Margaret Allgood Wurfel, 10, a fourth-grade student at Meadows Elementary School in Santa Clarita, has won the National Award of Excellence in Film Production from the PTA Reflections Program, a national arts competition with entries from students all across the country.

Her three-minute documentary, “Kalavera the Tripod Cat,” follows the story of a resilient three-legged rescue cat and was created in response to this year’s PTA Reflections theme: “Accepting Imperfection.”

Maggie advanced through local, district and state competitions before earning national recognition.

She developed the interview questions, shot the entire film herself using a Canon camera, conducted an interview with the veterinarian who treated Kalavera and was helping rehome her and edited the film using Premiere Pro, software she learned with help from her father last year.

The Reflections Program has supported student creativity through the arts since 1969 and Maggie’s film highlights how even elementary school students can craft powerful, empathetic stories.

Maggie is also a Girl Scout, a two-time science fair winner, a member of the Canyons Aquatic Club swim team, plays cello and placed third in district photography in last year’s PTA Reflections competition.

The full documentary can be viewed at https://youtu.be/HF0bzq3P_n0].

To see the full list of national award winners visit www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/programs/reflections/_2024-2025-accepting-imperfection/2024-2025-winners-list_f.pdf.