Donovan Richardson Wins
HHS Spelling Bee
Amy Eisen had an idea and the National English Honor Society chapter at Huntington High School carried it out with what's believed to be the organization's first school-wide spelling bee. Freshman Donovan Richardson won the competition and sophomore Alexis Weitzner finished second.
Ms. Eisen is a senior at the school and vice-president of the English Honor Society. "As soon as she mentioned it in the beginning of the year, the group took an immediate interest in organizing the event," recalled teacher Aimee Antorino, who serves as the chapter's faculty advisor along with colleague Bonnie Guarino.
Organizational details were handled by the society's officers and members and its two advisors. "English teachers helped by holding a preliminary quiz in their classes and then we took the winner from each class to compete in the finals," Mrs. Antorino said.
Some classes produced multiple winners since the two highest scorers had identical scores. The finals drew 40 contestants and included Huntington School Board members Elizabeth Black and Emily Rogan as judges, reading the words that contestants had to then spell out.
The judges were well-qualified for their roles. Mrs. Black taught English in Kings Park for more than 30 years and is currently an adjunct professor at St. Joseph's College. Mrs. Rogan is a professional journalist and writer who penned an essay in the recently published book, "Fits Starts and Matters of the Heart - 28 True Stories of Love, Loss and Everything in Between."
The school-wide finals began near midday and continued for more than two hours. The competition was attended by all available English classes. English teacher Michael Schwendemann served as master of ceremonies.
"By the end of the day the auditorium was packed and spirits were high," Mrs. Black said. "It was heartwarming to see the support the students gave for the finalists and especially for the champion speller, Donovan Richardson. I was happy to be part of the experience!"
Mrs. Rogan said she thought the spelling bee as a "phenomenal success" for several reasons. "First, it brought students of all grades and all abilities together to compete in a collegial atmosphere. The students who were watching were as enthusiastic as they'd have been for a sporting event. The excitement in the room was palpable - for a spelling bee! What really struck me was the energy of the kids in the competition. They worked really hard and wanted to win! I loved being part of such a wonderful event."
"It was a great event and one that we will repeat next year," Principal Carmela Leonardi said. "The audience energized participants and added an aura of friendly competition to the whole activity."
"It was an exciting afternoon," Mrs. Antorino said.