Cody Jacobs, Behind-the-Scenes Maestro
Cody Jacobs graduated from Huntington High School last Friday night. The young woman with the bubbly personality and infectious laugh, brilliant white smile and quick mind is sure going to be missed by those who counted on her for behind-the-scenes help, and by everyone else, too.
Ms. Jacobs sat in cap-and-gown in the high school auditorium with the rest of Huntington's Class of 2011. Few, if any, of those classmates knew of the help she provided this year to the folks who operate the district's website. The teenager was a constant source of assistance, facilitating connections and stories, answering questions, identifying people in photos, filling in the blanks in stories and generally pitching in whenever she was asked, morning, noon and night.
The new alum, who is headed to Concordia University in Quebec, Canada, is a talented and intriguing photographer. Ms. Jacobs' work has been showcased on the Huntington School District's website and has drawn rave reviews. She earned an Outstanding Achievement in Visual Arts Award in photography at Huntington's senior academic awards night. The honor carried with it a $100 stipend. She also won the $1,000 Jagoda Scholarship and the St. John's University Women in Science Society Award.
As Ms. Jacobs sat among the crowd of 259 graduating seniors in an auditorium filled with more than 1,500 family members and friends, many thoughts raced through her mind.
"I don't think I could put into words the emotions running through me during graduation," Ms. Jacobs said. "There are moments in our life that mark new chapters and high school graduation is most definitely one of them. Even though my senior year was full of teenage angst and the desire to begin a new part of my life, it was also a time of growth. The realization that I will be losing many of the comforts of home is incredibly frightening. Regardless of any strain my friendships have experienced, they still mean a great deal to me. We have all grown up together. Next year we are starting over, in places where out peers and teachers will not have much insight on our past. But Huntington will always be home."
In the hour leading up to the 6 p.m. start of Huntington's 150th annual commencement, graduating seniors checked in with teachers in the school's math wing and chatted with each other as they donned their caps and gowns.
A school official searched among the seniors for Ms. Jacobs and escorted her to the library where administrators and Huntington School Board members were preparing for the ceremony. There, Ms. Jacobs came face-to-face with Superintendent John J. Finello, who just so happens to have been the senior's first grade principal while she was a student at Washington Primary School. The two spoke briefly and then posed for a few photos. Her time in the district had come full circle.
"When Dr. Leonardi announced our graduation and we threw our caps in the air, it felt serene," Ms. Jacobs said. "That moment will never be forgotten. Of course, immediately after that all the other emotions set in and it was finally real. What happens next will be different for all of us. But it is really happening and it is going to be amazing. My thoughts are still racing. It has been wonderful."