For five days in early March, the streets of downtown Tampa were taken over by students with cameras, tripods and microphones. The Student Television Network (STN) National Convention was held at the Tampa Convention Center for the first time in the organization’s 25-year history. The event welcomed 3,500 middle and high school students from 186 schools across the country.
STN is a non-profit organization serving more than 40,000 students in broadcast journalism, film and multimedia education around the United States and internationally. Program benefits include leadership development, student-led competitions, curriculum and career readiness. The STN National Convention is an annual event that features workshops, panel discussions, live competitions, networking events and awards ceremonies.
But even long before the STN National Convention, Sickles teacher, David Pritchard, began preparing his students. “We have practice sessions throughout the year. By the time the STN National Convention came around this year, we had already done four full Crazy 8 practices,” said Pritchard. “The kids have their roles and the schedule down by the time we go into competition.”
In addition, STN holds online challenges and contests throughout the school year. Last November, a team of cinema students had six days to create a silent film based on the provided prompt, “Uh oh. We’re being followed.” The film earned Sickles an Honorable Mention award in the Silent Film Division I category.
This year, 26 Sickles students attended the STN National Convention where they entered nine contests, attended educational sessions and met students from as far away as Hawaii and Alaska. On the first night, students participated in the STN Amazing Race contest as they fanned out across downtown Tampa on a fast-paced scavenger hunt. The next day, students anxiously awaited the Crazy 8’s contest prompts. Broadcast and film teams had just eight hours to write, shoot, edit and produce a complete project based on a provided prompt and parameters. After a long day of filming and editing, students returned to the Tampa Convention Center to submit their projects before the deadline. Cheers of excitement were heard as students walked the red carpet, posed for photos and pressed the big red button signaling their project’s completion.
Sickles junior Katelyn Bryant participated in several broadcast competitions and said that the STN National Convention was such a great experience. This was her second year attending and said she enjoyed competing, creating great things and having fun. “I’m looking forward to next year,” said Bryant. For senior Alina Tewksbury, this was her final STN National Convention. She looked forward to the event every year and said it was a great way to gain experience and be around other students who shared the same passion. After graduation, Tewsbury plans to attend college and major in film.
During the rest of the STN National Convention, students participated in more contests, attended educational sessions, a college fair and two awards ceremonies held inside the Tampa Convention Center. One of the most popular events was the first ever STN CineFest held at the historic Tampa Theatre. Students got to see their films and music videos shown on the big screen amongst their peers.
Pritchard pointed out that the STN National Convention is beneficial to his students in many ways. “STN gives students a chance to experience real world production. It also gives them a chance to show their skills off to the world and compete,” said Pritchard.
As a result of their preparation and hard work, Sickles won two awards. During the first awards ceremony, an Outstanding Achievement silver medal award was awarded in the High School Newsmagazine division. At the closing awards ceremony, Sickles earned an Honorable Mention for their submission in the Vertical Short Film contest. The students will look to carry that momentum into April when they participate in more competitions at the Florida Scholastic Press Association Convention in Orlando. Then in February 2026, Sickles students will return to the STN National Convention in Tampa with the goal of winning more awards.
“Iron sharpens iron. By putting our products up against the top schools in the country, we continually get better,” said Pritchard.
