NORTH BRUNSWICK — The township Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Services presented Scholar- Athlete-Artist Awards to two local high school students this month.
Tynan Gardner, a junior at Rutgers Preparatory School, and Alexandrea Simpson, a senior at North Brunswick Township High School, were officially recognized and presented with proclamations during the Nov. 3 Township Council meeting.
Tynan is a member of the chemistry and science clubs, and Junior State of America. He has been inducted into Mu Alpha Theta, the mathematics honors society at his school.
He received a bronze medal in Le Grand Concourse, a test given by the American Association of Teachers of French. He was one of 10 winners nationwide in his school’s category, and was able to study French this summer in Perpignan, France.
Tynan has been a member of the crosscountry team for three years and recently took a medal at the Holmdel Shore Coaches Invitational for junior varsity. He is also on the tennis team and played recreation baseball and basketball from kindergarten through middle school.
The high school junior is a member of the Madrigals Singers, the top choir at his school, as well as the Men’s Choir. He made the New Jersey All-State Honor Choir this fall and has auditioned for the American Choral Directors Association Choir for next spring’s National Conference in Utah. He was inducted into the Tri- M Music Honor Society for the National Association for Music Education.
Tynan has played piano since third grade, and took high honors in the New Jersey Music Educators Association Piano Competition last spring, his fifth year to place in the competition.
Alexandrea is a member of the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and is enrolled in advancedplacement history, government and political science, and psychology, as well as honors English.
She started swimming at the age of 7 at Nob Valley Swim Club. She joined the Raritan Valley YMCA Riptide at 8 years old and participated for six years. The four-year varsity swimmer at North Brunswick High School completed her senior summer swim season at Village Swim Club this year.
Alexandrea began cheerleading at age 6 for the North Brunswick Pop Warner Indians Mighty Mites. She also cheered for Our Lady of Lourdes Falcons and Stellar All-Star Cheerleading. She is a three-year varsity cheerleader at the high school.
She volunteers as a Pop Warner cheer coach for the Mighty Mites team of her younger sister, Paige, and accompanied the team to a national competition in Disney World last year.
Alexandrea has been employed by the township as a lifeguard since 2013 and also conducts swim lessons at Village Swim Club.
The Scholar-Athlete-Artist Awards program began in 2003. Students are nominated by teachers, coaches, family members and residents of the community. North Brunswick students in third through 12th grade can be nominated by emailing Lou Ann Benson at [email protected].