Several Dos Pueblos High School student teams won awards at the Student Television Network National Convention, with six teams being awarded placements. This year, STN was held between March 1 to 4 in Tampa, Florida, including 10 different events for students to participate in and 51 different contests for students to compete in. Each competition gave students one to two days to complete and submit their clips.

“It was stressful because it’s such a short time period,” Tyler McCutchen (12) said. “And while it was stressful, it’s also just really fun to spend time making videos in Florida.”

McCutchen, alongside his teammate Micah Barnhart (11), placed first in “Vertical Man on the Street.”

“It was definitely a rush, pretty anxiety-filled beforehand, but just hearing the name getting called, just [an] instant rush,” McCutchen said.

DPHS also won gold for National Excellence because of the “Goodland Podcast,” which is run by Lucas Trexler (11) and Rockford Thoman (12).

“It was really cool because I was just sitting there with Rocky, and when we got to the end [of the awards list], I was not expecting it at all; I was fully accepting the fact that I didn’t win anything,” Trexler said. “And then, when they actually said [we won gold], it was a surreal experience, because I’m like, ‘I actually did that.’”

Additionally, for the first time in DPHS history, a student who was a part of the group going to STN, Sophia Pixley (12), was selected to present on stage for the closing ceremony.

“They announced it in class … and everyone was cheering,” Pixley said. ”It was a very special moment finding that out.”

Pixley went in-depth about her experiences as she announced the awards in front of the STN audience.

“I’m technically the second group of people that go up, and I was super nervous and had an awful stomach ache,” Pixley said. “I was really nervous, but then, when I went up on stage, there was a fog machine, so I ended up not being able to see anyone. So, that kind of made my nerves go away, not really being able to see people. I could hear people cheering, and I saw a couple people stand up from Dos Pueblos and cheer, which is really nice, but my nerves kind of went away, and I was comfortable.”

The awards were not the only thing that students found enjoyable about STN. For some, the general atmosphere was “exciting.”

“It was exciting to be around like-minded people who are also into journalism and media, and I think it was just exciting to have shared energy,” McCutchen said. “Everyone’s there for the same reason. It’s competitive, but it’s communal.”

Edited March 19, 2025 for updated headline.