Community service activities come in many different shapes and sizes, including the Huntington High School boys’ and girls’ fencing team’s own unique kind.
Earlier this week, a dozen eager Blue Devil fencers accompanied by department coordinator Michael Marinello took a field trip to the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf. The teenagers showcased their impressive skills and taught Mill Neck students and staff all about a sport the Huntington contingent absolutely love, but their counterparts knew next to nothing about before the visit.
Blue Devil fencing head coach Michelle O’Brien teaches computer science and graphic design at Mill Neck Manor and she was excited to make the connection between her two worlds.
“I felt it would be a great opportunity for both groups to learn from each other; the fencers could learn about deafness and see how similar the kids really are to themselves and the deaf students could learn about a sport they otherwise would most likely not encounter,” Mrs. O’Brien said.
Once approved by Mill Neck’s Executive Director Bradley Porché, the wheels were in motion and with the blessing of Huntington High School Principal Brenden Cusack and Superintendent James W. Polansky the trip quickly took shape.
The fencers introduced themselves to Mill Neck Manor students by using a sign language interpreter; giving their name, weapon, grade and how many years of fencing experience they each had under their proverbial belt.
Senior weapon captains Jamie Krestchmer (epee), Ally Kustera (sabre) and Luca D’Anna (foil) explained the basics of their weapon’s rules and their target area to the crowd.
Mill Neck Manor students had an opportunity to ask the questions and they had plenty of them, including “Is it sharp?” “Does it hurt?” “Do you wear protective gear?” “Do you compete?” and “Why did you start fencing?”
Although new to the sport, junior Samuel James (epee) fielded most of the questions, since his brother, Joshua is a first grader at Mill Neck Manor. The youngster was thrilled to have his brother visit the school.
Once all the questions were answered, the Blue Devils fenced a series of five-touch bouts with each other, and then two students from Mill Neck Manor had an opportunity to try the sport for themselves.
Sixth grader Ola and fourth grader Kennedy suited up with help from Gian Marco Vazquez and Haileigh Smith and each fenced a bout against sophomore Shaina Linker.
“Shaina was very understanding with them being new to the sport, as she herself only joined the team this year and was very considerate with giving the two students opportunities to score on her,” Mrs. O’Brien said.
“I thought it would be great if they got touches on me and even got ahead,” Ms. Linker said. “You could hear the crowd support for them!”
Many more students put their hands into the air, indicating they wanted to try their hand at it, too. But due to time constraints and COVID-19 related restrictions, it was limited to just Ola and Kennedy. The two youngsters made an impression on others at the event.
“I can’t believe how great she did,” Kennedy’s teacher said. “She started out timid and then really became more confident.”
The Blue Devils had an opportunity to explore and take pictures in the historic manor house, which was the original school when it first opened in 1951. They shared pizzas with several student government officers before going back to Huntington High School.
It was a learning experience for the Huntington contingent. For example, junior foil fencer Aislyn Franciscovich stated how great the Notes app was on their phones. “We can communicate just by typing,” she noted. “We don’t need to know sign!”
“Was the event a success?” Mrs. O’Brien asked rhetorically. “Absolutely. Aside from the staff and students all saying what fun they had (and they want to learn fencig), at a presentation related to deaf culture that afternoon, the speaker asked the crowd of students what they wanted to be when they grew up. A second grade student raised her hand and said she wanted to be a fencer. Mission accomplished.”
