A new initiative to compile and post profiles of Huntington UFSD faculty members has been launched. The first department to be showcased is physical education and health. The final touches are being put on profiles of fine and performing arts teachers. Additional departments and entire buildings will follow in coming months.
Huntington UFSD already posted on its website profiles of every district administrator. Now more than 400 teachers will be featured, too. The snapshot profiles include a short set of biographical details, including schools attended, degrees obtained, when the teacher’s classroom service began, etc.
Department Director
Georgia D. McCarthy
Huntington Director of Physical Education,
Health and Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy.
Georgia D. McCarthy has been Huntington’s district director of health, physical education and athletics since 2002. She began her career in the district in 1992 as a physical education teacher at Flower Hill and later worked at Huntington Intermediate and the high school.
A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1982, Ms. McCarthy was an outstanding athlete and earned a full NCAA Division I basketball scholarship to James Madison University, graduating in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.
Ms. McCarthy was employed by ABC Television in Virginia, handling sports logging and writing duties and later held a similar position with NBC in New York before ultimately deciding to pursue a career in education.
Adelphi University awarded Ms. McCarthy a master’s degree in physical education in 1990. Her first teaching job was at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, where she also coached varsity girls’ basketball and soccer and junior varsity softball.
At Huntington, Ms. McCarthy coached the Blue Devil JV girls’ basketball team for five seasons and won four Coach of the Year Awards. She also coached the boys’ JV team, volunteered with the boys’ varsity squad, served as JV softball coach and coached boys’ varsity volleyball. She has been active on the college level, too, first as Adelphi’s head women’s tennis coach and then as a graduate assistant in the women’s basketball program.
After teaching for 12 years, Ms. McCarthy earned her state administrative certification through Dowling College in 2002. In addition to her other duties, she is Huntington’s coordinator of driver education and chairperson of the district’s Comprehensive Health Advisory Council.
Ms. McCarthy takes pride in personally knowing almost all of the students participating in the district’s athletic program. She is a frequent visitor to Huntington’s gyms and fields and is a constant presence at meets and games.
Section XI’s female Athletic Council representative for Conference II, Ms. McCarthy also serves as the Conference II secretary. She is Section XI’s representative on the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s modified (middle school/junior high school) committee.
A member of Section XI’s official’s negotiations, finance, sportsmanship and eligibility committees, Ms. McCarthy is the co-chair of the modified committee and the chair of the appeals penalty assessment committee. She is the Suffolk County Athletic Directors’ Association vice president.
A love for sports led Ms. McCarthy to develop a summer lacrosse and basketball camp, which she directed for nine years and which grew to become one of the premier programs in the northeast. She was an AAU basketball coach for many years.
Ms. McCarthy’s father, Ray Deren once held the same position in Huntington that she now does and she regularly credits him for a lengthy list of innovations and accomplishments on behalf of the physical education and athletic programs, as well as for her own success. She started an annual scholarship in his name and presents it each year at the Blue Devil senior athletic awards dinner.
Ms. McCarthy has two sons who are Huntington High School graduates; John, a graduate of James Madison University and Kenny, a JMU junior.
Physical Education & Health Faculty Profiles
Christine Affrunti
Christine Affrunti has been a Huntington health education teacher since September 2016.
A graduate of Northport High School, she obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Adelphi University in health education. She earlier worked as a leave replacement health teacher at Hempstead High School and as a substitute in six different Long Island districts. She has also worked as a private health tutor and as an American Sign Language tutor.
Richard Agnello
Richard Agnello has been a Huntington health education teacher since September 2002. He is a graduate of Island Trees High School and obtained an undergraduate degree at McDaniel College and a graduate degree at Hofstra University. He holds certifications in physical education and health education.
Mr. Agnello has coached middle school boy’s and girl’s basketball and track and field.
