Adelia Witt is Ready for the
Univ. of Maryland
On her first day of kindergarten at Jefferson School 13 years ago, Adelia Witt probably never thought of the day she would graduate from Huntington High School. That day is fast approaching for members of the Class of 2013, who are in their final weeks of classes.
Ms. Witt attended Jefferson School through third grade and then spent three years at Woodhull School before moving on to J. Taylor Finley Middle School and finally, the high school. She is headed to the University of Maryland in the fall where she plans to major in speech pathology.
Over the past four years, Ms. Witt has been integrally involved in the Huntington High School music program. A gifted cello player, the senior is currently the first chair, a member of the chamber orchestra and of the "pit" at school musicals since she was a freshman. She is this year's orchestra president.
"I have to say, pit was something I looked forward to every year," Ms. Witt said. "Having two different conductors during the year (Brian Stellato for pit and Lisa Leonardi for orchestra) helped me learn and develop as a player and I am truly grateful for that."
Ms. Witt is a member of a string quartet that performs at numerous volunteer and paid gigs. The teenager has also been teaching cello to five students. "Once I started teaching cello, I realized that I love teaching, which helped me decide on my college major."
A three-sport athlete, Ms. Witt has been a member of the Blue Devil varsity cross country, winter track and spring track teams. She earned her fifth varsity letter in winter track this year and has captained the winter and spring track teams as a junior and senior.
"I've been blessed to have Coach [Debra] Cheskes for cross country and winter track and to have Coach [Jennifer] Fudens for spring track," Ms. Witt said. "I am thankful for all the opportunities they have given me."
Ms. Witt recently competed in the 4x400m relay at the Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia. It drew thousands of top high school and college athletes. Running with the senior were relay teammates Katie Healy, Rachel Boisclair, and Jontae Smith. "It was amazing because around 500 teams were competing in the same event as us and most of them were crazy fast," Ms. Witt said.
This year, Ms. Witt is enrolled in AP Government, AP Microeconomics, AP Literature and Composition, AP Calculus AB, honors physics, music theory and orchestra.
"I love science and I'd have to say that one of my favorite classes was AP Biology with Mrs. [Deborah] Beck," Ms. Witt said. "I had heard from older friends who took the class that it was a huge work load and it made me weary, but I am so glad that I did. Even though there was so much to learn in such a short amount of time, I believe that Mrs. Beck properly prepared us for the AP all while entertaining us with her crazy analogies, which will stick in my mind forever. I tutor AP biology now and I'm loving it."
Like most seniors, Ms. Witt is looking forward to the future, including college, but a little sad to leave behind the comforts of home. "I'm beyond excited to go to college, but I'll truly miss Huntington as a whole," Ms. Witt said. "I'll miss the people and the school, but most importantly the bagels." The senior has a very good sense of humor.
Her teachers, teammates and fellow musicians will miss Ms. Witt. She has been reliable in every sense of the word. She comes prepared, ready to contribute and is also willing to learn new things.
"My favorite part of high school isn't really related to school, but I loved how I came into high school barely knowing anything and I'm leaving with so much more life experience," Ms. Witt said. "I have a ton more to learn, but I feel like Huntington High School really prepared me for college and my future."
As Huntington's Class of 2013 gets ready for its commencement, seniors have shown a willingness to share what they have learned with members of the Class of 2017. "My advice for incoming freshmen is to always use the lowest hand dryer in the girls' bathrooms since they have the hottest air and the most air comes out," Ms. Witt joked. "But, on a more serious note, freshmen need to take high school seriously. It flies by and the grades you get really do influence your future, so don't take it lightly."