Teddy Holly is on a roll. The Huntington High School junior is president of the Class of 2019 and he is gaining a reputation as one of the best young guitar players on Long Island.
“I’ve always felt a magnetism to the guitar,” Mr. Holly said. “I’ve been playing for about nine years now. What I’ve come to find is that there is an expressiveness the instrument inherently carries that I personally haven’t found in any other instrument. I enjoy playing both electric and acoustic, but my main electric guitar is a guitar meant for jazz and blues music from the company Glen Burton.”
Like any good musician, Mr. Holly adapts to whatever the situation calls for at any given time, but the teenager definitely has his favorites.
“Blues music would actually be my favorite genre,” Mr. Holly said. “It’s the one genre where I feel you can take musical information and turn it into musical inspiration. Some of my favorite songs would include ‘Bold as Love’ by Jimi Hendrix, ‘Texas Flood’ by Stevie Ray Vaughan and ‘Good Love Is On The Way’ by John Mayer.”
A four year member of Huntington’s Blue Devil marching band, Mr. Holly is also in the high school’s jazz band and he played in the pit orchestra at last year’s musical. The teenager has been inducted into Tri-M, the national music honor society.
Outside of classes and his musical pursuits, Mr. Holly is a Natural Helper, assisting classmates as they work out personal problems. He’s also a member of Huntington’s Habitat for Humanity club chapter and the high school Key Club.
“Student government has been yet another great experience for me in Huntington,” Mr. Holly said. “As a freshman, I was elected to the position of class historian and enjoyed working with my fellow classmates in the program. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been elected class president for my sophomore and junior years. Not only has student government given me the opportunity to make friends who I may have never met otherwise and provided a great amount of real world experience, but it has taught me how to work toward a common goal with people who at times may have a differing opinion on the same subject.”
Since his first day of kindergarten at Washington Primary School, Mr. Holly has been impressing his teachers and classmates with his serious, but fun-loving personality. He’s always been a hard worker and his perseverance has paid handsome dividends over the years.
“I have had an undoubtedly positive experience at Huntington High School,” Mr. Holly said. “I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is on the fence between Huntington and a private school. Just like most things in life, someone gets out of this school what they put into it and I’ve come to find that there truly is something for everybody here.”
Mr. Holly has developed an especially close relationship with high school music teacher Brian Stellato. He’s not sure where he will end up attending college, but he’d like to pursue an academic major in either business or education.
“There are a multitude of things I will always remember about Huntington,” Mr. Holly said. “One in particular is the sense of community throughout the district that has yet to be matched by any other town. The community has this innate ability to come together in its roughest hours and still remain close in its best. I’m truly grateful to have grown up in Huntington.”