Marissa Bergmann
Marissa Bergmann has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2014. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2003, she earned an undergraduate degree at Purdue University in elementary education with a minor in reading and obtained a master’s degree at Stony Brook University in liberal studies with a concentration in health science.
Ms. Bergmann has coached high school basketball and field hockey and middle school soccer and lacrosse. She has served as treasurer of the Suffolk County Girls’ Basketball Coaches Association.
Maria Canino
Maria Canino has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2014. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2007, she obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Adelphi University and Stony Brook University, respectively. She is also certified in health education.
Ms. Canino has coached JV girls’ volleyball, soccer and softball. She is also an active member of the high school’s Natural Helpers club. She regularly attends and has been a guest speaker at the NYS AHPERD conference.
Nancy Conlon
Nancy Conlon has worked in the district since 1986 and been a full-time member of the physical education department’s faculty since November 1992. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1981, she earned a full athletic softball scholarship to LIU-C.W. Post College, where she obtained an undergraduate degree in physical education. She later earned a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. She has coached middle school field hockey and softball.
Karen Fischer
Karen Fischer has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1995. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1989, she played soccer, basketball and softball for the Blue Devils. She obtained her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Ithaca College where she also played soccer, basketball and softball. She secured her school administrator certification through Stony Brook University.
Over the years, Ms. Fischer has coached varsity soccer (county champions 2003 and 2004) and lacrosse for the Blue Devils. She currently serves as the scoreboard operator for many Huntington indoor and outdoor athletic teams. She has been honored by the Huntington Booster Club and was inducted into the Ithaca College Sports Hall of Fame.
Louis R. Giani
Louis R. Giani has been a full-time Huntington physical education teacher since September 2007. Prior to that, he worked part-time in the district for two years. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2000, he obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Brockport in physical education and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. He has also worked in Huntington’s alternate high school program. He has coached middle school and high school wrestling and middle school boys’ soccer.
Lynn Hefele
Lynn Hefele has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1988. A graduate of Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough, Massachusetts, she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Springfield College in physical education and movement science with a concentration in biomechanics, respectively. Founder and president of Literature Enhanced Physical Education, Inc., she has written and published numerous books.
Mrs. Hefele has coached girls’ volleyball on the varsity, junior varsity and middle school levels, JV and middle school boys’ volleyball and middle school co-ed cross country and girls’ track and field. She has also been active in Special Olympics.
A longtime executive board member of New York AHPERD’s Suffolk Zone, Mrs. Hefele was a SHAPE America National Teacher of the Year Award finalist. She has made presentations at regional, state and national conferences.
Jim Hoops
Jim Hoops has worked full-time in the district since April 1984 and has been a physical education teacher since September 1992. He is also certified as a social studies teacher. A graduate of John H. Glenn High School, he obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Stony Brook University, through which he also obtained his school administrator certification. He has coached wrestling on the high school level and boys’ and girls’ tennis and girls’ soccer on both the middle school and high school levels. He has also coached middle school boys’ soccer and baseball.
Mr. Hoops has also served as the district’s public information coordinator since July 2001. He maintains Huntington UFSD’s website content and also prepares items for the district’s various social media platforms.
Katherine Kid
Katherine Kid has been a Huntington health education teacher since September 2016. A graduate of South Side High School, she obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees from Binghamton University and Hofstra University, respectively. She previously taught health education in the Plainview- Old Bethpage School District and was the founding health teacher at Brooklyn Prospect Charter School.
Timothy Madden
Timothy Madden has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2002. A graduate of Hauppauge High School, he obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. He has coached football, basketball, baseball, track, lacrosse and softball at various levels.
Michael Marinello
Michael Marinello has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1995. He earlier taught at Western Suffolk BOCES for five years. A graduate of Sachem High School, he earned an undergraduate degree at Springfield College in physical education and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University in liberal studies with a concentration in health science. He has coached high school golf, high school and middle school wrestling, JV tennis and middle school baseball and boys’ track and field.
