The Huntington High School Key Club is in the midst of final preparations for its popular K-Factor talent show, which will be held on Friday, February 28.
K-Factor began nine years ago to support Huntington Class of 2009 alum Kaila Harlan during her battle with leukemia. A Key Club member throughout high school, Mr. Harlan passed away on August 29, 2013 at the age of 22, but the show has continued annually in her honor.
Huntington’s Key Club chapter boasts 150 members. Its executive board includes President Molly Kessler, Vice President Nick Rowley, Secretary Diya Rai-Gersappe, Treasurer Hannah Avidor, publicists Julia Giles and Josie Fasolino, attendance officer Alexa Rind and administrative assistants Aidan Heller, Alex Gonzales, Alexis Kaloudis, Cassidy Casabona, Charlotte Cheshire, Emily Cheshire, Julia Rogel, Kate Sheran, Morgan Colleluori, Rebecca Hoffmann, Sabeena Ali, Sarah Berry, Livia D’Anna and Sophia Toscano. English teachers Kelly Krycinski and Gina Colica serve as the faculty advisors.
Huntington senior Julia Segal sits in the lofty position of lieutenant governor of Division 3 of Key Club. She is also chair of the membership committee for the New York district of the organization.
“K-Factor is an event like no other,” Ms. Segal said. “I have been so fortunate to help in the planning of the event for the past three years.”
The Huntington Key Club members have been laying the groundwork for this year’s K-Factor for weeks. The February 28 event will support an initiative launched by Huntington High School English teacher Aimee Antorino.
“K-Factor is one of Key Club’s largest events of the school year,” Ms. Fasolino said. “We are dedicating the show to Ms. [Aimee] Antorino’s daughter, Rachel Antorino. Rachel passed away from AML leukemia in 2018. Ms. Antorino created Rachel’s Dance for the Cure, a foundation that raises money for families who struggle to pay for medical bills. We donate all of our proceeds to Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.”
Rachel Antorino attended many past K-Factor events, even singing and dancing with the show’s master of ceremonies Michael Schwendemann. To learn more about Rachel’s Dance for the Cure visit www.rachelsdanceforthecure.org.
“K-Factor is an incredible event where we can both raise money for a great cause and allow kids to express themselves through music, dance, song and comedy,” Ms. Fasolino said. “We hope everyone can come, support the acts and enjoy the fantastic raffles and food.”
Auditions for the show are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, January 28-29 in the high school auditorium at 2:30 p.m.
“It's a really rewarding experience to raise so much for a good cause that’s so close to our hearts,” Ms. Avidor said.
