Tewksbury Memorial High Students Named Hats Off Winners For April

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury Memorial High School seniors John Regolino and Tyler Trodden have been named the Tewksbury Rotary Club Hats Off Award winners for April.

The Hats Off Award, a joint initiative between the Tewksbury Rotary Club and TMHS, recognizes students who have distinguished themselves academically, have contributed to co-curricular programs at the high school and have been involved in the community. Students are nominated by TMHS faculty.

Regolino is the TMHS DECA president and a DECA state champion. He also served as coordinator for the DECA Fashion Show, which raised $20,000 for the Meghan McCarthy Research Fund.

Additionally, Regolino is a member of Mock Trial and he previously served on Class Council.

Regolino, who has been forced to deal with some family adversity in recent years, plans to attend Endicott College and major in Business Management.

TMHS faculty member Jim Sullivan said he nominated Regolino due to the latter's commitment to the TMHS community.

"Last year, (Regolino) experienced the loss of his grandfather, along with the diagnosis of stage four cancer in his father," Sullivan said. "John has not made any excuses for what is going on in his life. Rather, he has chosen to continue to take it head-on and support his family by driving his parents to and from Boston for his father's weekly treatments and checkups, all while continuing to be committed to his academics and leading the TMHS DECA program."

Trodden, meanwhile, is in the top 10 percent of his class, is a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship recipient and a member of the National Honor Society. He's the president of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) and a member of the International Club, Principal Advisory Board, Student Class Council and PEER Mentoring.

Trodden is a member of the TMHS track and field team and he received the "One Step Ahead" Award for his work with the Billerica Recreation Department.

Trodden said he plans to attend Emmanuel College and major in economics, and that he hopes to pursue a career in finance or real estate.

TMHS faculty member Cindy Brangiforte said she nominated Trodden for his academics and willingness to go above and beyond to help his peers.

"Tyler is a model student here at TMHS both academically and socially," Brangiforte said. "He has spent countless hours working diligently on many scholarship applications, along with helping his classmates navigate the scholarship application process, as well."