McDONALD, Ohio – Late last month, ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit made an appearance.
Two weeks earlier, Cooper Manning, older brother of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning and host of Fox Sports’ “The Manning Hour,” appeared. On March 11, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo took time off from spring training in Arizona to chat.
Add to the list Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, NBA legend Rick Barry, four-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Dara Torres, ESPN College Game Day basketball host Seth Greenberg – all are guests that any podcaster would envy.
Yet they’ve all appeared on “The Devil’s in the Detail,” a podcast that stands out from the others – its producers and hosts are sixth graders at Roosevelt Elementary School in McDonald.
“It started last year,” said Lance Ronghi, a K-6 technology teacher at Roosevelt Elementary. Two sixth grade students, Serafinao Gallo and Sasha Carayol (now seventh graders), came up with an idea to create a podcast and began with a simple framework. “They just started interviewing kids around the school,” he said.
The students then interviewed state Rep. Nick Santucci, R-64th, during his visit to the school in 2024, Ronghi recalled. “So then I asked the girls whether it would be OK to reach out to others, and they said yes.”
Ronghi took to Instagram and began messaging well-known regional and local personalities. Before long, the students landed interviews with Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, Youngstown State University Penguins football coach Doug Phillips and Andrew Toole, the men’s basketball coach at Robert Morris University.
His outreach has led to a schedule packed full of high-profile guests this academic year. Since August, students have hosted 27 personalities on the podcast. While most are related to sports, others are drawn from the entertainment industry, politics and science.
A Repeat Guest
Ronghi said the project is not part of McDonald’s curriculum, and students participate during what would be their lunch hour. The classroom – situated on the ground floor of the elementary school – is filled with monitors, cameras, a sound board and other production and technology equipment.
On a Wednesday afternoon, two sixth grade students – Camille Williams and Rylan Banfield – sit behind a small desk with prepared questions in front of a camera with a green screen as a backdrop. Students behind the scenes are able to select a background of their choice and digitally manipulate the image before recording begins.
Shortly after 2 p.m., students link through a Zoom connection with Joey Cantillo, the Guardians left-handed pitcher who earned American League Rookie of the Month honors in September 2025.
It’s Cantillo’s second appearance on the show.
The interviews are short – approximately five minutes long – but Ronghi emphasizes to students the importance of treating the interaction as more of a conversation rather than a question-and-answer session.
“I’m very excited,” Cantillo responded when asked whether he was ready to take the mound again this season. “Playing baseball in Cleveland is a lot of fun.”
The weather could be an issue, especially at this time of year, Cantillo said. “Is it snowing over there?” he inquired. “It’s pretty warm,” the hosts replied.
Camille and Rylan – the first time either one posed questions for the show – did their own research for the interview. They asked Cantillo about his mindset when he was called back up to the majors in September 2025 after being optioned to the Columbus Clippers, the Guardians’ Triple-A squad, that August.
“There was a long year of some ups and downs in the season, but to finish strong was a lot of fun,” Cantillo said.
Cantillo also intimated that he would likely be a firefighter if he were not a Major League Baseball player, and he urged young people to have confidence in themselves as they move through life.
“Just believe in yourself, whatever you do, whatever you choose to do,” he said.
Learning Teamwork and Life Lessons
Ronghi said the project is instrumental in teaching students the value of teamwork, which is what he stresses in all his technology classes. Moreover, the podcast guests are valuable in that they impart solid life lessons and encouragement for the students.
“The big thing is trying to get kids to communicate with one another on a project,” Ronghi said.
Though this was their first time behind the camera, both Camille and Rylan have sat in on several interviews, and they especially like Cantillo. “It’s cool to hear from other people and what advice they have for us,” Camille said.
The Cantillo segment will be edited and is scheduled to air on opening day, March 25.
“The Devil’s in the Detail” – so named after McDonald’s mascot, the Blue Devils – has attracted celebrities such as Marc Roberge, the lead singer of the rock band O.A.R.; Rich Karn, the actor who played Al Boreland on the 1990s sitcom “Home Improvement” and host of the game show “Family Feud”; Randy Scott, co-anchor of ESPN’s “SportsCenter”; Lindsay Gottilieb, women’s basketball coach at the University of Southern California; and P.J. Fleck, football coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Other guests who have appeared this academic year include personalities more familiar to these students’ grandparents, Ronghi said. Rick Barry, for example, is an eight-time NBA All-Star who earned the Most Valuable Player honor during the 1975 Finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors.
“I don’t know what made me think of Rick Barry,” Ronghi said. “I messaged him. He responded and asked me to shoot him a text and we could figure it out. I’m just amazed at the support.”
Barry appeared on “The Devil’s in the Detail” in January. Ronghi related that the NBA legend reached out just last week with words of encouragement and support to the students.
“He said, ‘Keep up the good work you’re doing with the broadcast,’” Ronghi said. “The only way to get good at doing something is to keep doing it over and over again and correct any mistakes and errors you make, which, in the long haul, will prove to be worthwhile.”
Pictured at top: In the front row, from left, are Lance Ronghi, technology teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, and students Rylan Banfield and Camille Williams. In the back row, from left, are students Raelynn Rae, Adrianne Medve, Addison Gordon, Ayla Evinsky, Kolton Scandy and Logan Sudol.