SNN Students Gear Up to Compete in Tampa!

Post date: March 19, 2025

By Mason Wagenhoffer

Beginning on March 1st, 2025, a select group of elite film students under the SNN (Southern News Network) banner will embark to Tampa, Florida to compete in the annual STN (Student Television Network) National Convention. This year’s convention, subtitled Unreel, will be held in the Tampa Convention Center and span a total of four working days--from March 1st, to the 4th. There, the upper echelon of film students from all across America (including Southern Regional’s very own!) will gather together to fight to the bitter end--putting their prowess in the art to the test to go for the gold!

SNN, and by proxy, Southern Regional, is no stranger to the STN conventions. Oft spearheaded by TV Production teachers Mrs. Lukas and Mr. Booth, SNN has been putting its best foot forward in this national clash for years. But this time? They’re gunning it straight for the top. Our film division got a taste of what it was like to win in years prior, and SNN’s finest are training their hardest to rocket right to the top. These students have spent three years cultivating their creative minds, quick-thinking, and leadership skills in both Film and News production--honing in on their specialties and techniques in order to truly leave a mark in Tampa this year.

The STN Convention is a chaotic medley of differing competitions all crammed into one hectic four-day work week. There are Crazy Eights--a type of contest that challenges students to write, direct, film, and produce all manners of media in only eight short hours. Teams will tend to split their strongest members for each genre up into individual groups to work on a project for said competition. Crazy Eights can vary wildly; from Action Short Films, to Music Videos, to Podcasts, or even Vlogs. There’s a truly vast array of different genres that these students can choose to express their passions and prowess at the highest level of amateur media production.

And that’s only one day. Crazy Eights are directly succeeded by the main, meaty competitions--where it’s all hands on deck. STN’s General Contests span two days, and put students’ storytelling, technical, and on-the-spot creativity to the test! With a wide variety of categories—from news and sports to short film and music video—contestants will have a set amount of time to create their best work, all while following STN rules and guidelines. And that’s not all. Southern Regional’s own morning show, The Pulse, is also eligible to win awards regarding best student broadcast--which therefore includes every single hardworking member of the SNN homeroom, and the diligence of our students in the News Broadcasting elective.

This year’s STN Convention is going to be a proving ground for those starry-eyed SNN dreamers among our student body, and a way to represent every single student who has ever worked with SNN to make our TV program what it is today. It’s a real chance to test their mettle, go all out, and see just what they’re made of. But until then, they’ll remain diligently practicing for their shot at the limelight. Honing their skills, perfecting their craft, all in the pursuit of taking home the gold.