Mr. Marinello is a CPR and First Aid trainer. He has also been a volunteer emergency medical technician.
Eric Mininni
Eric Mininni has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1998. A graduate of Oceanside High School, he obtained an undergraduate degree at Towson State University in athletic training and physical education and a master’s degree at Adelphi University in health.
Mr. Minnini has coached middle school, junior varsity and varsity boys’ and girls’ volleyball, middle school boys’ track and field, junior varsity girls’ tennis and middle school boys’ tennis.
Alex Nelson
Alex Nelson has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2017. A graduate of Smithtown High School East, he obtained an undergraduate degree at Adelphi University, where he dual majored in physical education and accounting. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in health education.
Licensed by Eastern New York Youth Soccer as a professional soccer trainer working for Long Island Professional Soccer, Mr. Nelson has coach middle school and JV soccer and middle school basketball. He trains travel soccer teams for the Long Island Junior Soccer League.
Carrie Postel
Carrie Postel has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2001. A graduate of Sachem North High School, she obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at Long Island University-C.W. Post and Touro College, respectively. Before coming to the district, she was a part-time health and physical education teacher in the neighboring Elwood School District. She also previously worked as a permanent substitute teacher in Sachem.
Mrs. Postel has coached varsity, junior varsity and middle school girl’s volleyball and middle school girl’s track and field.
Natalee Schaeffer
Natalee Schaeffer has been a Huntington physical education and health education teacher since September 2010. She obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at SUNY Cortland in 2004 and 2006, respectively. She secured her school administrator certification through Stony Brook University.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Schaeffer worked for several years as a physical education and health teacher in West Islip and as a leave replacement in South Huntington.
She has coached girls’ volleyball on the high school and middle school levels and middle school girls’ lacrosse.
Adam Sherrard
Adam Sherrard has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2013. He previously taught in Smithtown for five years. A graduate of Smithtown High School, he obtained an undergraduate degree at SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. He also holds state administrative certification. He has coached high school football and boys’ lacrosse and middle school baseball and wrestling.
Travis T. Smith
Travis T. Smith has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1998. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1992, he obtained a bachelor’s degree at SUNY Brockport and a masters’ degree at Stony Brook University. He has coached wrestling on both the middle school and high school levels and earned many awards, including national varsity assistant coach of the year in 2004. He has also coached boys’ soccer and lacrosse on the middle school level.
Christopher Taylor
Christopher Taylor has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1996. A graduate of Port Richmond High School in Staten Island, he obtained an undergraduate degree at CUNY-Queens College and a master’s degree at Hofstra University.
Mr. Taylor has coached high school football and lacrosse and middle school basketball, volleyball and track and field.
Eric Triolo
Eric Triolo has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2000. A graduate of Walt Whitman High School, he obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Massachusetts and Hofstra University, respectively. He has coached varsity lacrosse and middle school girls’ tennis.
Elizabeth Vogelsang
Elizabeth Vogelsang has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 2015. A graduate of East Islip High School, she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in physical education at SUNY Cortland with a concentration in adaptive learning and a master’s degree in health education at West Virginia University.
Ms. Vogelsang has coached varsity girls’ cross country and lacrosse and JV girls’ volleyball. Prior to coming to Huntington, she coached middle school girls’ soccer and JV girls’ lacrosse in Kings Park.
John Walsh
John Walsh has been a Huntington physical education teacher since September 1994. A graduate of East Islip High School, he earned an undergraduate degree at SUNY Brockport and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University. He has coached boys’ volleyball on the middle school and high school levels and varsity girls’ soccer and softball. He is also a CPR and First Aid trainer.
Julian Watts
Julian Watts has been a full-time Huntington health education teacher since September 2015. Prior to that he worked in the district on a part-time basis for two years. A graduate of St. Anthony’s High School, he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Hofstra University, where he also earned and a master’s degree in health education. He has coached high school boys’ lacrosse and middle school football.