While they may be relatively few in number, Huntington High School’s Latin Honor Society members have an exceptional degree of passion for the organization and language.
The group is led by President Isabella Toscano, Vice President Zubair Ali, Treasurer Kyle Colleluori, Secretaries Maggie Lalor and Ella Siepel and Historian Lily Stein. Teacher Kristin Fortunato is the organization’s faculty advisor.
Ryan Knowles, Chloe Buffone, Richard Rongo, Jack Krisch, Andrew McKenzie, Aidan Heller and Andrew Florvil round out the group’s membership.
“I just love Latin and the people taking Latin,” Mr. Ali said. “Being involved in a community that I’ve been a part of since sixth grade is something I truly cherish and love.”
The Latin Honor Society meets after school on a bi-weekly schedule. The first half of every meeting is open to all Latin students who would like to provide or receive extra help and tutoring. You do not have to be a member to participate.
“It is a great opportunity for students in different Latin levels and grades to come together to support each other,” said Ms. Fortunato about the biweekly sessions. “During these after school meetings, honor society members are there to tutor other students and talk about/prepare for upcoming events. Some of the highlights from this year have included our participation in the bonfire during Homecoming and Safe Halloween. Events on the calendar for December include a bake sale and a trip to Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School before they make language course selections in order to make a presentation to the students about Latin and what it’s like to be a Latin student.”
The Latin Honor Society even develops plans to celebrate Roman holidays. The festivities are open to all students taking Latin. It’s an incredibly fun group to belong to.
“The students in Latin Honor Society are very passionate and love to represent the Latin program whenever possible,” Ms. Fortunato said. “They are a very active club at community events, love to design group t-shirts and support the younger students in the program.”
The current school year features an especially energetic group of Latin Honor Society members who are all high achieving. They hope to make their mark locally and even regionally.
“We look forward every year to preparing our teams for the Latin Certamen competition at Stony Brook University,” Ms. Fortunato said. “To do this, we host study and practice sessions from December through March.”
Membership in the Latin Honor Society is open to students on Level III and IV. Candidates must possess an A average in Latin courses and an overall 3.5 grade point average and also be an active participant in the Huntington Latin language community. Students must complete an application essay submit one teacher recommendation.
Contact Ms. Forunato (kfortunato@hufsd.edu) for more information about the organization.
