Eight Huntington High School seniors have garnered New York State Scholarships for Academic Excellence based upon their sensational performance.
The scholarships are good for up to five years of undergraduate study at New York colleges. The awards are based upon scores on certain Regents exams.
Huntington’s Class of 2018 valedictorian Aidan Forbes captured a $1,500 award. Salutatorian Sebastian Stamatatos along with Thomas Edgar-McNerney, Peter Ciccone, Rachel Moss, Niamh Condon, Alexandra Heuwetter and Aidan McCooey were all chosen for $500 awards.
“This is a wonderful group of hardworking students who are very deserving of this award,” Huntington Principal Brenden Cusack said. “It is nice to see so many of our seniors recognized by New York State for their efforts.”
The scholarships are good for up to five years of undergraduate study at New York colleges. The awards are based upon scores on certain Regents exams.
“These outstanding young people have not only shined in the classroom, but also in their extracurricular pursuits and in the community,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “We are beyond proud of what they have accomplished throughout their years in Huntington and know that this is only the beginning for them.”
The state is awarding 2,000 scholarships of $1,500 each to the top graduating student in every registered New York high school. Another 6,000 scholarships of $500 each are also being presented to other outstanding high school students.
Mr. Forbes is nearing the end of a remarkable four year run through Huntington High School. Valedictorian of the Class of 2018, he will attend Vanderbilt University, where he plans to pursue an academic major in economics with possible minors in computer science and Spanish.
A National Merit Scholarship Finalist, Mr. Forbes considered Middlebury College, Northeastern University, Fordham University, University of Michigan and the University of Rochester, before choosing Vanderbilt.
Since his earliest days at Flower Hill School, Mr. Forbes has been popular with his classmates and teachers. President of both the Math Honor Society and the high school’s Mathletes club, he’s volunteered at Huntington Hospital and even accompanied the concert choir on piano for three years.
Mr. Forbes captured first place honors in the State History Day competition in Cooperstown as a junior. He went on to claim third place in the national championship at the University of Maryland.
The teenager started at defense on Huntington’s first varsity boys’ soccer team to win an outright league championship in 28 years last fall. Mr. Forbes was named Suffolk Academic All-County following the sensational season.