Senior Ariana James Exudes School Spirit

The new school year is off to an exciting start for Ariana James. The Huntington High School senior is on the Huntington Highsteppers competitive dance team and is immersed in classes, clubs and social activities and intends to she intends to return to play a second season with the Blue Devil varsity flag football team.

Ms. James is a personable young woman who exudes school spirit. The teenager plans to dive into the extracurricular program and get involved in National Honor Society, Grandfriends, Habitat for Humanity and Key Club. “Joining clubs like these feels very rewarding because I’m able to give back to others and help make a change in the world,” she said.

A mainstay in the Highsteppers program, Ms. James is one of this year’s captains. “I am very excited to work with Ms. [Kristiana] Salerno,” the senior said. “She is an amazing coach, teacher and person who we can always trust. She will always be there for you no matter what!”

Ms. James is “super excited” to return to the gridiron with the Blue Devil flag football team coached by high school physical education teacher Shea Scully. “Ms. Scully is an amazing mentor and coach,” the senior said. “She always pushed us to show that we can become better players than we ever thought. I am also proud to say I was on the team last year when it became a sport at our school. I am very proud to be on the Highsteppers and flag football teams in my senior year.”

Ms. James is looking forward to participating in the high school drama club’s spring musical production directed by English teacher Michael Schwendemann. “He is an amazing director and such a funny person,” she said. “He could brighten up anyone’s day. I am the dance captain for the musical and I really enjoy doing that and bringing dance into the production.”

The teenager finds something to make her happy every day. “My experiences at Huntington High School have been absolutely amazing so far, unfortunately it was a slow start with COVID-19 because it hit when I was going to ninth grade, but when I actually was able to go into school, the long lasting friendships and bonds with teachers that I have made and are still making, made up for the missed time,” Ms. James said.

The senior worked at the Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club last summer, “trying to save up money for my future,” Ms. James said. She also was able to have a lot of family time, including barbecues and pool days.

“I spent a lot of my time with my friends just soaking up summer,” Ms. James said. “I was also able to go to my local dentist’s office a few times throughout the summer and sit in and watch what a day in the life of a dental hygienist is like, which gave me an awesome experience.”

The senior is interested in a career as a dental hygienist. “Since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to become a dentist because I would always be super excited to go visit the dentist and it was always a fun experience for me and I want to give that experience to other kids and also adults,” Ms. James said. “I would like to go to school for four years to get my bachelor’s degree to become a registered dental hygienist. I am currently looking at colleges in the New York and Connecticut area, but mainly focusing on the University of New Haven in Connecticut. They have a great dental hygienist program and they also have a dance team, which I would love to be a part of since I will always like to keep dance in my life.”