The sixth annual STN Challenge contest is just around the corner. It’s simply one of the toughest, coolest contests out there for scholastic broadcasters. I should know. I started them.

In 2003, which seems like the Ice Age in the ten-year history of STN, we wanted to put kids to the test in a brand new way. It was decided that a strict, five-day production contest, with the proper topic, could really give kids a taste of news pressure that they might not experience the rest of the year.

So we came up with a topic that asked teams to cover the problem of obesity among American teens. Over 30 schools entered, which was about twice as many as we anticipated. In the end, about 22 of them actually made the contest deadline. The judging began and we announced the five finalists on the STN website, which was a cool way to recognize five deserving teams, and to stir up interest in the final results.

Since there was no STN convention in 2003, and I was already making presentations regularly at the JEA convention, we set up a special hour in Portland, OR to honor our winners. What a great hour that was as we watched the top three entries, and in the end, Waianae High School from Hawaii walked away with the top prize. It would not be their last.

I remember the kids who produced the top three stories coming up front to talk about their entries. There was a lot of pride in that room, and a lot of appreciation from peers of both the honored students and their teachers. The STN Challenge had done exactly what it was intended to do. It had inspired students, in teams of four, to work together, often late into the night (or morning) to meet a tight deadline. It had also fueled their creative powers and lit a fire under them that often continued to burn the rest of the year. (”Hey, we did the STN Challenge…we can handle anything else you wanna throw at us”)

With all due respect, I have to ask you this, STN teachers: With all this contest offers, and the many lessons it brings, and the bonding opportunities it presents, how can you NOT enter your kids in the 2009 Challenges? Give it a shot. I promise it will be worth it.