(upbeat music) - You are listening to KYDS 91.5 FM.

I'm DJ Ducky.

- And I'm DJ Kala.

- [Narrator] At first glance or first listen, it looks and sounds like the studio of any professional commercial FM radio station.

But this radio signal emanating from El Camino Fundamental High School in Sacramento is doing much more than just broadcasting an eclectic array of music.

It's giving these students, like 12th grader Sarah, also known as DJ Ducky, all kinds of new skills, strengths, and confidence.

- Knowing that like you're part of something and that like, yeah, I'm a DJ.

Like that's really awesome.

Like I can say that.

- I'm DJ Kala.

- And I'm DJ Ducky.

- You just heard "Somehow Somewhere Some Way" by Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band.

- [Narrator] Sarah and Joanna, or DJ Kala, are among about 60 to 80 students working at KYDS, Sacramento's only high school run radio station.

It's one of about a dozen throughout California.

It started in 1978 as a 10 watt micro station with a signal pretty much confined to the campus.

Today, its 400 plus watt transmitter means listeners can tune in from across Sacramento County.

- This is the real world.

You are talking to the public.

- [Narrator] Matt Sumpter graduated from El Camino in 1994, and since 2018, has been the teacher for the media arts career pathway.

These state-funded pathways are designed to combine academic study, access to industry knowledge, and hands-on learning.

Matt says that aligns exactly with his own teaching philosophy.

- This is not practice class where you're sitting in a desk and maybe in the future, you'll use this skill.

Here's the skill, you're using it today.

- Thank you for listening.

At first, that was like really scary for me, but then I learned to be more confident with myself and like say like, "Yeah, I'm DJ Ducky" and own it.

- When I was a freshman, I was like terrified of the radio almost.

I'd always be so nervous that I would mess up.

Now, I don't even need a script.

I don't even like think twice before going on because I'm just so used to it now.

Enjoy.

- That's what all this is.

Maybe you don't become a DJ on 98 Rock, but you come out with the confidence to be able to talk either into a microphone or just one-on-one to a person that you're trying to get a job from.

- [Narrator] But growing self-confidence is just the start.

Besides being on air, students also learn news writing, video production, time management, and how to behave and interact in a real work environment.

They visit commercial radio stations to meet with industry experts.

Matt and the students say the media arts program introduces them to people from different backgrounds.

They study together, create musical playlists, train each other, and often build friendships.

- Next up, we got "Fortunate Son" by CCR.

So having that avenue of creative expression and having that sort of space where you have to work with people and learn how to cooperate on projects is both huge parts of this class and what really makes it unique.

- We work with a lot of group projects so it teaches us teamwork, and I think that's like really great because you can get other people's ideas and other people's inputs instead of just doing a solo project.

- I feel like the fact that we get to not just like have our music taste on the radio, but like bond over it with other people too, I think it's a very special opportunity.

- [Narrator] Students also bond during the biannual fundraiser called Audiothon, which raises money for the school's media program as well as some outside charities.

The students are on the air for 24 hours straight.

- It's a great event.

The kids love it.

It's a team building event.

What I like to see is that it really promotes all the kids coming together that you wouldn't normally see come together.

We're a very diverse class.

- [Narrator] Perhaps the biggest measure of success is the positive feedback outside the school, throughout the community.

Matt and the students say listeners call in from across Sacramento County to request songs and offer praise and encouragement.

- Whenever I get any sort of feedback, I always share it with them because I want the kids to see what they're doing is real.

- It's not like you're talking to someone in-person, but you still get that feeling of people are hearing what you're saying.

- Normally, like older people, they'll call in and they'll be like, "I just heard you on the radio.

You guys are doing a great job."

I feel like really proud and I also feel I'm doing a good job.

- [Narrator] Not every one of the students working at KYDS will go on to careers in radio, but that's not the goal.

Educators say most will take away a much wider array of skills and personal growth that will advance both their academic and career futures.

- It really is incredibly fun.

It's very valuable for that experience of meeting new people and sort of having a place where you always belong.