K-Factor Talent Show Set For Friday, May 2

The Key Club’s K-Factor Talent Show is set to rock the Huntington High School auditorium again this spring on Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door for $10.

Key Club faculty advisors Kelly Kaiser and Gina Colica are working hard with a group of students led by Key Club President Brennan Ackerman to produce this year’s show.

The 2025 edition marks the 14th annual K-Factor Talent Show, which draws its name from club alum Kaila Harlan, a member of Huntington’s Class of 2009. Proceeds from that first show were dedicated to supporting Ms. Harlan during her battle with leukemia. A Key Club member throughout high school, she passed away that same August, but the show has continued in her honor.

“Right now planning for K-Factor is in full effect with a lot of moving parts, which can be stressful at times,” Key Club President Brennan Ackerman said. “This year in particular we had some much interest in preforming that we had to make a set of selections for acts. However, in the end, the result is a night full of amazing talent and fun. It’s truly a special event supports a great cause so I urge the community to make an effort to attend on Friday, May 2!”

The show now raises money for Rachel’s Dance for the Cure, a foundation set up by current Huntington High School English teacher Aimee Antorino. Her daughter, Rachel passed away in 2018 after a brave battle with AML leukemia. All proceeds go to the foundation, which helps children currently battling cancer at Stony Brook Hospital.

“We had almost 30 acts try out this year,” Ms. Kaiser said. “Sadly, some cuts had to be made to accommodate the timing of the show. We are truly grateful for all those who showed up to auditions. Amazingly talented seniors such as Josie Sullivan, Emily Kustera, Mia Molina, Sam Soric and Liva Camarata will be performing for their last time at the show. They have performed at the show each year since they were freshmen, and we're going to miss their iconic presence on stage.”

Teachers are currently involved in a competition to qualify for stage access for a faculty act. “Several staff members are collecting donations to see if they can land an act on stage,” Ms. Kaiser said. “We will announce the results this Friday.”

English teacher and high school drama club faculty advisor Michael Schwendemann will once reprise his role as the show’s host, but this year he will have some help from art teacher Jenna Merget and the Huntington Blue Devil Broadcast team.

“For the first time ever, some of my senior students have decided to have a ‘dance off’ to close the show in order to raise awareness for Rachel’s Dance for the Cure,” Ms. Kaiser said.

The dance off battle will be between students taking the Bible Literature English elective course. “It’s going to be great,” senior Elizabeth James said. “Lots of seniors and lots of energy to bring. We’re excited to raise money for a great cause.”

A member of the Kiwanis International family, Key Club chapters exist in thousands of high schools across the country. Huntington’s chapter was established decades ago and has thrived over the years.

“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 276,000 members in more than 4,800 clubs and is represented in 45 countries.

Interested in helping Huntington’s Key Club achieve its goals? Send a message to Ms. Krycinski (kkrycinski@hufsd.edu) or Ms. Colica (gcolica@hufsd.edu).