Students from Dos Pueblos High School’s award-winning DPNews program earned top recognition at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter Student Production Awards, marking a historic milestone as the first year high school students were included in the prestigious regional Emmy® competition.
The Pacific Southwest Region, which represents Southern California and Nevada, expanded its Student Production Awards this year to include high school entries.
DPNews students were recognized across multiple categories, showcasing excellence in storytelling, production, and technical craft:
- Non-Fiction — Breaking the Oil Chain
- Ari Ludkovski, Casey Engel, Michael Shinn, Kieran Learmonth
- Public Service Announcement (PSA) — A Breakup with Lawns
- Rocky Thoman(‘25), Sam Mitchell(‘25), Jonathan Harling(‘25)
- Commercial — NFHS Covering it ALL!
- Townes Widger, Stephen McElroy(‘25)
- Newscast — DPNews Live from Tampa Bay
- Natalee Zbinden(‘25), Alex Gardiner(‘25), Nathan Vincent(‘25), Sophia Pixley(‘25), Micah Barnhart, DPNews Staff
- Sophia Pixley(‘25)
- Talent — Purpose in Every Frame
- Sophia Pixley(‘25)
- Photographer — The Dark Watchers
- Evan Pinsker, Tyler McCutchen
- Photographer — Your Story Starts Here
- Alex Gardiner(‘25), Everett Womack, Sam Blakely(‘25), Abby Selzler, Selah Blackwell
- Director — STN Promo – So Much Drama
- Alex Gardiner(‘25), Everett Womack, Sam Blakely(‘25), Abby Selzler, Selah Blackwell
- Director — Your Story Starts Here
- Alex Gardiner(‘25), Everett Womack, Sam Blakely(‘25), Abby Selzler, Selah Blackwell
“This recognition at the regional Emmy level validates the real-world, industry-standard work our students are producing every day,” said DPNews adviser John Dent. “To see their storytelling compete, and win, at this level in the very first year high schools were eligible is incredibly meaningful.”…