They listened and they asked good questions. J. Taylor Finley Middle School eighth graders were a great audience as Huntington High School teachers and students pitched elective courses in business, art, technology and science research last Friday.
The Finley eighth graders will soon be making course selections for their freshman year. The high school representatives were on hand to discuss some of the available opportunities. Visual displays highlighting aspects of the courses were set up on the LGI stage.
“I had a great time talking to some of the eighth graders today and encouraging them to take some of the business classes at the high school next year,” senior Mia Breitbarth said. “Hopefully some of them will find a passion in business just like I did.”
Huntington High School’s 2019/20 course bulletin is posted on the district website at www.hufsd.edu. It contains detailed information about every course offered, including all of the electives.
“We had a successful day promoting the expansive high school electives at Finley,” said art teacher Heather Swan, who heads the video arts program. “As a teacher, it was a great opportunity to meet and talk with the eighth graders about their interests. The high school students spoke so highly about the teachers and electives they have taken during their high school career and did a terrific job inspiring the Class of 2023.”
Joining Mrs. Swan was fellow art teacher Ayallah Jeddah, business teachers Paige Furman and Suzi Biagi and science teacher Matthew Ligouri.
“It was a lot of fun talking to the eighth graders today, some of them seemed so intrigued by what we were talking about and hopefully they will ask for a business class in their schedule next year so they can have both Mrs. Biagi and Mrs. Furman as amazing teachers,” senior Kiara Rafailan said.
The high school students came well prepped and were ready to explain the elective course offerings and answer every possible question that was fired at them by the inquisitive eighth graders.
“It was a great experience to have been able to tell the upcoming freshmen about the opportunities the high school offers,” senior Alex Wakhale said.
Award winning filmmaker Caitlyn Palermo was among the students who made the trek to Finley for the electives fair. “It was a great experience that allowed me to encourage the younger generation to find something they are passionate about and pursue it,” the junior said.
The eighth graders left the LGI with plenty to consider as they contemplate their freshman year courses.
“It was a lot of fun talking to kids about classes both of us are passionate about,” junior Nicholas Rowley said. “All the art classes at Huntington that I’ve taken have been so much fun and seeing others excited to take classes like Drawing and Painting, Video and Media Arts made my day.”
The eighth graders expressed interest in each of the different subject areas, which pleased the high school teachers and students who made the trek to the Greenlawn Road school.
“Talking to the Finley students about the science research program, which is a passion of mine, was very enjoyable,” said Huntington Science Honor Society President Sam Roberts. “I hope more kids take the class and discover how great it is for themselves.”
