Central Union High School students win National Gold Davey Award

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) - A local student-led podcast project is celebrating a major interactive media win after beating out thousands of entries nationwide, including top-tier universities.

Central Union High School's flagship audio series, "Voices del Valle," has been named a 2026 Gold Davey Award winner in the Student Series category.

Produced for KPBS San Diego, the podcast features coming-of-age stories and interviews with local figures and celebrities who grew up across Imperial and Yuma counties.

The Davey Award, honoring the finest work from smaller production shops and creators, places the high school broadcasters at the very top of their field.

"It makes me feel really good," said Dr. Thomas Tacke, the audio production teacher at Central Union High School. "I'm really proud of what they've accomplished, and the opportunity for us to tell some really powerful stories is what really makes it worthwhile."

The school's dedicated audio production program originally launched in 2018 to give students real-world, hands-on studio experience.

Now entering its third season on the air, the crew behind "Voices del Valle" is hand-selected and coached to execute high-level technical production.

"It's really fun being part of Voices del Valle," shared Central Union senior Athena Merino. "It's honestly just a really cool experience to be a part of because it makes you feel like you're part of something bigger."

The award-winning podcast series dives deep into the diverse realities of living and growing up in the Valley.

Past episodes have spotlighted raw, localized storytelling by highlighting community paths to success and documenting everyday life in regional hubs.

The students have interviewed notable figures like Cedric Thompson, a former NFL player who shared his life journey of moving from Los Angeles to Bombay Beach, attending Calipatria High School, and eventually making it to professional football.

Another episode featured talented guitarist Eugene Edwards, who opened up about moving from Yuma into the music industry and navigating the common question, "Where is Yuma, and what is that like?"

The crew also took their microphones directly into local communities, traveling out to Slab City to interview two local teenagers.

The students noted that listening to them describe how much childhood had changed compared to growing up in Brawley was a deeply inspiring experience.

The specialized media curriculum is having a profound impact on the student creators, inspiring future careers and accelerating immense personal growth.

For senior Malaki Rodriguez, the studio work shifted from a hobby to a future career path.

"First it was for fun, but when I was applying to universities, I saw that as one of the majors and I applied for it," Rodriguez said.

For others, stepping behind the microphone completely changed how they view themselves.

"I never thought of speaking out to other people, people I don't know," said senior Margarita Guillen. "I'm a very introverted person, so being able to be on Voices del Valle helped me a lot by interacting with others and being able to tell other people's stories."

"Voices del Valle" is just one part of a remarkably busy high school broadcast department. The Central Union program also produces two other distinct podcast series:

• "Valley Vibes": Produced for Power 98.3 FM, this weekly project requires students to put together a complete 45-minute radio show every weekend. The relentless schedule has proven to be a massive learning experience, with the students recently hitting their 120th episode.
• "Inside the Blue Zone": A dedicated student-athlete podcast series. As various high school sports cycle through their seasons, the student-athletes themselves take to the microphones to break down upcoming matchups, game recaps, and the unique challenges of balancing academics with competitive athletics.

Watching his students command the airwaves, Dr. Tacke sees a bright future for the regional media program.

"I have watched these kids grow tremendously, and their voices got a lot bigger and a lot more confident," Dr. Tacke said. "You know, I'm hoping to see more of our students go into production media."

You can stream "Voices del Valle," "Valley Vibes," and "Inside the Blue Zone" on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts.