Saint John’s Prep School Students Earn 2017 AAA Award

Collegeville, MN:  Seniors Yichu ‘Sterling Chen’ and Alexandra ‘Alex’ Lee are the Saint John’s Prep recipients of the “Triple A (Academics, Arts and Athletics) Award” by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).  According to the MSHSL, the purpose of this program is to recognize and honor high school seniors who have excelled in the classroom, on the athletic field, and in the fine arts.

Yichu ‘Sterling’ Chen is the son of Juming Chen and Li Xu of Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China. He plays varsity tennis for Saint John’s Prep and also serves as captain for the team. Sterling plays the Chinese bamboo flute. Sterling creates art via ceramics and photography. He is also student council president. His favorite classes are IB Physics and College Calculus II. After graduation, he plans to travel with his family before attending college to major in Economics, Business or Math.

“I balance academics, athletics and the arts by developing my time management skills. It also  helps to plan my time wisely. I really push myself not to procrastinate and to finish tasks as soon as possible,” Sterling says.

Alexandra ‘Alex’ Lee is the daughter of Melissa Jansen and Michael Lee of St. Cloud. She plays varsity basketball and is captain of the cross country and track teams. Alex qualified and competed in the 2015 state cross country race. Alex plays the clarinet and is also a photographer. Her favorite classes are IB Theory of Knowledge and Biology. Alex is president of the Saint Cloud Hospital’s Junior Volunteers Advisory Board. Her other activities include Math Team, Mu Alpha Theta, Yearbook and National Honor Society. Alex will major in Pre-Med in college.

“I try to get ahead of homework on the weekends, sometimes I have to sacrifice sleep to keep up!” says Alex. “I also look for other opportunities to work, like doing homework on bus rides to games or meets.”

Criteria for the Triple A Award include:  Exhibit citizenship and be a respected individual in their home communities and school, have participated in a MSHSL-sponsored athletic program and fine arts activity, maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and comply with the MSHSL’s Student Code of Conduct. Both Sterling and Alex will represent Saint John’s Prep at the Region 5A Triple Banquet held on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 in Paynesville.

Founded in 1857, Saint John’s Preparatory School is a Catholic/Benedictine, co-educational, day and boarding International Baccalaureate college preparatory school for students in grades 6-12. For more information, call 320-363-3321 or visit www.sjprep.net.