over the ethicality of the act, a moral dilemma is created, determining if it is socially acceptable for a person suffering from a terminal disease to choose to end their life on their own terms.  This podcast examines polarizing sides to this argument through discussion with the opposers to the act, Dr. Yosef Glassman, a geriatrician; lawyer, E. David Smith, Esq; as well as representatives from the grassroots organization, Second Thoughts MA.  Additionally, CEO of Compassion and Choices, Kimberly Callinan; and Paul Bluestein, husband to the late Lynda Blustein, who had utilized the MAiD Act in January, 2024, discuss the advantages of MAiD, promoting its permanence in New Jersey legislation.  Through personal testimonies and interviews from voices of both sides of the spectrum, this episode encapsulates the moral debate, leaving listeners to ponder the question: should the Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act be implemented nationwide?

Krish, Jason, and Nick, three seniors at Bergen County Technical High School-Teterboro, discuss an increasing controversy that has taken the New Jersey shoreline by storm: increased whale deaths. Over the past several years, organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association have reported that there has been an influx of whale deaths not only along the New Jersey shoreline but the entire East Coast as well ("2016-2024 Humpback Whale"). Moreover, this problem extends further as many continue to argue about the cause of these inexplicable whale deaths.

To try to examine what individuals are saying, Krish, Jason, and Nick took to the experts. With interviews with organizations supporting the cause such as SaveLBI, Save Coastal Wildlife, and researchers attempting to analyze the issue, they were able to identify possible arguments developed by both scientists and the public. These arguments range from increased offshore wind development, shipping routes, and climate change. Overall, the interviews helped clarify what's really going on along the shore.

Bergen Tech seniors Queenie-Michelle Asare-Gyan, Justin Jang, and Mia Palli analyze Newark's proposed ordinance to require permits for distributing food to homeless individuals on the streets as the capstone for their 4-year Law and Justice Program. With the skills we learned through AP Government, Constitutional Law, Public Policy, Criminology, and Forensics, and the help of some experts, we analyzed at this ordinance to come up with a nuanced conclusion regarding its implications, from First Amendment rights to competing government interests. 

This podcast was created by Lexi Kest, Sarah Park, and Raymond Zhang, seniors in the Law & Justice major at Bergen County Technical High School. For our final project for this unique major, we condensed what the Law major has taught us over the past four years into this podcast. We explored the issue of the Right to Repair and the policies concerning it, which we find crucial to understand in this era of technology. We are joined by the insight of our teacher Ms. Genevieve Allard, legislative aide Paul Prendergast, and repair shop owner Louis Rossman. Listen as we discuss the implications of the Right to Repair and how this policy affects our lives as avid consumers of technology.

Here at Bergen Tech, we are given the opportunity to pick majors and hone in on one specific topic throughout our high school experience. As students in the Law Major, we have been exposed to criminology, public policy, the US government, politics, and forensics. Our culminating project is a podcast entry in NPR’s yearly competition. We picked the topic of forensics to focus on and got to work on formulating a podcast. After some careful deliberation, we decided to discuss on one of the most famous murderers in New Jersey, The Iceman. However, we also wanted to incorporate a bit of folklore due to the rich history our state has in this regard. Our podcast details The Iceman's crimes, their spread as an urban legend, and how they've contributed to the mythos of our region. 

By Peter Biskup, Shaye Frenkel, Macario Saquic-Pablo, and Brandon Son

Polarization in Politics, Federalism

Our names are Camille Bello, Joy Botros, & Noah Kim. We are seniors in the Law and Justice program at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, New Jersey. Being a technical school, BT places us into a major for our high school career. Here, we follow a specific curriculum that includes courses such as Constitutional Law, AP Government and Politics, Criminology, and Forensic Science. The class we are producing this podcast for is our Senior Seminar class. We were tasked to answer the question: Why is polarization such a prevalent divide in our society, and how does it affect the government, as well as each individual?

In this podcast, we will look into the causes and origins of polarization, as well as elected officials and political science studiers hot takes.

This podcast was written, performed, and produced by Aidan Gonzalez, Samantha Gomez, and Jennifer da Silva. They are 12th grade students in the Law and Major at Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro, New Jersey. This program teaches the groundwork for pursuing higher education to students interested in the law. Beyond providing legal, academic fundamentals, this major also educates students on how to be engaged citizens. The course load includes classes such as Public Policy, Criminology, and Constitutional Law.

This podcast focuses on the detriments of the LatinX Monolith towards LatinX individuals. It began with a conversation between the three students about their identities – same language but different music, same region but different race, same labels but different culture. The labels given to LatinX individuals were initially about power. By categorizing a multitude of peoples under one epithet, their differences do not need to be acknowledged. Rather, the sum of their similarities can be recognized while their individualistic struggles go ignored. The podcast is composed of various anecdotes from various perspectives that come together to dispel the LatinX Monolith; their shared struggle is because of their disdained distinctions.