Dominick Stanley graduated late last June with Huntington High School’s Class of 2019. The teenager developed many close relationships with the teachers he worked with through the years and one day soon he hopes to join their ranks. He is this year’s recipient of the Associated Teachers of Huntington’s annual scholarship.
Mr. Stanley was an outstanding student, garnering Advanced Placement Scholar recognition and earning induction into the Huntington chapter of the Social Studies Honor Society. He is headed to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin where he is interested in studying to become a social studies teacher.
Huntington High School Class of 2019 President Dominick Stanley
President of Huntington’s Class of 2019, Mr. Stanley was the captain of the Blue Devil fencing team during the 2018/19 season. He completed four Advanced Placement courses as a senior.
“I chose Lawrence University because of its small size and rural setting, its distance from home, its liberal arts education and its fencing program,” Mr. Stanley said. “Lawrence is a very small school and at 1,800 students is only slightly larger than Huntington High School’s 1,500 students.”
Mr. Stanley is also attracted to the Appleton, Wisconsin area. “The town is about a three hour drive from Chicago and is two hours from Milwaukee,” he said. “It’s a lot different than Huntington.”
ATH President James Graber presented Mr. Stanley with a $1,000 scholarship funded by the dues paid by district teachers to be members of the professional teaching organization.
Mr. Stanley has not yet firmly settled upon what he wants to study in college or what his career will be, but he has some ideas. “I’ve thought a lot about becoming a teacher of secondary education and social work/therapy,” he said. “I love working with people and I especially love working with kids. If I were a teacher, I could see myself teaching history, participation in government, psychology, law or really anything in the social science/humanities realm of academia. I have yet to decide. But all I know is that I want to be the fun teacher that jokes with the kids and that everyone likes.”
The teenager has given a possible career in teaching a great deal of thought. “I’m a no nonsense guy and I’d certainly make them work, but I want to be on the students’ side,” he said. “I’d want my students to look forward to my classes, to get some laughs in and to joke around, but most importantly, I want them to be excited to learn.”
ATH Founded in 1933 is Still Going Strong
The Associated Teachers of Huntington has long been a staple around the Huntington School District community. The professional organization of teachers today has more than 400 faculty members in its ranks.
Widely known by the acronym ATH, the Associated Teachers of Huntington was founded in 1933 as a social group. For many decades it included all state certificated teachers and administrators, including the superintendent of schools, principals and elementary, junior high school and high school faculty members.
“Shortly after its founding, the ATH expanded its original social purpose to become an all-around professional organization and today is concerned with ethical, financial, welfare, educational and social affairs,” according to a short profile published in 1953 on the occasion of the Town of Huntington’s 300th anniversary.
“To many townspeople the Associated Teachers of Huntington is known for its scholarship activities on behalf of Simpson High School graduates who plan to enter teaching,” states that 1953 profile of the organization. “Two highly successful stage productions in the past two years enable the teachers to present scholarships of $400 annually. This year, a Future Teachers of America group also has been launched by high school seniors under the Association’s sponsorship.”
Huntington High School social studies teacher James Graber is the ATH’s current president. The organization is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers and the AFL-CIO.
The ATH had 179 teacher members at the time of the 1953 profile. Today is has more than twice as many faculty members in its ranks.
“The Associated Teachers of Huntington is a member of the Chamber of Commerce; is sponsoring its third evening study course within two years; works with the Board of Education on policies affecting professional personnel and in promoting American Education Week; assists the Service League; and in alternate years maintains a speaker’s bureau to work with town organizations in presenting information about our schools. The Association meets monthly at one of the seven district schools for a social or professional meeting,” according to the 1953 profile.
The ATH is still going strong 86 years after it was founded. The organization negotiates the collective bargaining agreement that the district’s teachers work under. It reaches out into the community through several annual initiatives.