Huntington High School’s Class of 2014 Graduates
As Huntington High School’s Class of 2014 marched into Blue Devil Stadium last Friday night, a standing room only crowd of more than 2,000 cheered the 275 seniors who earned a long list of academic, artistic, athletic, musical and humanitarian awards and captured more than $19 million in scholarship offers.
This marked the school’s 153rd annual commencement exercises, which date to July 18, 1862 when a class of six students earned diplomas as the Civil War raged to the south. Few schools in the country can match such traditions.
As strains of Elgar’s “Pump and Circumstance No. 1” filled the air, a remarkable group of seniors paraded around the track and took seats before a large stage erected on the turf field facing the packed bleachers. As the ceremony unfolded, the teenagers proved to be an attentive audience as their parents snapped photos and filmed the proceedings.
“At every graduation I invariably think that the class we are honoring is one of the most accomplished and competitive thus far,” Principal Carmela Leonardi said. “I have solid proof, however, that this is in fact one of the most successful, accomplished and high achieving classes graduating from Huntington High School. Among the graduates is a finalist in the Intel science competition who placed sixth in the nation, a recipient of the prestigious National Merit scholarship, a tireless volunteer for Island Harvest, the recipient of a $20,000 Coca Cola scholarship, a budding astronomer at the Custer Observatory, incredible musicians and singers, talented artists who have been recognized as Long Island’s best and gifted athletes who will be playing varsity sports in college.”
The seniors marched into Blue Devil Stadium behind a Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard and a school banner carried by John Cronin and Liam Mrotzek. Senior members of the chamber choir performed an exceptional sounding rendition of Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner” under the direction of Veronica Mainville.
Superintendent’s heartfelt conversation
Superintendent James W. Polansky engaged in a heartfelt conversation with the seniors, telling them that life is not about sweating the small stuff, holding grudges, not defined by grouches or guilt trips or non-essential numbers or about what others have that you don’t. It’s not about conformity or appearances or being afraid or making millions.
Mr. Polansky told the seniors that life is “about loving and finding special people with whom to share the grand moments, as well as the everyday experiences.” It’s about gaining experience and learning from mistakes, enjoying simple things and cherishing your health. It’s about laughing and crying, embracing differences “and leaving a place or situation better than you found it. Life is about fulfilling your dreams. If you can dream it, you can live it as long as you’re willing to work hard enough.”
The tradition-laden ceremony evoked a variety of emotions in both the seniors and their family members as tears could be seen in more than a few eyes.
“Students, please recognize that as of today, you have successfully climbed but a few bottom rungs on a metaphorical ladder,” Mr. Polansky said. “I can say with confidence that you are more than ready to continue ascending. You have achieved academically, athletically, musically, and otherwise, but more importantly, you have grown as individuals and community members. You have developed a sense of admiration and respect for each other, as well as for your school. Your spirit and enthusiasm have been infectious. Now comes the time for you to share your gifts with the world surrounding.”
Valedictorian’s message to classmates
“If you know anything about me, and I hope you do, then you know that if there are three things I can’t stand, they’re sexism, traffic lights and misattributed quotations,” said Brian Gilbert, valedictorian of the Class of 2014. “So when I made my college decision and my dad sent me a sappy text message ‘quoting’ Dante Aligheri’s ‘Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti,’ meaning ‘Follow your own path and let the people talk,’ I was suspicious. It sounds a bit hippy-dippy for Dante, doesn’t it? So I took to the internet.”
Mr. Gilbert’s lighthearted address contained an important message for his classmates. “Sure enough it turns out that the quote is actually a paraphrase of Dante penned by the hippy-dippy Karl Marx as a kind of epigraph to his Das Kapital,” he said. “The original Dante quote comes from Purgatory: ‘Vien dietro a me, e lascia dir le genti.’ ‘Follow me and let the people talk.’ It doesn’t take an English major (or an Italian major) to see the two quotes express very different ideas. Should we really follow our own path or should we follow the people in charge, the people smarter than us, or the people we love?”
The valedictorian is headed to Brown University to study physics, but Mr. Gilbert’s attention was squarely on his fellow seniors last Friday evening. “Paths of kindness run parallel and if someone blocks yours, do not detour,” he told the group. “Let others take advantage of you, if you are strong enough to do so. And if I could write, I’d write a book one day with the epigraph, ‘Segui il corso giusto, e lascia dir le genti.’ ‘Follow the righteous path, and let the people talk,’ and you can quote me on that.”
“A time of contradictions”
School Board President Emily Rogan, a 1983 Huntington High School graduate who went on to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees at Cornell University and NYU, told the seniors, “This is a time of contradictions: of anticipation and anxiety, excitement and fear, of sadness and joy, of loss and opportunity. Live these moments fully; be present in your experiences and know that all of them will create the wonderful complicated tapestry that is your life.”
