Thirty Santa Barbara Unified School District students joined more than 5,000 student journalists at the fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Journalism students from Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools gather for a group photo at convention in Nashville, Tennessee. (Courtesy photo)
Journalism students from Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools gather for a group photo at convention in Nashville, Tennessee. (Courtesy photo)

The group included 19 students from Dos Pueblos High School (DPHS), six from Santa Barbara High School, and five from San Marcos High School.

Over three days, students attended workshops in broadcast news, reporting, sports media, design, and storytelling to strengthen their schools’ publications.

San Marcos students and adviser Lara Willbanks also used the convention to support the growth of the school’s journalism program, its new Arts, Media, and Entertainment CTE pathway, and the many new dual-enrollment media offerings.

“The convention was an excellent opportunity to expand our journalism skills and hear from industry professionals,” said Aurora Ivanova, King’s Page editor-in-chief

“It was amazing to be surrounded by so many other teenagers who share our interests in arts, media and entertainment,” she said.

Santa Barbara High journalism and yearbook students attained insight from industry professionals while learning state-of-the-art journalism practices.

“This knowledge will help improve their growing dual enrollment and honors program, available to all students at all grade levels,” organizers said.

“This conference had back-to-back sessions about all the different types of journalism, helping students get more ideas and tips to make us better journalists,” said Ashley Mendoza, Santa Barbara High yearbook editor.

“It was amazing to be taught by different adults with different careers. It helped me explore more ideas for my future and gave me ideas for my role in my yearbook class. Being around other teenagers from all around the world was refreshing,” Mendoza said.

“This convention was an incredible opportunity to be inspired and gain knowledge from the best in their field,” said Clara Watson, Santa Barbara High newspaper editor-in-chief.

“Whether it was advisers, lawyers, college students, or professional journalists presenting at the sessions, they all drastically furthered the spark in me on the importance of good journalism and how to improve how I serve my school as editor-in-chief,” she said.

DPNews returned from Nashville with a strong showing in the annual NSPA awards, highlighted by senior Sophia Pixley’s third-place finish for National Broadcast Journalist of the Year for 2024–25.

The program also earned multiple national honors in broadcast and podcast categories. Kaarlo Anderson, Arthur Bonifield, and Kevin Ngo placed fifth for Podcast of the Year. Lucas Trexler and Townes Widger won first place in the same category.

In the Broadcast Sports Story of the Year, Charles Day and Pixley took third place. Jonathan Harling, Diego Marin, Mychal Nuno, and Rocky Thoman earned third place for Broadcast Commentary Story of the Year. Ashton Belding, Wyatt Ginder, and Chloe Miller finished fourth in Broadcast News Story of the Year.

Yearbook students also had a standout convention, earning multiple Best of Show awards. Photographers Evan Hildner, Everett Lemon, Max Heinemann, and Tash Huie were recognized for their work, and the 2025 yearbook placed 10th in the national Best of Show competition.

DPNews earned sixth place Best of Show for its show Beyond DP.

From The Charger Account, Mika Glasgow brought home Best of Show honors, winning sixth place in design, and Anna Gray earned third place for Reporting and Writing.