Huntington Strong in Patrick Hannon Bridge Tournament
They came, they saw, they conquered. Julius Caesar wrote a first-person version of the same phrase in 47 BC to describe a quick military conquest. Today it applies to 23 Huntington School District students who are quickly mastering the game of bridge.
The students, who attend Woodhull Intermediate School and J. Taylor Finley Middle School, participated in the Long Island regional youth bridge tournament on recent Sunday at the Marriott Hotel in Melville.
The tournament was held in honor of Patrick Hannon, a Woodhull sixth grader who passed away suddenly in July 2011 while at a Boy Scouts camp in Rhode Island.
Huntington teams winning first place included Matthew Baker, Adam Neber, Maggie Imperato and Shakayiah Boyle; second place teams featured Kaitlyn Sage, Brendan Roller, Natalie Flores and Lauren Sage. All of the students are currently enrolled in grades 5-8.
The youngsters studied bridge for 22 weeks at their respective school in a program initiated five years ago. Woodhull Principal Mary Stokkers and Finley Principal John Amato welcomed the clubs to their schools. The clubs operate under the direction of Long Island Bridge 4 Youth lead by Carol Mathews and Jack Sage.
Dr. Reza Khatib, Garden City resident and retired surgeon provides major financial support for the program along with Long Island Bridge Clubs.