NYS School Business Officials Awards Presented to Senior Duo

The Association of School Business Officials of New York has awarded Huntington High School Class of 2023 members Markella Markotsis and Anna Safonte with twin $500 scholarships in recognition of their exceptional achievements and future potential in the field of business.

Superintendent James W. Polansky presented the awards on behalf of Huntington UFSD Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Management Services Dr. Kathleen Acker during Huntington High School’s senior scholarship and awards night ceremony.

Founded in 1948, ASBO New York’s members are recognized as experts in school finance and operations and leaders in education. The organization supports the professional growth of its members and serves as the leading resource on school finance statewide while advocating for quality education for all students. The group boasts about 2,600 members representing 659 school districts and BOCES units and 300 companies.

Dr. Acker currently serves on the ASBO New York Suffolk chapter’s executive board as its president.

Ms. Markotsis plans to study marketing at the University of Delaware. She attributes her exceptional success to her supportive family, friends and teachers who have all played an important role in her achievements over the past four years.

Named a Distinguished Senior, the teenager said she’s enjoyed the friendships and memories she made while playing on the Blue Devil varsity field hockey team that won 14 games last fall and reached the Suffolk Final Four playoff round.

A member of Huntington’s first broadcasting class, she loved working and recording with her friends. President of the high school’s Grandfriends Club and chief marketing officer of her Virtual Enterprise class company, Ms. Markotsis has excelled in and out of the classroom.

Ms. Safonte intends to study for a career as an esthetician. She, too, was named a Distinguished Senior, a distinction that requires a student to compile a minimum grade average of 90 during every semester of high school.

The teenager excelled in the Wilson Tech cosmetology program. Ms. Safonte was the secretary of Wilson Tech’s SkillsUSA program as a junior and remained involved in it as a senior. SkillsUSA is a career and technical organization that serves nearly 400,000 college, high school and middle school students and professional members enrolled in training programs in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.

Ms. Safonte said her success was derived from “all of the great teachers” she studied with over the years.

Dr. Acker plans to retire as a district administrator on July 5. She has been presenting scholarships annually to seniors since she came to Huntington UFSD in August 2015.