Diana Frank, Star with a Heart of Gold
Diana Frank has plans to study psychology at Tulane University. If you ask her teachers at Huntington High School they will tell you it's a perfect fit for the senior.
Ms. Frank is a popular, intelligent and articulate teenager who has enjoyed rich academic and extracurricular experiences over the past four years. "This high school has helped me create memories and friendships that I will always be grateful for," Ms. Frank said. "While I am excited for the new things that await me at college, I am also sad to be leaving this school."
The after school activities Ms. Frank has found most enjoyable include the drama and video clubs, Natural Helpers, Habitat for Humanity, Blue Devil marching band and the French honor society. She's also a member of the National Honor Society and the science honor society, played on the JV tennis team and participated in the Key club.
When it comes to academic courses, Ms. Frank said her favorites have been forensic science, criminal justice and French. "I'm very lucky because I've gotten the chance to have some really fantastic teachers that are always there for me," the teenager said. "My favorite teachers are Mr. [Mike] Schwendemann, Mr. [Eric] Bruckbauer, Mrs. [Deidre] Mayer and, of course, Mr. [Rob] Gilmor, even though he isn't a teacher." (Mr. Gilmor is a high school dean and the Habitat for Humanity club faculty advisor.)
"Looking now at who I have grown closest with, it reflects the classes I've most enjoyed," Ms. Frank said. "I have grown so thankful for having Ms. [Pamela] Piffard and Ms. [Camille] Tedeschi in our school. I have grown exceptionally close with them over the past two trips to Italy and Greece/Turkey."
The trips Ms. Frank is referring to are excursions organized by Ms. Piffard, a Huntington High School art teacher and Ms. Tedeschi, a Huntington High School social studies teacher, through a professional educational travel company. The trips are not sponsored or sanctioned by Huntington High School, but they attract dozens of Huntington students each year.
"Diana Frank is one of kindest students I have ever encountered," Ms. Tedeschi said. "She is kind, caring, responsible, diligent and hard working. I taught her in ninth grade and had the opportunity to travel to both Italy and Greece with her. On both trips she was amazing. The first trip she touched the lives of my parents and on the second trip she touched the lives of my best friends who were traveling with us."
"Diana is simply one of the most caring and kind people have ever met," Ms. Piffard said. "I have had the pleasure of teaching her and traveling with her. The care she shows towards others is unparalleled. Diana has a heart of gold."
Ms. Frank's friends are fiercely loyal to her and her teachers hold her in high regard. Friendship means a lot to the senior and she'll always cherish the lasting ones developed at Huntington High School. She especially enjoyed the spring trip to Greece and Turkey with her best friends, Richie Gray and Alexandra Ottas. She's assisted Mr. Gray and friends Rebecca Lader and Sean Harkins with their photography course projects, serving as a model for their photos.
Many highlights from her high school years center on the drama club (she performed in five plays) and on Natural Helpers, a peer assistance organization. "In both clubs I have gotten the chance to be myself and do something I love," Ms. Frank said. "By doing so I've gained two 'families' at school with the students and faculty involved. I've gotten the chance to be myself and by doing so have made great friends. I've loved every performance and retreat I've had the chance to take part in."
The senior traveled to New Orleans with Huntington's Habitat for Humanity club in February to help with the continued rebuilding efforts there following the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina. She will be back in that southern city in a few months, settling into classes at Tulane University.
"I think I will be majoring in psychology with a focus in criminal justice and getting a minor in a language, most likely French, though I am planning to take Arabic," Ms. Frank said. "I hope to remain involved with performing when I go to school. Being on the stage is one of the most exhilarating experiences."
Huntington's teachers will be sad to see Ms. Frank graduate, but are excited to see her start a new chapter in life. The teenager has always had excellent relationships with her teachers and she said one of the keys to her success has been "having teachers who are very accommodating, understanding and great at what they do."
"Diana has a positive energy about her that makes people gravitate towards her and I am fortunate to have shared in so many experiences with her," Ms. Tedeschi said. "I am truly going to miss traveling with her on our trips. The last time I tucked her in and taped her room in Greece I cried because I'm going to miss her next year. I know she will have a bright future because she is a star!"