DPNews took a trip from March 13 – 17 to Long Beach to participate in the annual Student Television Network convention. Advisors John Dent and Doug Caines took 23 students to Long Beach, California for the annual convention with over 3200 students from 187 schools throughout the nation.
The team toured the Sony Digital Media Production Center and the NFL network broadcast studios where they received information on new camera technology and broadcast setups. On the first day of the trip, the team also received a tour of SoFi Stadium and participated in the STN Amazing Race which was a scavenger hunt around Long Beach.
The entire team competed in a group competition called Crazy 8’s, where they had eight hours to produce an eight minute news show that told stories of the people in Long Beach.
DPNews found success during the Excellence Awards Ceremony where their daily news show and podcast programs received Silver Medals. This means, their shows are in the top 15 programs throughout the country.
Other groups also won a variety of awards. Aston Smith (12), Luke Knight (10), and Richard Rockenbach (11) won second place in their category of Convention Promo.
Sophia Pixley (11), Sophia Merritt (11), and Jules Steelsmith (12) took third place in their category of Arts and Culture Feature Story, talking about a thrift shop owner’s dedication to recycling.
Trevor Cuevas (12) and Ethan Perez (12) received a third place award in the “Man on the Street” package.
Aidan Myers (12) received an honorable mention in the ‘Tell the Story Editing’ competition, making him the first repeat winner in the ‘Tell the Story Editing’ category.
Finn Spach (12), Jonathan Harling (11), and Rocky Thoman (11) received an Honorable Mention in their package about the impact of AI technology.
DPMedia Director John Dent was proud of the team and their success at STN.
“This event is the premiere contest for high school broadcast teams and I am very proud of our success,” Dent said. “But the biggest win is what the students learned, and the memories made. Over and over again we hear from students about how much fun they had, how they met so many people and bonded with each other, and that is the best prize of all.”
The team plans on attending STN next year in Tampa Bay, Florida.
