BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
Andrea Bradshaw NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township’s second year of the Scholar Athlete Award program has drawn to a close.
Officials threw a pasta party for the 24 students named North Brunswick Township Scholar Athletes in the courtroom of the municipal building, Monday night.
Every month since January 2003, the township’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services has chosen two township students from grades K-12 who display excellence in both academics and athletics for the award.
Among those who won this year were October’s winners Andrea Bradshaw, 16, and Gabrielle DiLalla, 11.
Gabrielle DiLalla Bradshaw, a senior at North Brunswick Township High School, has played her favorite sport, soccer, since kindergarten.
“Soccer has made me realize the importance of working with a team,” Bradshaw said. “To accomplish anything, everyone must work together.”
Bradshaw, who serves as a captain on the high school varsity this year, plays the center midfield position.
“I’ve played on the varsity team for the last three years, but even as a freshman, I was pulled up from the junior varsity to play during the varsity games,” Bradshaw said.
Last year, the Raiders, the high school soccer team, won the All White Division team title. At the state championship dinner, Bradshaw said soccer coaches from across the state named her one of the top 20 soccer players in Central Jersey.
“The coaches vote based on sportsmanship and playing capability,” Bradshaw said. “Winning the title was an honor.”
Bradshaw credited her soccer coach Ray Bearden with helping her gain the skills necessary to excel in the sport.
Prior to playing at the high school level, Bradshaw competed on recreational teams such as the Jersey Knights as well as the township’s recreation and travel teams. Bradshaw, who has also run track since freshman year, serves as distance team captain on the high school’s varsity track team this year.
“I joined track because a lot of the soccer players did to keep in shape, but then I also started running for fun with my dad on the weekends,” Bradshaw said.
When she’s not playing sports, Bradshaw spends her time working on the senior yearbook. A member of the
yearbook staff since sophomore year, she holds the title of editor for this year’s book themed “Redefining Ourselves.”
“Marie Rozma, my yearbook teacher, has helped me grow up by giving me responsibilities in yearbook such as calling and interviewing people,” Bradshaw said. “She is an important person because she is both funny and understanding.”
Besides yearbook, Bradshaw plays the cello and participates in the high school’s National Honor Society and French Honor Society. The state also selected her to attend the Governor’s School at Rutgers University this year.
“The Governor’s Office chooses 100 kids from New Jersey to spend the summer at Rutgers taking college courses,” Bradshaw said. “I had the opportunity to sleep in Rutgers dorms and take classes in engineering for a month this summer.”
The high honor roll student with a 4.25 grade-point average said her favorite school subject is physics, taught this year by James Biolsi. She is also taking five Advanced Placement classes this year.
When asked how she balances her hectic schedule, Bradshaw said, “I owe a lot to my parents for supporting me and not pressuring me. They drive me around everywhere and most importantly feed me, because being so active makes a person hungry all the time.”
Bradshaw hopes to go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall, where she would like to study engineering and architecture.
Although DiLalla isn’t planning her career path yet, she believes it may include studying at Duke University in North Carolina or William and Mary College in Virginia. Her future may have something to do with art, she said.
The sixth-grade Linwood Middle School student has drawn and painted and won several art competitions since kindergarten. This year, DiLalla won the township’s Heritage Day art competition for her age group.
“Art is something that always came natural to me,” DiLalla said. “I started at 2 years old on the basement walls and really got into it at the age of 5, when my brother came home from school with an art project, and I told him I would do it.”
Currently, the North Brunswick Township Library has some of her artwork on display, DiLalla said.
Although she has a passion for art, the honor roll student’s favorite school subjects remain literature and math.
“My teachers in those subjects make them so interesting,” DiLalla said.
On Sundays, DiLalla sings at Our Lady of Peace Parish, located on Route 130, in the church choir.
“Last year I had a Christmas solo, which I will try out for again for this year,” DiLalla said.
The sixth-grader also participates on the Linwood Middle School soccer and basketball teams, the Nob Valley Swim Team in North Brunswick, and the township’s flag football league.
Having played soccer since the age of 4, DiLalla said she’s learned “to have fun at sports whether winning or losing.”
The North Brunswick travel team she played full back for won the title of Spring Flight winner in 2003 under the supervision of coaches Mike Zinnikis, Dan Springfield and Ken O’Dowd, DiLalla said.
In 2003, DiLalla also won the “Most Improved” title from her swimming coaches Jackie Barton and Brian Rose.
“When I earned the title, they said how important it was that I taught myself to swim, and swim competitively, after first coming to the pool two years ago and not being able to dive in from the diving block,” DiLalla said.
Currently, she swims the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke. On Saturdays, under the supervision of Joe Manley and Joe Aloia, DiLalla plays flag football on the Dolphins, the only all-female team in the township league.
“It’s great when we beat the boys,” DiLalla said. “I think we finished with a record of about .500.”
Besides all of her coaches, DiLalla thanked her family for their continuing support.
“They’re the best,” she said. “My dad is always behind me, pushing me to get what I want, while my mom is alongside supporting me, and my brother, Peter, is always around somewhere making fun of me.”
During their regular meeting on Dec. 6, township officials rounded out this year’s scholar athlete program by honoring the winners of the last two months of the year.
Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack named Joey Rosenberg and Brianna Pastrick winners of the November awards and Leslie Higham and Alex Blanco winners for December.
“Art is something that always came natural to me,” DiLalla said. “I started at 2 years old on the basement walls and really got into it at the age of 5, when my brother came home from school with an art project, and I told him I would do it.”
Currently, the North Brunswick Township Library has some of her artwork on display, DiLalla said.
Although she has a passion for art, the honor roll student’s favorite school subjects remain literature and math.
“My teachers in those subjects make them so interesting,” DiLalla said.
On Sundays, DiLalla sings at Our Lady of Peace Parish, located on Route 130, in the church choir.
“Last year I had a Christmas solo, which I will try out for again for this year,” DiLalla said.
The sixth-grader also participates on the Linwood Middle School soccer and basketball teams, the Nob Valley Swim Team in North Brunswick, and the township’s flag football league.
Having played soccer since the age of 4, DiLalla said she’s learned “to have fun at sports whether winning or losing.”
The North Brunswick travel team she played full back for won the title of Spring Flight winner in 2003 under the supervision of coaches Mike Zinnikis, Dan Springfield and Ken O’Dowd, DiLalla said.
In 2003, DiLalla also won the “Most Improved” title from her swimming coaches Jackie Barton and Brian Rose.
“When I earned the title, they said how important it was that I taught myself to swim, and swim competitively, after first coming to the pool two years ago and not being able to dive in from the diving block,” DiLalla said.
Currently, she swims the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breaststroke. On Saturdays, under the supervision of Joe Manley and Joe Aloia, DiLalla plays flag football on the Dolphins, the only all-female team in the township league.
“It’s great when we beat the boys,” DiLalla said. “I think we finished with a record of about .500.”
Besides all of her coaches, DiLalla thanked her family for their continuing support.
“They’re the best,” she said. “My dad is always behind me, pushing me to get what I want, while my mom is alongside supporting me, and my brother, Peter, is always around somewhere making fun of me.”
During their regular meeting on Dec. 6, township officials rounded out this year’s scholar athlete program by honoring the winners of the last two months of the year.
Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack named Joey Rosenberg and Brianna Pastrick winners of the November awards and Leslie Higham and Alex Blanco winners for December.