Julie Gray Lives it Up at
Huntington High School
Julie Gray’s transition to the Huntington School District is an interesting one. She attended St. Patrick’s School for kindergarten through eighth grade, but after shadowing her older brother at Huntington High School one day, she fell in love with the school and decided to make the leap. She’ll graduate at the end of the month as one of the most popular members of the Class of 2014.
“I’m really happy with the choice I made to come here because it has really shaped the person I am today,” Ms. Gray said about her decision to register at Huntington High School four years ago.
Like her brother, Huntington alum Richard Gray, the teenager is looking forward to a career in the fashion industry. She completed several years of fashion program classes in high school and has also pursued studies at Fashion Institute of Technology on the weekends. “These classes included design drawing and styling,” Ms. Gray said. “Fashion is a big part of my life. I really love mixing and matching all different kinds of outfits.”
Ms. Gray’s senior year schedule includes Advanced Placement Government and Politics, AP Environmental Science, AP English Literature and Composition, Honors Spanish, Pre-Calculus and Economics.
“I really love AP Environmental Science and Mr. [Craig] McKee,” Ms. Gray said about one of Huntington’s most popular teachers. “He makes the class really fun and exciting. I also love every English teacher I have had, including Mrs. [Kelly] Krycinski, Mrs. [Aimee] Antorino, Mr. [John] Pagano and Mrs. [Kelly] Quintero. I think our school has a really good English department. They’re great at teaching and making the courses understandable, but they’re also there for anything you need, making you feel comfortable in the school environment.”
Ms. Gray has been involved in the high school’s drama club throughout the past four years, participating on both sides of the “camera.” She has been a cast member and also a student director, helping to guide this year’s productions of Into the Woods and Anne of Green Gables.
“It was a really fun experience and working with Schwend (drama club faculty advisor Michael Schwendemann) is something to look forward to everyday,” Ms. Gray said. “Seniors in the cast, including Zach Burden Stephanie Shea, Katherine Gerdes and Monica Owen are some of my closest friends. I consider them a second family to me. We had a really successful senior year and I am proud of all of us!”
The senior class treasurer, Ms. Gray is also a member of Huntington’s National Spanish Honor Society chapter. She has been on the Blue Devil fencing team for three years.
“I came to Huntington from St. Patrick’s School with Sabrina Blakley and we still are very close,” Ms. Gray said about her fellow Class of 2014 member. “I’m happy I had someone to transition with, it made it a lot easier. She’s one of my closest friends along with Emily Saltman, Alexa Gorczycki, Devin Dattolico and Kristy Delwey.”
“I’ve known Julie since kindergarten,” Ms. Blakley said. “We both went to St. Pat’s up until eighth grade. Julie has this beautiful light about her, always smiling and laughing. She genuinely cares about others and is the first to ask about your day. I’m so happy Julie will be in the city next year. She will do amazing things in the future. It has been awesome having my best friend in school with me for thirteen years.”
Ms. Gray is excited about beginning college in the fall. “I’m a huge city girl and love how close we live to one of the most amazing cities in the world,” the senior said. “I’m attending Pace University in downtown Manhattan in the fall. I’m so excited to live in the city knowing that there’s never a dull moment. It's always been my dream. I didn’t apply to many colleges because I had a specific career and location I wanted.”
Ms. Gray said her “dream job” involves being an editor at a fashion magazine. She plans to study public relations and communication in college.
The senior has enjoyed several private trips to foreign lands with classmates through EF Tours. Ms. Gray has traveled to Peru and Europe, visiting ancient ruins and such old world cities as Paris, Prague, Berlin. She even spent time in the stunningly beautiful country of Switzerland.
The trips were led or chaperoned by teachers familiar to the participating students. “Traveling with Ms. [Camille] Tedeschi, Ms. [Pamela] Piffard, Mr. [Erik] Bruckbauer and Mr. [Peter] Crugnale is so much fun,” Ms. Gray said. “I definitely have memories that I’ll never forget.”
The teenager has also done some traveling with her grandmother and with the People to People program. “I’ve been to such places as Kenya in Africa, India, China and most of Europe,” Ms. Gray said. “Traveling is my favorite thing in the world and I’m planning on studying abroad in college, possibly in Japan.”
“Julie has been one of my best friends since she came into the Huntington School District,” senior Emily Saltman said. “She always manages to enjoy life and make the best out of any situation. Since coming to the school, she has made an impression on almost everyone and has found her place in Huntington.”
Ms. Gray has some advice for incoming Huntington High School freshmen: “Don’t be scared,” she said. “All the movies depict high school to be way worse than it actually is. They’re the best for years of your life before you have to enter the real world. So live it up, learn from your mistakes and have fun because you’re going to miss it one day.”