Gotha Middle student first to win top honors/best in show at Florida State Junior Thespian Festival

Ava Petroski, a student at Gotha Middle School, has won first place/best in show honors for scene writing at the Florida State Junior Thespian Festival.

Ava, an eighth grader at the school, achieved a perfect score and beat out writers from across the state in the yearly competition.

The scene is titled “Cheating” and is a comedy.

The 13-year-old also qualified and participated in two other event categories at the state level: stage design and musical solo.

Ava first qualified for the state festival by winning at the district level in December.

Ava is the first student at Gotha Middle to win these awards at the festival, which took place from Thursday, Feb. 22, through Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Orange County Convention Center.

The festival provides the opportunity for students to participate in a variety of workshops, one act performances, master classes, individual thespian events, mainstage performances and technical theater events led by theater professionals from around the country. Participants also spend time with other middle school students from around the state who share the same passion and excitement for theater.

“Winning best in show felt so out of reach," Ava said. "It just was not something I thought I could do, but earning this award made me realize my words can go further than I ever thought they could. It means that I can go further too.”