Students take over Observer School Zone for summer

The hot weather is here, and with it comes our annual feature, Summer School Zone, where local students take over our Observer School Zone section and write about topics of importance and interest to them and their peers.

Four writers are joining our reporting team this year — Avery Bangsund, James Governali-Anselm, Lily Parker and Ava Petroski.

AVERY BANGSUND

Avery Bangsund, 17, will begin her senior year at Foundation Academy, where she enjoys the English and math classes. She stays busy at school, participating in Student Leadership Institute, Daughters Growing in Grace Bible study, Lions Den, AV Club, Spanish Club, Culinary Club, Environmental Club, Christians in Service, Ceramics Club and Literature Club.

She also has been on the Foundation Academy Dominican Republic mission trip team for the past two years.

Bangsund’s hobbies are soccer, running, writing, swimming, going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and traveling. On her bucket list is to go to college and play soccer, majoring in communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism.

She is interested in writing about sports and community events.

“I would like to write for the West Orange (Times &) Observer because I love writing, and this paper has always been a big part of what's going on at Foundation Academy and our community,” Bangsund said. “I am excited to be on the other side and a part of something that is important to Winter Garden.”

JAMES GOVERNALI-ANSELM

James Governali-Anselm, 18, graduated from Horizon High School May 29 and plans to attend Valencia College in the fall to obtain his Associate in Arts degree and then move to Tallahassee to get his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.

At HHS, English was Governali-Anselm’s favorite core subject, while broadcasting was his favorite elective.

“High school acted as an opportunity to experiment and broaden my horizons,” Governali-Anselm said. “I felt plugged into the heartbeat of the school through the Hawk News Broadcast Team. I worked as an executive producer for almost three years there, writing daily shows and helping to get stories off the ground. I have been involved with the theater program at Horizon, where I acted onstage and assisted on the technical side.”

While at Horizon High, he participated in FFA, National Honor Society, Student Government Association, International Thespian Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also led a community for high school filmmakers called the Filmmaker’s Guild, and on Wednesdays he operates cameras and audio for live online services at Mosaic Church.

“I absolutely love writing and videography,” Governali-Anselm said. “Filmmaking, broadcasting, as well as making news stories, merged both of these passions and invigorated my interest. So, writing articles for this team feels like an amazing opportunity to keep this habit going professionally.”

Other hobbies include creative writing and videography.

His bucket list, for now, includes writing and directing feature films, working in the film industry, publishing another book and traveling.

“Being truly passionate about writing, crafting stories and making a difference through them is where I feel the most like myself,” he said. “Writing for a newspaper is an outlet that I haven’t explored yet, and the unknown can be exciting. I would love to join a community of hard workers who are just as excited about writing as I am.”

Governali-Anselm’s dream job is to work in the film and TV industry as a writer-director; he also has a sparked interest in communications and novelic writing.

“At the end of the day, if I’m writing in a healthy environment, I should be happy,” he said.

LILY PARKER

Lily Parker, 14, is joining the Summer School Zone writing team for another year. She will be a sophomore at Windermere Preparatory School, where her favorite subject is English. She participates in sideline and competitive cheer and in the National Honor Society for Dance Arts, and she is an event liaison for the Student Government Association.

Parker’s hobbies are reading, writing and paddleboarding. Her bucket list includes traveling to Greece and visiting every continent.

She wants to write about dance and the Sea School Paddleboard Camp for the newspaper this summer.

“I have been writing for the Orange Observer for the past four years, and I am always looking forward to writing another article during summer,” Parker said.

After college, Parker wants to pursue a career in either dermatology or journalism.

AVA PETROSKI

Ava Petroski, 14, will be entering her freshman year at Olympia High School. Her favorite subjects are English and science, and she loves reading and drawing.

“Theater and singing are some of my favorite activities,” she said. “Writing is one of my most beloved things to do.”

She has performed in Junior Thespians for two years, as well as participated in school musicals, community theaters, Pride Club and many summers of Sea World Camp.

Petroski loves Marvel, so her bucket list includes going to Avengers Land in California, because  the whole idea of an Avengers-themed part of a park sounds amazing, she said.

This summer, she hopes to write about local, underrated businesses and activities.

“Learning about different people’s experiences and stories is the heart of an article,” Petroski said. “And a marine science article for younger readers could be really cool! We live in Florida, so there are lots of environmental occurrences to write about. I want to immerse myself in all forms of writing. I love storytelling and playwriting, so when I got the opportunity to become a journalist, I decided to take the chance. I think my first experience in journalism is going to be hard, but fun and rewarding!”

Petroski wants to write, act and become a marine biologist. She hopes also to work in theater, whether it’s singing, acting, writing or costume design.