Christian Bellissimo is a force to be reckoned with academically, athletically and in every other possible way. Just about anything the Huntington High School senior touches turns to gold.
An impressive young man by any measure, Mr. Bellissimo is an all-around good guy. Just ask his classmates, teammates and teachers. He’s highly regarded and respected by everyone.
Mr. Bellissimo counts Justin Italiano, Tyler Abedin and Jake Costabile as among his closest friends. He enjoys being in the company of others and they like having him around, too.
Huntington High School senior Christian Bellissimo.
Asked to name his favorite teacher and the teenager didn’t hesitate for very long. “Ms. [Camille] Tedeschi because she has always kept class structured and simple while keeping it fun and light with presentations and group projects,” Mr. Bellissimo said. “She always kept me intrigued, which led to my success in her classes. The kids like her because she puts us first and really cares about us most. She’s always been nice and funny, but always brought us back to a serious note to keep us on track. She’s the kind of person who is straight forward and will tell you what areas you need help in and what areas you are doing well in.”
Faculty and staff members think an awful lot of the teenager. Mr. Bellissimo is well-prepared for his classes and takes delight in participating in discusses and the give and take of classroom debates. He studies hard and has always displayed initiative. The senior has sought out some of the high school’s most challenging courses in each of the past four years.
“Christian is a true scholar,” Ms. Tedeschi said. “He always worked hard in the classes I taught him in. He achieved high grades and took pride in his work. He is smart, creative and funny. He always participated in class and made class a lot of fun. I also had the pleasure of traveling with Christian to Eastern Europe and one of my favorite memories of him was during our waltz lesson in Vienna.”
The teenager’s academic schedule includes Advanced Placement Environmental Science, AP Government and Politics, AP Calculus, AP Italian, Sports Literature and Film/Short Story.
Mr. Bellissimo’s top colleges include Penn State, Syracuse University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Maryland, Ohio State, University of Southern California, Michigan State, University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina. The senior is interested in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism, preferably in sports. He plans to minor in business in college.
The teenager just closed out the season with the Blue Devil varsity soccer team on which he was a starter. He is on the staff of The Dispatch student newspaper and participates in the Interact Club. Mr. Bellissimo is the secretary of Huntington’s National Honor Society chapter and is also a member of the Italian, English and Social Studies Honor Societies.
A Jefferson Primary School alumnus, Mr. Bellissimo has done quite a bit of traveling across the country and internationally, too. Last year he trekked with classmates to Prague in the Czech Republic, Krackow in Poland, Budapest in Hungary and even Austria. “I’ve been to Italy multiple times because I have family there,” he said. “I’ve had family vacations to places like Turks and Caicos, Grand Cayman Islands, Mexico, Spain and Canada.”
Mr. Bellissimo is completely sold on Huntington. “Overall, there is no better place to be,” he said. “You get a great mix of kids to be friends with by being part of multiple different things such as sports, clubs and classes. Teachers have been great and the classes offered are challenging and good to prepare you for life.”
