Huntington’s National History Day local competition will be held on Wednesday, January 29 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the high school. The top finishers in each of the categories will advance to the Long Island regional finals in March at Hofstra University.
State History Day will be held on Monday, April 27, 2020 in Cooperstown. Huntington has enjoyed enormous success in the state contest. The national finals will be held in June at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Huntington students have garnered Long Island, New York State and national honors in past years. The initiative draws participation from all 50 states as well as from students in Washington, DC, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and international schools in South Korea, South Asia and China.
The 2020 contest requires research to be framed within the theme of “Breaking Barriers in History.”
“The theme is chosen for the broad application to world, national, or state history and its relevance to ancient history or to the more recent past,” according to National History Day officials.
Huntington High School students creating projects for the 2020 contest will be joined in the initiative by sixth graders participating in the district’s SEARCH program and seventh and eighth graders in J. Taylor Finley Middle School’s Yorker Club.
Huntington High School’s National History Day club promotes and sponsors the initiative. The organization is open to all students who are participating in the contest.
This year’s National History Day club has an enthusiastic executive board, which includes Maddy Kye (president), Natalie Ciccone (vice president), Abby Semelsberger (treasurer), Neil Jean-Baptiste (recording secretary), Julien Rentsch (corresponding secretary), Diya Rai-Gersappe (historian) and administrative assistants Kyra DeSalvo, Claudia Villatoro, Maggie Lalor and Moira Contino. Lauren Desiderio serves as the club’s faculty advisor and coordinates the NHD program across the district.
Huntington’s Dynamic Chamber Orchestra
Huntington High School boasts a dynamic chamber orchestra. Music teacher James DiMeglio directs the group.
This year’s chamber orchestra includes:
First violins: Allison Quinn (concertmistress), Keenan Lyons, Alexis Kaloudis, Gabriel Medina-Jaudes, Cassidy Casabona, Sabeena Ali, Mya Davis, Teddy Tiliakos, Sasah Koulakova and Brad Nisipreanu; Second violins: Olivia Perez (principal), Vianca Hinds, Anaya Watkis, Erica Flaherty, Kelly Alfaro-Alvarez, Kate Balm, Evelyn Johnson, McKenna Buffa, Maria Flores, David Canas Grandados and Hannah Byers; Violas: Ella Siepel (principal), Nathali Ulloa, Aryanna Galloza, Gabriel Morales-Flores, David Marroquin, Teddi Carnesi, Kelly Morales and Jennifer Escobar; Cellos: Julien Rentsch (principal), Jackson Dunn, Ethan McGuinness, Valerie Rogel, Madelyn Kye, Diya Rai-Gersappe, Erin Ye, Sarah Berry, Hannah Roberts and Ian Rotunno; Basses: Kyle Perea (principal), Grace Wildermuth, Julie Rogel and Foster Sullivan.
Local Journalist Visit High School
Local journalist and Huntington UFSD resident Gregg Geller visited with Huntington High School journalism students last Friday. He discussed his career in journalism, including conducting celebrity interviews along with hard news stories. A question and answer session between Mr. Geller and the students followed.
STEM Library Renovations Coming
Renovations are coming to the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School library. The school’s second floor library is currently in much the same state as when it first opened in September 1969.
New York State Senator James Gaughran arranged a $50,000 State and Municipal Facilities grants to transform the library into a “state of the art media center.”
The grant funding was conditioned on Huntington UFSD supplementing the grant funding in the amount of $14,000 to cover labor costs related to the installation of air conditioning, flooring and lighting.
Huntington School Board members approved the budget commitment during a public meeting of trustees this past Monday night.
Tri-M Music Honor Society Executive Board
Huntington High School’s Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter is led by an energetic executive board consisting of Abby Semelsberger (president), Neil Jean-Baptiste (vice president), Grace Wildermuth (treasurer), Jose Suarez (secretary) and Jennifer Low (historian).
Faculty Retirements Announced
Huntington School Board members have accepted four faculty requests to retire at the conclusion of the current school year in June. Trustees took the action during their meeting this past Monday night.
Bienvenido Franco (math at Huntington High School), Phyllis Sadusky (special education at J. Taylor Finley Middle School), Cindy Tietjen (librarian at Southdown Primary School) and Kathleen Aufiero (district math chairperson, 7-12).
Susanne Miller’s (teaching assistant at Finley) request to retire on January 3, 2020 was also approved.
Election Chairperson
Huntington School Board members have appointed Trustee Thomas DiGiacomo to serve as the chairperson of the budget vote and trustee election scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 at Huntington High School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Trustees Accept Donation
Huntington School Board members have accepted a donation of $37,000 worth of chairs, tables and assorted office furniture and equipment from InstallNet International, Inc.
Huntington High School Honors Quartets for 2019/20
The Huntington High School orchestra program boasts three exceptionally talented honors quartets this year. They include:
- Allison Quinn, Gabriel Medina-Jaudes, Ella Siepel and Grace Wildermuth
- Alexis Kaloudis, Cassidy Casabona, Sabeena Ali and Sarah Berry
- Diya Rai-Gersappe, Julien Rentsch, Erin Ye and Kyle Perea
HHS Orchestra Officers
Huntington High School’s 2019/20 orchestra is magnificent. The orchestra’s officers include Julien Rentsch (president), Renato Erek (vice president), Grace Wildermuth (treasurer), Madelyn Kye (secretary), Hiya Akber (historian) and Ella Siepel (librarian).
