Huntington’s Distinguished Seniors Honored at Dinner
The top members of Huntington High School’s Class of 2015 were honored last Thursday night at this year’s Distinguished Seniors Dinner in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.
During the more than three-hour long affair, the exceptional teenagers recognized a set of teachers who have meant so much to them over the years. A large crowd numbering nearly 400 turned out for the twelfth annual dinner that recognizes Huntington’s leading scholars.
Principal Carmela Leonardi saluted the 114 remarkable students for their sensational academic performance and noteworthy efforts outside of classes and in the community.
“The Distinguished Seniors Dinner is the highlight of the year for all of us at Huntington High School,” Dr. Leonardi said. “We not only get to publicly recognize the hard work of the top performing seniors in our school, but we also get to celebrate those teachers who, through the grades, have brought them to this night. It is thanks to the work of all staff members and parents that these creative and motivated young men and women were able to excel and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities our district has to offer. It is also wonderful to witness the support that the superintendent and the board give to this type of recognition. It is only fitting that all layers of the district be represented tonight.”
The honored students maintained a 90 or better GPA for the seven semesters that school officials used for their calculations to determine eligibility.
School Board President Emily Rogan, Superintendent James W. Polansky, PTA Council President Christine Biernacki and Huntington High School Assistant Principal Brenden Cusack took turns at the microphone, offering the seniors heartfelt congratulations for a job well done.
The honorees included Jean Abecassis, Khondoker Tawsif Akber, Santiago Alzate, Usra Amin, Cristina Bateman, Matthew Beach, Kelly Beatty, Charles Beers, Sofia Bialkowski, Emily Biblow, Megan Boyce, Tyler Burton, Leah Butz, Declan Byrne, Ellyn Byrnes, Tara Byrnes, Julian Carrollo, Olivia Castillo, Carol Cimetta, Elizabeth Corrao, Elizabeth Cotter, Ariella Danziger, Kaitlin Dayton, Anna DiNardi, Katherine Duval, Justin Edgar-McNerney, Kayla Eidle, Sydney English, Michael Fasciano, Christian Fiordelisi, Azucena Flores-Orellana, Heather Forster, Fiona Geier, Hailey Giordano, Samantha Glicker, Christopher Glowacky, Anna Goldenbaum, Hannah Grenier, Timothy Gress, Scott Gulizio, Hillary Hardardt, William Harris and Zachary Hearl.
The top seniors also included Omotayo Ikuomensian, Lenni Joya Amaya, Ben Kaplan, Jack Kitzen, Sarah Kitzen, Caitlin Knowles, Thomas Kouttron, Jillian Lentinello, Charlotte Levinson, Olivia Liepa, Patrick Lombardi, Olivia Lopez, Justin LoTurco, Samantha Lynch, Peter Magerle, Mackenzie Maloney, Timothy Mattiace, Kenneth McCarthy, Daniel McCartney, Shannon McGovern, John McKenna, Brandon Mendez, Shane Meyers, Allison Minoff, Jason Moreira, Lily Morris, Hanna Murphy, Ellaha Nadi, Michael Nemaric, Kathleen Nugent, Kylie Palmer, Nicholas Pandolfi, Hayley Petrizzi, Suzanne Petryk, Mary Frances Pulizzotto, Matthew Reed, John Reilly, Daniel Reiver, Madeline Riggs, Oscar Romero, Daniel Rose and Kasey Ryman.
Emily Sager, Joseph Saginaw, Amy Schmelter, Daniella Schoen, Mary Sheehan, Marina Siegel, Gabriel Smith, Lindsay Sullivan, Anna Tesoriero, Veronica Tonissen, Can Toprak, Marygrace Trousdell, Ketevani Tsotkoulauri, Jessica Tucker, Lucas Vaccaro, Alexander Velazquez, Carlos Viera-Pereira, Meelod Wafajow, Kristin Walsh, Nicholas Warren, Kaitlin Wascher, Justin Weigold, Brendan Wirth, Robert Yates, Mashal Zadran, Lana Ziegler and Kathryn Zimmerman were also honored for their superb academic performance over the past four years.
“We are all very proud of the students, their families and the professionals that established such close relationships with them over the years,” Dr. Leonardi said.
The distinguished seniors were asked to select one teacher to be honored from the first school they attended in the district and from each of their subsequent schools. The teenagers took their responsibility seriously and made their selections based upon personal experiences that struck home with each of them, both individually and collectively.
The seniors recognized teachers Cindy Tietjen, Suzanne Dinehart, Suzanne Catrini, Kimberly Meyers-Bender, Andrea Frisenda, Mark Helstrom, Thomas Tantillo and Joseph Cohen.
Seniors introduced each of the faculty members with touching and heartfelt remembrances. The teachers spoke one by one, recalling their experiences with the now-seniors and emphasizing how proud they are of their former students.
The large crowd was feted to a delicious meal whipped up by noted Long Island chef Howard J. Fay. Huntington High School administrators and secretaries served the crowd as it passed along long tables filled with various dishes.
Talented high school strings musicians entertained the crowd as it filed into the gymnasium. Performing under the direction of teacher Nicole Castaldo, the chamber orchestra included: Violin I: Gabriella DeLuca, Melany Lanham-Garcia, Zechariah Perea, Annie Trousdell, Christian Verfenstein; Violin II: Brianna Jones, Camryn Libes, Marina Ruzic, Sofia Suarez; Viola: Billy Garfinkel, Holly Grabowski, Matthew McBride, Max Robins; Cello: Nicole Arenth, Samuel Latt, Elisa Medina-Jaudes, Julia Rogan; Bass: Jessica Straub.
Huntington’s Class of 2015 President Elizabeth Corrao served as the master of ceremonies. When the evening’s program had finally drawn to a close, parents snapped hundreds of photographs of the seniors as they posed in small groups with classmates.