South Bend Schools Named “News School of the Year,” Earn 16 Awards in Statewide Media Competition

The Broadcast Media & Film (TV/Radio) program within the South Bend Community School Corporation’s Career & Technical Education Department is proud to announce its student award winners from the 2026 Indiana Association of School Broadcasters (IASB) competition.

For the seventh consecutive year, the student media team earned top honors in the state, being named “News School of the Year” for the third time and “Video School of the Year – 1st Runner-Up” for the second time. In total, students received 16 awards and honorable mentions.

These rankings are determined by accumulated points from student placements across the competition’s five divisions: News, Video, Radio, Sports and Emerging Media.

More than 40 Indiana high schools and career centers submitted over 628 entries across 44 categories. Entries were judged by professionals and educators in media production and broadcasting.

“This program gives students the opportunity to learn professional media production while still in high school,” said Tim Richardson, Broadcast Media & Film instructor for South Bend Community School Corporation. “They’re writing scripts, producing broadcasts, shooting video and editing stories just like professionals in the field. To see their work recognized at the state level year after year is something we’re incredibly proud of.”

The Indiana Association of School Broadcasters supports high schools and colleges across the state in promoting excellence and student achievement in electronic media. Member schools offer academic, career and technical education, or extracurricular programs in broadcasting and digital media.

School of the Year Awards

News School of the Year – South Bend Community School Corporation
Video School of the Year – 1st Runner-Up – South Bend Community School Corporation

1st Place

Video Magazine – “Kids in the Bend” – SBS-TV Media Team
Radio Spot Production – Eli Bueno-Pedraza
Radio In-Depth – Aayla McCann
Video Package – Treylen Criglear
Field Reporter – Jesse Brownlee

2nd Place

Video Magazine – “Buzz in the Bend” – SBS-TV Media Team
Corporate Video – Eli Bueno-Pedraza
Radio In-Depth – Elijah Young

3rd Place

School Newscast – SBS-TV Media Team
Video Package – Elijah Young & Leo Abrajan
Photojournalism – Cooper Harradon
Video Copywriting – Alyssia Montgomery
Video Show Open – Greg Harris

Finalists

Television News Anchor – Jesse Brownlee
Radio News Anchor – Cooper Harradon

Honorable Mentions

Radio Copywriting – Leo Abrajan
Video Spot Production – Felipe Sanchez & Bruce Thompson
Corporate Video – Cooper Harradon

The Broadcast Media & Film program is led by Media Instructor Tim Richardson and Assistant Instructor Erika Celeste, who bring more than 50 years of combined experience in filmmaking, media production and journalism to the classroom.

A full playlist of the 2026 award-winning videos is available HERE.