Huntington High School
Ready to Roll
The faculty and staff members at Huntington High School will be ready to roll when the opening bell sounds next Tuesday to kick-off the new school year. Do they have any choice? With more than 1,200 teenagers filling the building, teachers and administrators have to be on their toes at all times.
Veteran Principal Carmela Leonardi and Assistant Principal Angelo Noce are returning to provide leadership. The pair will be working closely with school deans Robert Gilmor, Paul Calecca and Ronald Wilson and a set of department directors to provide a comprehensive academic and extra-curricular program in a safe, productive and enjoyable atmosphere.
Dr. Leonardi has identified various areas she wants to devote some extra attention to over the course of the 2010/11 school year. "The high school staff will be working with me on improving attendance, setting a supportive and safe climate, providing tiered instruction and increasing student engagement," she said. The principal created a PowerPoint presentation for the recent ninth grade orientation that touched upon many of these same topics.
Dr. Leonardi has served as principal of three different buildings since coming to the district in July 1990. She has been the educational leader of the Woodhull Early Childhood Center and Huntington Intermediate School and since September 2001, has been at the high school's helm.
A graduate of Hofstra University with a Ph.D. in reading and cognition, Dr. Leonardi earned Bachelor and Master degrees at City University of New York – Queens College. Her undergraduate degree was in secondary education and romance languages and she studied foreign language, Italian/Spanish, and comparative literature on the graduate level. She completed two Professional Diplomas, the first in school administration and supervision at Queens College and the second at Hofstra in reading.
Dr. Leonardi holds several teaching certifications, including N-6 elementary education/bilingual extension and 7-12 foreign language/ESL. She earlier worked in the Lawrence school district as a teacher, Italian bilingual program coordinator and K-12 coordinator of instruction. She was also a curriculum director in the Franklin Square school district and has taught at the college level as an adjunct professor.
Mr. Noce is also a high school veteran. Prior to assuming his current position, he was chairman of Huntington's department of physical education and a teacher. He began his career in the New York City schools, serving in a number of roles including school neighborhood worker, attendance and family assistant, student organization, mini-school and grade level advisor, coordinator of student affairs, teacher physical education, swimming and health, dean of boys and acting assistant principal for physical and health education.
A graduate of the City University of New York – Queens College in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education, Mr. Noce obtained a Master of Arts degree in health education at Adelphi University in 1975 and received administrative certification at New York University.
In addition to his teaching and administrative career, Mr. Noce has also held a number of coaching positions through the years. At Grover Cleveland High School he coached varsity baseball, boys' and girls' swimming and junior varsity track and field. He also served as the head women's softball coach at Fort Hamilton High School and was a student varsity assistant baseball coach at Queens College.
Huntington High School has a long tradition of service to the community. The first graduating class received its diplomas during an afternoon ceremony on Friday, July 18, 1862. The class was comprised of Charles H. Baldwin, Ella J. Conlin, Emma F. Downs, James T. McKay, William G. Nicoll and John S. Sherill. A photo of the group is in the collection of the district's School Heritage Museum.
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