Streetsboro High School’s student broadcasters are teaming up with local veterans, community organizations, and national park staff to mark the milestone of America’s 250th birthday on air.
88.9 WSTB, a student-run station at Streetsboro High School with approximately 20 student broadcasters, is launching the Pledge America Campaign, a series of public service announcements (PSAs) and personal testimonies highlighting organizations with a vital role in U.S. history. The project was inspired by a February 2026 call from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who urged U.S. broadcasters to air patriotic programming in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary.
The series will feature testimonies from local Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA and Girl Scouts members, American Red Cross donors and veterans from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, with WSTB students producing the PSAs.
"We sat down with all our broadcasting students and started listing organizations that were important to them,” WSTB General Manager Corey Teuton said. "We were finding national organizations that felt familiar and relevant to them.”
WSTB is also partnering with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to spotlight locations such as Kendall Park, the Cuyahoga River and Beaver Marsh. Additional Ohio historical sites such as Perry’s Victory, International Peace Memorial and Dayton Aviation Heritage Historical Park will also be featured.
The series will also honor the station’s Sunday volunteers who are veterans and alumni who went on to serve in the military contributing testimonials sharing their branch of service, role, and graduation year.
The project also extends beyond the broadcasting classroom, giving Streetsboro High School American History and Government students a shot at the mic. SHS teachers Katelyn Hamrick and Jeffery Rainer are offering extra credit to students who research and record their own American history fun fact for air.
Listeners can also follow along with the Pledge America Campaign on social media. WSTB’s Instagram and Facebook accounts will feature photos tied to each series, especially highlighting the local historical areas and national parks.
Programming is set to begin in April and build through July. After months of stories, voices and history, the week of July 4, WSTB will open each morning with Reveille at 6 a.m. and sign off each evening with the Star-Spangled Banner, closing out the station’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Photo Credit: NPS/Bob Trinnes