Huntington’s Distinguished Seniors Honored at Dinner
The leading members of Huntington High School’s Class of 2016 were honored on Thursday night at the Distinguished Seniors Dinner in Louis D. Giani Gymnasium.
During the three-hour long affair, the exceptional teenagers recognized a set of teachers who have meant the most to them over the years. A large crowd numbering nearly 350 turned out for the thirteenth annual dinner that recognizes Huntington’s top scholars.
Principal Brenden Cusack paid tribute to the top 110 students for their exceptional sensational performance and remarkable efforts outside of classes and the regular school day.
“It is with a great sense of pride and tradition that we engage in the Distinguished Seniors Dinner each year,” Mr. Cusack said. “The kids who are being honored are diligent, conscientious students who have demonstrated an excellent work ethic throughout their high school careers. Many of these students balance their academics with many extracurricular clubs, sports and work. It always amazes me to see how these seniors manage it all. This dinner is also a unique opportunity for our students to look back and thank the educators who have had a positive impact in their lives. For those educators, it means a great deal to be a part of the ceremony. It’s a wonderful occasion that kicks off the last leg of high school for a very deserving group of people.”
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 Thomas DiGiacomo, Superintendent James W. Polansky, PTA Council President Melissa Ryan and Huntington High School Assistant Principals Joseph DiTroia and Gamal Smith took turns at the microphone, offering the seniors enthusiastic congratulations for a job well done. Class of 2016 President Alexandra Berwick served as master of ceremonies.
The honorees included Christopher Abbondandelo, Oscar Aguilar-Cruz, Elyas Amin, Krista Angeliadis, Vanessa Aulestia, Brooke Baade, Michael Bast, Hailey Bengston, Alexandra Berwick, Cassandra Berwick, Cole Blackburn, Jack Blakley, Anna Brosoff, Daniel Brown, Jesus Bruno, Rachel Carpenter, Nina Cartwright, Chelsea Connell, Samantha Conte, Gavin Crockett, Yardalie Daniel, Thomas Dayton, Katarina DePasquale, Emma DeGennaro, Dylan DelGiudice, Heather Demartino, Marie Catherine D’ennery Dejoie, Irina DeSimone, Ethan Dwyer and Nancy Fallon.
The top seniors also included Aaron Feltman, Llanira Flores, Vincent Fredericks, Jack Gallagher, Santos Garcia Avelar, Julia Garetano, Ann Glackin, Holly Grabowski, Andrew Gunthner, Alanna Harvey, Benjamin Hebert, Skylar Heffernan, Olatunji Ikuomensian, Oluwatoyin Ikumensian, Brianna Jones, Michael Karasik, Kathleen Keys, Jeannie Kopstein, Thomas Kopstein, Ekaterina Koulakova, Alexandra Koumas, Matthew Lang, Melany Lanham-Ciancia, Samuel Latt, Sophia Latt, Cindy Lopez, Holly LoTurco, Francesca Love, Ripley Mars and Justin Martinolich.
Seniors Matthew McBride, Caroline McCartney, Kevin McConnell, Brianna McDonald, Elisa Medina-Jaudes, Danielle Melgar, Heidi Mendez, Justin Meyer, Alexandra Mills, Daniel Mollitor, Taylor Moreno, Jean Morgenstern, Olivia Morgenstern, Brianne Neira, Kyle O’Brien, Jack O’Heir, Stefano Ornato, Sabrina Palacios, Kelly Palladino, Jamie Paragallo, Spencer Pashkin, Caroline Petrozzo, Meghan Plant, Max Andrew Polster, Stephanie Powers, Joseph Puca, Catherine Reilly, Savannah Richardson, Grace Rowley, Mitch Rudish and Jahnai’ Sands were also honored for their superb academic performance over the past four years.
The distinguished group also included Lena Scarpulla, Dylan Schedler, Howard Schiman, Latoya Shand, Emily Shutman, James Smoot, Cara Sorrentino, Jackson Spector, Olivia Stammatatos, Jessica Straub, Sofia Suarez, Alex Tacopina, Marlem Tellez, Kelly Tenbus, Caroline Tonks, Annie Trousdell, Hanae Wada, Benjamin Whitcher and Emily Williams.
The distinguished seniors were asked to select one teacher to be honored from the original school they first attended in the district and from each of their subsequent schools. The teenagers took their responsibility to heart and made their selections based upon personal experiences that struck home with each of them, both individually and collectively.
The seniors recognized teachers Maria Mazzola, Kristen Thatcher, Nancy Conlon, Michelle Marino, Christopher Hender, Joanne Holsclaw, Vincent Tannazzo and Jamie Fishlow.
Seniors introduced each of the faculty members with poignant remembrances. Katie Reilly introduced Mr. Tannazzo by reading a heartfelt and personalized poem that she penned for the occasion. The teachers spoke one by one, recalling their experiences with the now-seniors and emphasizing how proud they are of their former students and how honored they were to be recognized.
The Huntington chamber orchestra entertained the crowd during its arrival and through the hors d’oeuvres hour. The musicians include Gaia D’Anna, Gabriella DeLuca, Arielle Harvey, Camryn Libes, Edward Maleszewski, Morgan Minicozzi, Thomas Pandolfi, Zak Perea, Marina Ruzic, Christian Verfenstein, Nicple Arenth, Erin Bonitz, Maggie Giles, Miranda Nykolyn, Julia Rogan, Hadley Clayton and Kevin O’Donnell.