Dynamic Duo Capture St. Michael’s Book Awards
Samantha Conte and Dylan DelGuidice are dynamic teenagers with a multitude of personal talents and academic strengths. The two Huntington High School juniors recently captured the prestigious St. Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement with Social Conscience.
Each year one male and one female member of the junior class who are enrolled in Advanced Placement English are selected to receive the award presented by St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
“Samantha and Dylan are dedicated and active members of Huntington High School community and are not only exemplary English students, but also dedicated and active members of Huntington community at large,” said Victoria Lombardi, the Huntington High School AP English Language and Composition teacher that nominated the exceptional duo. “The Book Award winners must maintain excellent academic averages and must also display a love of literature.”
Ms. Conte enjoys English literature and creative writing. She is the vice president of Huntington’s Key Club, a community service group that organizes the high school blood drive, a holiday season shopping tour at Sears with financially underprivileged children and the K-Factor talent show that raises monies for charitable initiatives.
A member of a half-dozen honor societies including the National Honor Society, Ms. Conte has devoted time to raising funds for UNICEF and working with Huntington’s Habitat for Humanity chapter in Breezy Point, Queens, which was devastated by Superstorm Sandy. She has been an active committee member of Huntington’s Relay For Life, serving as a team captain.
An avid reader, Mr. DelGuidice is exceling as an AP English student. He is extremely interested in social justice issues and societal change with some of his favorite works of literature centering on this theme. 20th century allegorical and political novels such as Animal Farm, 1984, Slaughterhouse Five and Catch 22 are just a few of his favorites. A member of the National Honor Society, teenager is also a gifted musician.
“It is a pleasure to recognize a pair of outstanding students who are committed to volunteerism and leadership in their community service endeavors,” Ms. Lombardi said.
Ms. Conte and Mr. DelGuidice were each presented with a book and a certificate by St. Michael’s College. The teenager’s achievements were announced during their English class.
The book that was presented to the two Huntington scholars is First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung, a noted author and graduate of St. Michael’s College.
The book has been described as “a moving and inspiring work about the survival or a Cambodian family and the development of Ung’s crusade for a landmine free world.”
“Ung’s piece is a true reflection about the importance of social conscience in today’s world,” Ms. Lombardi said.