Finley Ceremony Signifies an End and a Beginning
A crowd of more than 1,500 filled the Huntington High School auditorium on Wednesday night to give this year’s J. Taylor Finley Middle School eighth grade class the festive sendoff it has earned.
More than 300 Finley eighth graders participated in the moving-up ceremony presided over by Principal John Amato and Assistant Principal Kenneth Parham. The teenagers were called to the stage one by one and presented with certificates denoting the completion of their middle school studies.
Mr. Amato said this is one of the most distinguished groups of students that Finley has ever produced, excelling in every academic discipline along with the arts, athletics and community service, too.
“Anyone who describes this eighth grade class beams with pride regarding what they have achieved in all regards,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “It was a pleasure to be present as they walked the stage for the final time as Finley students. Opportunities await! They will surely expand upon their accomplishments in the years to come at Huntington High School and beyond.”
While the Finley students are ending their middle school studies, a whole new world filled with opportunities awaits them at Huntington High School, with expanded course offerings and enriched co-curricular and athletic programs.
Along with a long list of departmental honors that were presented, many special awards were given to Finley’s top eighth graders on Wednesday night.
This year’s award recipients include:
American Legion Citizenship Award
Strong School Community Spirit
Brigid Hannon
Neil Jean-Baptiste
American Legion Most Outstanding Musician Award
Jennifer Low
Julien Rentsch
Attorney General’s Triple “C” Award
Character, Courage and Commitment
Nastociah Sanders
Raul Orozco
Cissy Frost Friendship Award
Friendship, Tolerance, Spirit
Carley Stevens
Daughters of the American Revolution
Citizenship, Patriotism, School Involvement
John Panos
Huntington Fire Department Ex-Chief Louis Solomon Award
High Moral Character
Craig Haas
Joseph Cane Memorial Band Award
James Obermaier
Libutti Jewelers Music Service Award
Natalie Furman
Lions Club Good Citizenship Award
Lisa Saint-Rose
Denis Ortiz
Lucy Sammis Award
Passion for Education
Alexa Aviles
Courtney O’Bryan Spirit Award
Passion for School, Sports & Friends
Alexandra Gerbavsits
PTA Good Character Award
Johnny Menjivar
Physical Education Suffolk Zone Award
Catherine Jamison
Michael Lynch
Principal’s Award
Thanary Sanchez
Suffolk County Executive Public Service Award
Andy Garcia
Outstanding Achievement in Art
Nehemias Aquino Vasquez
Mia D’Alessandro
Josie Fasolino
Julien Rentsch
Julia Segal
Aniyah Toro
Outstanding Achievement in Physical Education
Brooke Biernacki
Megan Byrnes
Charles Forte
Catherine Jamison
Michael Lynch
Aedan McDonald
Outstanding Achievement in English
Matthew Gennarelli
Abigail Holmes
John Panos
Madelyn Reed
Julien Rentsch
Abigail Semelsberger
Lisa Saint-Rose
Joseph Tonjes
Outstanding Achievement in French
Kelly Alfaro-Alvarez
Eunice-Bonilla Ramos
Alice Bradford
Paul Katigbak
Julien Rentsch
Outstanding Achievement in Italian
Matthew Basil
Kyra DeSalvo
Christina Maceluch
Matthew Stolfa
Kimberly Valle
Outstanding Achievement in Latin
Ryan Knowles
Lily Stein
Outstanding Achievement in Spanish
Sylvia Belanger
John Panos
Outstanding Achievement in Native Spanish
Katherin Bonilla
Johnny Menjivar
Yaniris Tavares
Outstanding Achievement in Native Spanish Grammar
Livia D’Anna
Marissa Stafford
Justin Stevens
Outstanding Achievement in English as a New Language
Wendy Portillo Moreira
Jacqueline Grande Rodriguez
Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics
Cameron Bosley
Nayely Estrada-Rodriguez
Johnny Menjivar
Aldo Ochoa
Outstanding Achievement in Accelerated Math
Andrew Knowles
Julien Rentsch
Justin Stevens
Matthew Stolfa
Outstanding Achievement in English as a New Language Math
Lesli Gomez Chavez
Wendy Portillo Moreira
Outstanding Achievement in Band
Maggie Lalor
Nathan Musso
Madelyn Reed
Nathan Soric
Jose` Suarez
Anna Wickey
Outstanding Achievement in Chorus
Johnny Menjivar
Julia Segal
Abby Semelsberger
Faith Youngquist
Outstanding Achievement in Orchestra
Catherine Jamison
Keenan Lyons
Kyle Perea
Diya Rai-Gersappe
Outstanding Achievement in Earth Science
Alice Bradford
Natalie Ciccone
Ryan Knowles
Luca Perna
Diya Rai-Gersappe
Julien Rentsch
Outstanding Achievement in Physical Science
Kevin Aparicio
Joshua Avidor
Alexa Aviles
David Bruno
Chris Guervara
Foster Sullivan
Michael Wright
Outstanding Achievement in ENL Science
Jacqueline Grande Rodriguez
Wendy Portillo Moreira
Outstanding Achievement in Social Studies
Alice Bradford
Dylan Conforti
Ryan Knowles
Michael Lynch
Wendy Portillo Moreira
Julien Rentsch
Abigail Semelsberger
Jason Verville
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