Salutatorian Marc Feldman gave a spirited address to his classmates and the huge crowd. “As far as we know, we only have one shot at life,” said Mr. Feldman, who is headed to Johns Hopkins University to study computer science. “I ask: Why waste it? Why spend our precious, fleeting existence doing things that make us unhappy? Now, given, don’t spend your life in such a way as to harm others, but do do what makes you happy. Don’t waste the time you have here – make your mark, and enjoy yourselves at every step of the way. Don’t follow someone else’s path, if you don’t want it to be your path. Live, and live for you, especially now, when most of us have few obligations to anyone but ourselves.”
Serving as master of ceremonies of the commencement was Brian J. McConnell, who will pursue mathematical and film studies at Johns Hopkins University. He introduced “honored teachers” Gina Colica and Victoria Lombardi, who announced the name of each senior before diplomas were presented by members of the Huntington School Board. The two teachers served as the Class of 2014’s faculty advisors.
“I imagine that the hardest part about graduating is that you’re leaving each other and heading off in different directions,” Mrs. Rogan told the seniors. “Remember that nothing, not texts or social media sites, can replace the power of that human connection. You have the incredible opportunity to forge new friendships and relationships, even as you maintain the ones you already have. Be open to the possibility that your new friends might not look or speak as you do, might dress differently or foster opposing political and social views, but inside have many of the same goals and dreams as you. Make sure you give everyone a chance. Make eye contact. Smile. Say hello. Be mindful that your behavior and actions affect other people all the time. Choose your words carefully. Be kind and be compassionate. Always. We really need more of that in this world.”
Class of 2014 President Zachary Burden, who will attend Maryland Institute College of Art and study photography, announced the seniors would be giving a special gift to the school.
“The Rock has become a symbol of Huntington High School,” Mr. Burden said. “For many, many years it’s been a place where students congregate and show spirit. But, at nighttime it is a little dark around The Rock, so the Class of 2014 has decided to put two lamp posts around The Rock to help give light around such an important piece of Huntington. These lamp posts will also be inscribed with the names of Ray Vega, graduate of the Class of 2013 and Carmen Rivera-Gotay, a member of the Class of 2014, whose spirit is with us today and is graduating with us in all of our hearts. They will always be there to be a light in the dark, to remind us that even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise, and that there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
Accepted to top colleges
Class of 2014 members gained acceptance to some of America’s most highly regarded colleges and universities, including Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Brown University, Yale University, Harvard College, University of Pennsylvania, Bard College, Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Maryland Institute College of Art, Boston College, Boston University, Baylor University, American University, UCLA, University of Chicago, Colgate University, Ithaca College, George Mason University, University of Illinois, Lehigh University, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, New York University, University of Massachusetts, Penn State University, Ohio State University, Northwestern University, Pratt Institute, University of Pittsburg, University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, Rutgers University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Emory University, Fordham University, Hofstra University, Johns Hopkins University, Kenyon College, LIU Post, University of Michigan, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, Providence University, Rice University, Sacred Heart University, Syracuse University, George Washington University, Williams College, Purdue University, Villanova University and the College of William and Mary as well as a long list of SUNY and CUNY schools, including Macaulay Honors College and countless other top colleges.
“Over the last four years, these seniors have challenged themselves with Advanced Placement courses that have the potential of earning them college credit,” Dr. Leonardi told the crowd. “In fact in their senior year alone, 145 graduates took 456 AP exams. 87 took three AP exams or more with three seniors taking six, nine taking seven, and 23 taking five AP exams.”
As of last Friday, Huntington High School’s college counseling office had processed 1,733 college applications. The Class of 2014 has been offered a staggering $19,047,241 in scholarship money.
Graduates to pursue interesting majors
Dr. Leonardi said the graduates have plans to pursue a variety of interesting academic majors including exercise science, mathematics, physics, astronomy, music, fine arts, photography, engineering, fashion merchandising, education, psychology, business, accounting, nursing, physician’s assistant, criminal justice, health education, molecular genetics, theater arts, jazz studies, musical theater, aviation management, history, game art and design and environmental science, among many others.
As Mr. Polansky signaled the seniors had met the requirements for a diploma and were now officially graduated, the new alums tossed their caps high into the air to the cheers of the crowd, before hugging one another and being congratulated by their families.
The teenagers and their loved ones lingered for more than an hour on the adjacent grass athletic field, posing for countless rounds of photos and saying goodbye to one another, Many of them sensed this would be the last time the Class of 2014 would be assembled together in one place and they appeared reluctant to let go of the moment.