Huntington Confidential
Last Friday night’s Huntington High School junior-senior prom was attended by a crowd of about 270. Prior to the formal festivities at the Woodbury Country Club, many students attended pre-prom parties at private homes and a number of spots around town.
Huntington graduates Mark and Mary Paar hosted one such event at Tutto Pazzo for their daughter, Sarah and about 20 of her classmates. Dozens of parents turned out there, snapping thousands of photos and nibbling on an assortment of appetizers. Even Superintendent John J. Finello stopped by to mingle.
Another such gathering was held at the home of seniors Chris and Alex Lau in Huntington Bay. Several dozens students and at least an equal amount of parents, including Assemblyman James D. Conte and his wife, Debbie, were on the scene, again taking an endless number of photos to commemorate the occasion.
Dozens more students turned out a still another pre-prom event at the Crescent Club as Blue Devil athletic great Brian Ruggiero and his friends posed for their parents on the scenic grounds and downed light fare. Mr. Ruggiero’s father, Dr. Salvatore Ruggiero, found plenty of opportunities to use his new camera equipment and practice his newfound hobby.
At the prom itself, students looked handsome and beautiful in their special outfits.
New Officers
Huntington High School’s English honor society announced the results of elections for its 2009/10 officers. Colleen Teubner (president), Johanna Clifford (vice-president), Carolyn Fante (treasurer), Ally Kiley (secretary) and Dan Smith (historian) all won terms in office. Aimee Antorino and Bonnie Guarino serve as the society’s faculty advisors.
Rocket Scientists
Huntington High School science research program students participated in the Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest rocket contest. This year’s competition drew 653 team entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia.
According to the contest website, “The teams design, build and launch model rockets with a raw-egg payload that must return to the ground unbroken. This year’s contest goals are an altitude of 750 feet and a flight time of 45 seconds. The rockets must transport the egg laid horizontally to mimic the position of an astronaut.”
The Aerospace Industries Association co-sponsors the contest with the National Association of Rocketry in conjuction with NASA, the Department of Defense, American Association of Physics and 34 separate companies. The contest seeks to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering and math and draw young people into the field of aerospace.
This marks the first time Huntington High School participated in the rocket contest.
Priolo is Perfect
Anthony Priolo is perfect; Two semesters of college under his belt and consecutive spots on the Johns Hopkins University dean’s list. After a strong fall semester he turned in an equally impressive performance this spring. “I did well, everything went well with finals,” he said. The 2008 Huntington High School graduate, who is majoring in applied math, earned one A and three A minuses for an overall semester grade point average of 3.76. The four classes earned him 15 academic credits.
Top Young Writers
Jack Abrams Intermediate School sixth grader Samantha Carroll and fourth grader Christian Verfenstein each won third place honors, respectively, in the annual Huntington Youth Writes contest, sponsored by the town Youth Bureau’s Project Excel.
Ms. Caroll, a student in teacher Patricia Nowack’s class and Mr. Verfenstein is in teacher James Lauter’s class. The youngsters participated in the tenth annual Project Excel writing contest for students in grades 4-12.
More than 1,000 entries were received. The judges enjoyed Ms. Carroll’s original short story along with Mr. Verfenstein’s “Pickle Juice.” In addition to a cash prize, contest honorees will have their work published by the town in a collective volume.
Science Research Honors
Teacher Lori Pyzocha, who heads Huntington High School’s science research program is quite pleased with the progress of her students. Many of them earned honors in the recent Long Island Science Congress competition.
Anthony Kouttron and Andrew Ku won certificates and Merit Awards, respectively. Adam Cerini, Holly Flores, Jake Goldstein, Nicolas Maiarelli, Matthew Petryk, Jack Russo and David Stillman all won certificates and honorable mention honors.
Battle of the Bands
The recent Battle of the Bands sponsored by the Huntington High School science honor society raised $726 for the group’s efforts. The event, which was held at J. Taylor Finley Middle School, was attended by a big crowd of students and even some parents.
Tickets were sold in advance and at the door. There was pizza, refreshments and even a bake sale. The band, “Circuits Fire” won the competition.
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