There simply aren’t enough hours in the day for Amanda LoScalzo. The Huntington High School senior has so much jammed into every 24 hour period that it’s hard to think about it all without getting breathless. The teenager loves to keep busy and wouldn’t have it any other way.
With the finish line in sight after her run through the Huntington School District, Ms. LoScalzo isn’t about to slow down now. “I intend to remain active in many activities that the high school has to offer,” she said.
President of Huntington’s Nathan Hale chapter of the National Honor Society, Ms. LoScalzo is also vice president of the Spanish Honor Society, tutoring coordinator of the English Honor Society and a member of the Math and Science honor societies, too.
“I will spend much time furthering the initiatives of the Interact Club, which I reintroduced to Huntington High School last year,” Ms. LoScalzo said. “This club, which is supported by the Rotary Club, carries out two service projects a year. One is globally oriented while the other attempts to make change in the community. I am extremely proud of what this club has accomplished in only one year. We broke the school record for making the most money during a bake sale, partnered up with the Junior Welfare League of Huntington to collect new and used Halloween costumes, traveled to Washington Primary School to work with the fourth grade leadership team, as well as volunteered in pre-school classes at St. Hugh’s, participated in food and clothing drives and an eyeglass collection for people in Haiti and gathered school supplies for a school there. This club is not just a club; it’s a family of more than 70 members that truly want to make a difference not only in the community, but also worldwide.”
Huntington senior Amanda LoScalzo.
A member of Town Councilwoman Susan Berland’s Youth Council, Ms. LoScalzo intends to continue working with the group. “Last year I held the position of deputy supervisor of events and this year I hope to be just as involved,” the senior said. “I also hope that more representatives from Huntington High School apply so the Council can have more viewpoints from the Huntington area.”
Not about to coast academically
Ms. LoScalzo isn’t about to coast through her senior year academically. She’s enrolled in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, AP Government and Politics, AP Microeconomics, AP Statistics, AP Biology, Spanish V Honors and Psychology. She is participating in a credit bearing full-year internship with English teacher Victoria Lombardi in an AP Language and Composition class.
“I also want to continue to work closely with the special education department,” Ms. LoScalzo said. “Since the summer of eighth grade I have had the honor of working with these truly amazing kids. This past summer, as well as others, I volunteered at the special education camp at Woodhull Intermediate School. I have proudly been a junior coach for the Blue Devils Special Olympics team. Mrs. [Linda] Roth, who is passionate about helping all young people in the community participate in a sport, has graciously allowed me to share in her vision. Her willingness to share has allowed me to create friendships that I would not have, had I not coached with her. Mrs. Roth’s dedication to all of her students has instilled in me the desire to help all. She is not only a coach to me, but has also become a mentor, one that I hope to always remain in touch with. I am excited to continue furthering my bonds with these individuals by working with them in their life skills class as well as with Mrs. Roth during ninth period.”
College plans taking shape
Ms. LoScalzo plans on attending a liberal arts college that ideally would have a business program. She’s looking at several different schools, but hasn’t reached any final decisions.
There is no one better than Ms. LoScalzo at keeping a positive frame of mind and striving to gain something meaningful from every class and all the relationships she has developed with the high school faculty members and classmates.
“I have been lucky to have never found myself in a course that I did not enjoy,” the senior said. “Each and every teacher I’ve had at Huntington has been great and has made learning enjoyable. Ms. [Camille] Tedeschi is not only one of my favorite teachers, but has been one that I can always talk to. Not only has she helped foster my interest in history, but also as the Interact advisor she has helped the club to thrive. I could not think of a better adviser than Ms. Tedeschi. Her love for traveling and seeing the world has provided the club with great insight on making a global difference. She is certainly a teacher I will never forget and hope to stay in touch with.”
Ms. LoScalzo has also enjoyed working with social studies teacher Kenneth Donovan. “He’s someone that truly displays he loves to teach,” she said. “Every day I looked forward to his classes and could not wait to see what interesting topic we would learn about and how he would make it fun. From transforming the classroom into a museum to learn about a certain topic, to having us select modern songs that could tell the stories of the past, Mr. Donovan made wanting to learn exciting.”
Ms. Lombardi has also “largely influenced” Ms. LoScalzo’s high school years. “Her greetings every day took the stress out of school,” the teenager said. “From making a project that displays ethos, logos and pathos to the Great Gatsby debates, her class simply never felt stressful, even though AP Language and Composition could be. She prepared us well for the AP exam and taught beyond the test, trying to also help us with the SAT and to make our everyday grammar and word usages better (i.e. never use the word show, instead use words like display, illustrate, convey etc.)”
Formed “great bonds” with business teachers
Ms. LoScalzo said she formed “great bonds” with business teachers Suzie Biagi and Paige Tyree during the course of taking a set of business classes. “They are teachers who are passionate about teaching, as well as just making sure their students happy,” the senior said. “Mrs. Biagi not only taught me about business, but also about the importance of not ‘sweating the small stuff.’ Every day before Business Management started, Mrs. Tyree would simply not just talk about what we had to accomplish in school, but she cared about what I was accomplishing out of school. Her and I would talk about college and where she could see me, as well as just talk about what we were going to do during school breaks. The subject matter, inclusive of completing a deposition during moot court and learning about how to create a product and write a business plan to market it, will all prove to be helpful in the coming years. Their classes have sparked my interest in wanting to maybe pursue a career in business.”
The senior relishes every school day and all the people she interacts with during her classes and all around the building. She moves about effortlessly and with confidence.
Among the most memorable of Ms. LoScalzo experiences are the two trips she made to Hofstra University to participate in the Long Island regional finals of National History Day. “By creating two documentaries; one in the group category, titled ‘Chanel: A Women Who Created Her Own Legend,’ and the other in the individual category titled ‘Ellis Island: The Gateway between Perception and Reality,’ I was able to further my research skills, which I know will aid me in future college endeavors,” she said.
The teenager will always remember volunteering at the Special Olympics held at Huntington High School. “For it was a time when the student body as well as the community provided a united front to cheer on the Olympians,” Ms. LoScalzo said. “I also enjoyed the spirited atmosphere associated with homecoming weekend. The camaraderie of all in the school, evidenced by the turnout at float night is something that I again hope to be a part of in college.”
It’s only September, but Ms. LoScalzo knows that as each day passes, her time at Huntington High School is growing shorter. When the time comes to move on, she’ll be excited, but she never wants to lose the connection to the place she has called home for so many years.
“I want to absorb as much of it as possible,” said Ms. LoScalzo about her senior year. “The friends I have made throughout my four years and the teachers I have had is what made my high school years so great. I never had a day in high school where I dreaded coming to school. There were always multiple classes that I looked forward to. I hope that as I continue on to college, I am lucky enough to have professors as dedicated to their students as the teachers here are. I am going to miss the welcoming environment of Huntington High School.”
