Lindsay Saginaw and Jamie Spector will both graduate near the top of Huntington High School’s Class of 2018 at the 157th commencement exercises on Friday night at Blue Devil Stadium.
The two teenagers were academic and co-curricular standouts, playing integral roles with a number of teams and organizations and displaying exceptional leadership qualities. The duo was respected and admired by classmates and will be sorely missed next year when each begins pursuit of a new set of goals at their respective colleges.
Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky presented Ms. Saginaw and Ms. Spector with this year’s National School Development Council awards during a recent ceremony in the high school auditorium.
“Both Lindsday and Jamie serve as leaders within the school community and as role models for their peers,” Mr. Polansky said. “Not only have they achieved at the highest of levels academically and in their extracurricular pursuits, they have also set the standards for generosity and service. It has been a genuine pleasure to get to know them and to witness their growth through the years. I can’t wait to hear about all the great things they will accomplish in the years to come.”
Mr. Polansky presented the two seniors with certificates and gift cards. Ms. Saginaw plans to study political science and environmental science at UCLA. She intends to later attend law school. Ms. Spector is headed to Northeastern University in Boston where she is interested in pursuing studies in nursing.
The two teenagers have been heavily involved in Huntington’s extracurricular activities programs while simultaneously maintaining high academic standing. Both were named Distinguished Seniors after compiling academic grade averages of 90 or higher during every semester of high school.
Ms. Saginaw is president of the high school’s student government after serving as class president in earlier years. She has headed business operations for Huntington Robotics, been a member of the Relay For Life organizing committee, captained the girls’ volleyball team and participated in the League of Women Voters of New York State’s Students Inside Albany conference.
Ms. Spector has been a Relay For Life event chair, captained the Huntington Highsteppers competitive dance team, was president of Natural Helpers and volunteered countless hours with the high school’s Habitat For Humanity chapter, even traveling with the organization to New Orleans to work on housing projects there.
“The National School Development Council is a confederation of school study or development councils located across the country,” according to the organization’s website. “The Council embodies the philosophic and operational tenets of the school study and development council movement. Each of these regional, state, or county-based councils is, in turn, an association of local school systems that work together; usually in conjunction with one or more institutions of higher learning on matters of common concern.”
