Thomas DiGiacomo will always be a Blue Devil. He has said so himself many times and gets emotional while expressing it. So although the Class of 1979 member has resigned his seat on the Huntington School Board and is relocating to South Carolina, his heart will never be far from his hometown.
Mr. DiGiacomo has been involved with Huntington UFSD in one way or another for most of his life. In addition to serving nearly three full terms on the Huntington Board of Education, he helped rejuvenate the Huntington Alumni Association and was its president for many years.
Trustee Tom DiGiacomo concentrates at a Huntington School Board meeting.
“We are so thankful to Tom for his service and commitment to the school district and every one of its children, staff and families through the years,” Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “Huntington has been a part of him for his entire life. A change in geography will do nothing to change that. I know how much this community will always mean to him and his family. He should also know how much he has meant to the community. I wish him and his family the best of health and happiness in the years to come!”
The DiGiacomo family has deep roots in the community. Mr. DiGiacomo’s father, Al, was a member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1941. Al DiGiacomo was the architect that designed the replacement for Roosevelt School on Lowndes Avenue. The new building was eventually named Huntington Elementary School and today serves the district as Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.
“I am thankful to have been part of the Huntington School Board over the past 8½ years,” Mr. DiGiacomo said. “Looking back over that time we have accomplished a great deal. For me, the reopening of the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School, restoring full day kindergarten, adding pre-kindergarten , a robotics program and so many other educational opportunities for the students of Huntington are among the highlights. This while keeping the entire taxpaying community in mind each year while developing our annual budgets. While I would love to take credit for all these things, the reality is that it was done with the efforts and support of six other board of education members. All of whom I appreciate for being able to respectfully work through differences toward a common goal: serving the students of Huntington. As well, none of this could have been accomplished without the leadership, educational wisdom, thoughtfulness and tireless efforts of our Superintendent, Jim Polansky.”
Mr. DiGiacomo and his wife, Nancy, have been integrally involved in Huntington UFSD, including helping to lead PTA organizations and fundraising for the PTA Council’s Arts in Education Committee, which helps underwrite an assortment of special programs in the district’s eight school buildings.
“I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention my appreciation for the team that delivers every day on the front line; our teachers, our administrators, building maintenance and ground crews, coaches and security teams,” Mr. DiGiacomo said. “All of them and many more that make the educational wheels of Huntington turn successfully.”
The DiGiacomo’s are relocating to Bluffton, South Carolina. It’s a lovely town of about 26,000 located between Hilton Head and Interstate 95.
“I will miss our Huntington community; it is truly a special place,” Mr. DiGiacomo said.
