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<p>FAIRVIEW TWP. &#8211; Environmental activist. Science and math whiz. Musician. Charitable giver. Sports enthusiast.</p><p>Is there anything Tess Edwards can&#8217;t do?</p><p>It should also be mentioned that on top of it all, the 16-year-old Fairmont Township resident has managed to attain a near-perfect GPA.</p><p>Because of her extensive extracurricular activities and educational devotion, Tess has been selected to be featured in the Excel special section.</p><p>She was nominated for the honor by Northwest Area Middle and High School Principal Ryan Miner.</p><p>&#8220;With as many accomplished students as there at Northwest, I was astonished to have been selected for this award,&#8221; she said of the honor. &#8220;I was extremely excited. I was so surprised to be chosen for this award.</p><p>Admitting a love for science, Tess said she was drawn to the field of environmental science in the 4th grade through a recycling project. By following a love for the outdoors and protecting nature, Tess said it was her environmental science teacher, Mr. Lukashefski, who helped develop that passion into a possible career path.</p><p>&#8220;I plan to attend college, earn an environmental engineering degree and start a career in the environmental engineering field,&#8221; Tess said of her plans following a 2020 graduation. &#8220;In addition, I plan to help protect the environment, possibly through the use of alternative energy sources.&#8221;</p><p>If environmental engineering is her goal, it&#8217;s good that Tess also enjoys calculus - although it didn&#8217;t come as naturally as science.</p><p>In fact, the upcoming Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre member said at first she didn&#8217;t believe she would be able to get through a year of the class. But with some hard work, determination and question-asking, Tess blossomed.</p><p>It&#8217;s no wonder that Tess used those same morals to excel in anything she sets her mind to, including earning varsity spots on the school&#8217;s basketball, track and field and cross country teams. Aside from her athleticism, Tess is also a member of the Northwest marching band, where she played flute and acted as the group&#8217;s section leader.</p><p>Tess is an active member in a variety of student groups, including the National Honor Society, Student Council, Yearbook Club and Concert Choir. She has attained numerous awards during her schooling, including multiple &#8220;Student of the Month&#8221; awards, a &#8220;Student of the Quarter&#8221; award in biology and a spot in the National Honor Society.</p><p>Outside of the classroom, Tess utilizes her talents for the betterment of the community. She regularly participates in 5K runs for local organizations and has assisted her own family in running a greener home through recycling and installing more environmentally friendly appliances.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Tess Edwards plans on pursuing a degree and career in environmental engineering. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TessEdwards_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tess Edwards plans on pursuing a degree and career in environmental engineering. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Tess Edwards</p><p>Age: 16</p><p>School: Northwest Area</p><p>Hometown: Fairmount Township</p><p>PARENTS: Wyanita and Mark Edwards</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Excel: Tess Edwards