Huntington UFSD’s Arts Night Draws Crowd of 300

Huntington UFSD’s second annual Arts Night was a festive affair last Friday evening at the high school. A crowd of 300 students and parents turned out and raised $1,000 for the district’s arts-in-education program.

Participating visual arts department members included Kim Valerio, Nick Matarazzo, Kristen Fiorenti, Jenna Merget, Jennifer Fazin and Ayallah Jeddah.

Music department staff members Jackie Wetzel, Ashley Berrell, Andre Rizzuto, Tom Gellert and Mike Zigon also participated in the event.

The evening included three dedicated classrooms with hands-on arts and crafts activities staffed by high school art teachers and Art Honor Society members.

The evening also included an art exhibit featuring pieces created by Huntington UFSD’s art faculty members and a concert by the district’s music teachers that showcased the exceptionally talented musicians working with students on every grade level.

An assortment of raffles drew the interest of participants. Huntington High School Principal Brenden Cusack won a new guitar. “We’ll get him to perform next year,” said Thomas N. Gellery, interim director of fine and performing arts.

Proceeds generated from the evening have been earmarked for arts-in-education programming during the 2024/25 school year.

Huntington’s arts-in-education program is an integral part of the educational experience at all grade levels in the district. “The arts provide an exciting, participatory approach to learning that enriches all areas of the school curriculum,” according to a program overview. “The Arts-in-Education Committee researches and plans both cultural arts and exploratory programs that are linked directly to core curriculum concepts and skills. Students participate in a wide range of experiences, from seeing their own pieces of creative writing performed by professional actors and chatting with famous authors to working with real scientists and “meeting” characters from American history.”

The arts-in-education program presents programs designed to enhance the study of children’s literature, the humanities, mathematics, science, fine and performing arts, health and character education.