K-Factor Memories Will Always Be Remembered
May 23, 2023
Those who performed in this spring’s K-Factor talent show at Huntington High School will always remember the experience along with the crowd filling the auditorium.
Staged by the high school’s Key Club chapter and supported by folks of all ages across the community, the event showcased dozens of talented performers and raised funds to benefit kids fighting cancer at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and their families.
K-Factor draws its name from Huntington High School alum and former Key Club member Kaila Harlan. A member of the Class of 2009, she was diagnosed with leukemia while attending college. Her alma mater organized the first show to help raise money to cover expenses related to her treatment. She passed away on August 29, 2013 at age 22.
This year’s show was once again dedicated to Rachel Antorino, the daughter of Huntington High School English teacher Aimee Antorino. Rachel lost her battle with leukemia in August 2018 when she was only 14 years old. In her memory, Ms. Antorino created the foundation, Rachel’s Dance for the Cure to help relieve the financial burden placed on families of pediatric cancer patients.
Visit www.rachelsdanceforthecure.org to learn more about Rachel’s Dance for the Cure, which accepts donations year-round.
This year’s edition was the 12th annual K-Factor. The event has traditionally been held on Friday night, but this year two shows were staged on Saturday afternoon and evening.
Key Club faculty advisors Kelly Kaiser and Gina Colica worked with the organization’s officers and general membership to produce the show.
The Huntington chapter’s executive board includes Kate Balm (president), Charlotte Gordon (vice president), Brooke Parks (secretary), Haileigh Smith (treasurer), Victoria Befumo (publicist), Jack Ruthkowski (attendance) and Sophia Segal, who is the external executive assistant for the New York District Key Club.
“This year, we decided to host the event on a Saturday as opposed to a Friday night, which enabled us to have two performances,” Ms. Gordon explained. “This was a clever idea that allowed us to increase donations and ensure that younger viewers could enjoy the performances without staying up past their bedtimes. Both shows were a huge hit and a phenomenal way to raise money for the Stony Brook pediatric oncology unit in memory of Rachel Antorino. My personal favorite act was Security Sam’s choreographed dance to a medley of Ice Spice songs. He was selected to perform after raising the most money during our ‘Teacher Jars’ fundraiser and he did a fantastic job of captivating the crowd. His dance moves certainly did not disappoint!”
Teacher Michael Schwendemann and senior James Rosselli co-hosted the event, serving as masters of ceremonies.
Sam Soric captured the award for Best Vocal for his performance of “What If You Had Stayed?” by Logan Smith. Ariana James and Zaida Correal were named Best Dancers for their routine, “Dancing Through the Decades.” Sisters Isabella and Giovanna Lanfranco won Best Overall for their rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s pop hit, “Because of You.” The winners received $50 Visa gift cards.
The panel of judges included Kristina Morell, Elizabeth Casazza, Lynn Hendricks, Nicholas Wagner, Anna Fabela, Jenna Merget, Paige Tyree Furman and Youlanda Carey.
“Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students in the world,” according to the national organization’s website. It has approximately 251,000 members in more than 5,000 clubs and is represented in 40 countries.
