Flowers Out, Charity In for
HHS Drama Club
Hurricane Sandy delayed by one week this past fall's Huntington High School drama club production of Lady Windermere's Fan. That relatively minor inconvenience paled in comparison to the upheaval in the lives of those who lost their possessions and saw their property and even homes damaged or destroyed.
Huntington corps of actors and stagehands is one of the hardest working and dedicated organizations at the school. No one knows this better than drama club faculty advisor Michael Schwendemann.
The group toiled for months to develop a high quality show and succeeded on all fronts based upon feedback from audience members. While the teenagers do like to take a bow for a job well done, they also have an altruistic streak in them.
Presenting flowers to cast members at the conclusion of a production is a time-honored theatre tradition. The Huntington High School stage has been no different. But, coming in the aftermath of the ferocious Sandy, this fall was most definitely different.
The drama club put the word out that instead of spending money on flowers for the actors a donation should be made for the victims on the hurricane. Donation certificates were put in place in the auditorium lobby. "They could be filled out in honor of an actor, but with the money going to the relief fund," parent Jackie Gerdes explained. "The Drama Club Parents Assn. then matched the money the students raised."
One of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy was Copiague, a south shore community with extensive frontage along Great South Bay. The hamlet suffered staggering losses. Its plight touched the hearts of the Huntington drama club members.
When the drama club members finished their fundraising initiative, the monies were tabulated. A check for $1,000 will soon be on its way to Copiague School District Superintendent Charles A. Leunig for use in the district's student program.
During a Tuesday afternoon ceremony in the Huntington High School auditorium, the drama club presented the check to Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky. He will pass it along to Mr. Leunig and the Copiague School District on behalf of the actors, along with their best wishes for a successful recovery from the dreadful storm.
"This is yet one more very significant example of how young people step up when it is needed most," Mr. Polansky said. "These kids were much more satisfied and excited to give to their peers in need within the Copiague community than with any gift they might have received."