Senior Olivia Polinsky Enjoys Summer Travel

Olivia Polinsky is always involved in an activity that is helping her grow in some way. This summer the rising Huntington High School senior traveled to Israel and Jordan for two-and-a-half weeks with 13 family members.

“It was wonderful being immersed in a different culture, eating the foods, hearing the language and seeing how beautiful the desert can be,” Ms. Polinsky said. “We started in Tel Aviv and went on to stay in Haifa, then a kibbutz in the Golan Heights, then Jerusalem and then Eilat and Petra in Jordan.”

The perhaps once in a lifetime trip was an exceptionally informative as well as enjoyable experience. “Being able to share this with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins made it beyond special,” Ms. Polinsky said. “My favorite part of this journey was hiking in Ein Gedi and the experience of swimming in its’ springs and waterfalls.”

Ms. Polinsky is one of the Blue Devils’ best field hockey players and she also plays a key role in the Natural Helpers program and with the Habitat for Humanity club. She is among the top students academically in Huntington’s Class of 2024.

“We also toured Masada, floated in the Dead Sea (the lowest elevation and the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth), walked through the Bahai gardens, went for a camel ride near the West Bank and stayed on a working kibbutz,” Ms. Polinsky said. A kibbutz is a rural community dedicated to the equality and cooperation of joint owners of the property. It was wonderful learning about a working kibbutz and especially interesting learning about its modernization. The kibbutz now hires others to do almost all of the hands-on labor that the establishment requires.”

Ms. Polinsky also participates in the Key Club and National History Day club, among others. She also runs on the Blue Devil girls’ track team and has even tried her hand at pole vaulting. She’s a star in the high school’s science research program.

The teenager will always remember her trip to the Middle East. “It was awe-inspiring seeing one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, visiting Petra in the country of Jordan,” Ms. Polinsky said. “I was so happy to see my dad, an Indiana Jones fan, light up when he faced The Treasury.”