Booster Club Presents Sportsmanship Scholarships
The Huntington Booster Club awarded sportsmanship awards and scholarships to seniors Mia Rienzo and Richard Fernandez at the 43rd senior athletic awards banquet held earlier this month in the high school gym.
The $500 scholarships were established by the Booster Club to honor one male and one female student athlete "who through their actions in the competitive arena of high school athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, dedication, unselfishness, determination, respect and responsibility," according to the nomination booklet.
Nominees for the this year's awards included Alyson Coleman, Joseph D'Esposito, John Ferraiolo, Kianna Frietag, Ryan Mulligan, Courtney O'Bryan, Jimmy Oliva, Louis Puca, Shea Scully and David Stillman along with Ms. Rienzo and Mr. Fernandez.
Booster Club Vice-President Bill Hughes and fundraising coordinator Carol Scully presented the awards to the two seniors before a crowd of about 200 in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.
Mr. Fernandez is headed to SUNY College at Cortland in the fall to play on the Red Dragons' football and track and field teams. He was an outstanding lineman for Huntington's gridiron team and an exceptional thrower on the Blue Devil winter and spring track squads.
Ms. Rienzo plans to study at Binghamton University's Harpur School of Arts and Sciences. She was a mainstay on the Blue Devil crew and fencing teams. The senior earned a bronze medal in the state crew championships and was fifth in the Suffolk fencing finals.
The Booster Club scholarships were created "to impress upon young athletes the importance of respecting oneself, teammates and competitors by promoting integrity and sportsmanship in the game," according to nomination materials. "It's not about winning: It's how you respect the game that's important."
Huntington's varsity coaches were asked to nominate student-athletes for the scholarship awards and Booster Club officials selected the recipients. Ms. Rienzo and Mr. Fernandez smiled broadly as they were presented with their awards and graciously posed for a series of photos before the large crowd. The award recipients were also given white hats emblazoned with the Booster Club's name and logo.
The Booster Club has had a highly visible presence in recent years. The rejuvenated group has repeatedly held successful annual fundraisers during each of the past four years at Crab Meadow Golf Course and Christopher's Courtyard Café and donated more than $150,000 to the district's athletic program in goods and services.