Huntington School Briefs
The 2nd Annual Jana Lee Piccola Walk 4 Love is scheduled for Sunday, September 26, 2010. The event will kick-off at Mill Dam Park at 8:30 a.m. with a “kids run” for those 12 years old and younger. A regulation 5K run will follow at 9 a.m. Details on how to register will be announced at a later date.
September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month and the Walk 4 Love will benefit pediatric cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Last year’s event attracted 500 participants. It is organized by Ms. Piccola’s loyal friends.
Ms. Piccola graduated from Huntington High School in 2004. She passed away at 21 years of age on October 31, 2008 from acute myeloid leukemia. A vivacious, happy and full-of-life teenager, she had been diagnosed with cancer in the spring of her junior year of high school. Treatments drove the dreaded disease into remission and Ms. Piccola was able to lead a normal life before becoming ill again as a senior at Quinnipiac College. She was awarded a bachelor’s degree posthumously.
Meet Southdown Teacher Jessie Brennan
Southdown Primary School teacher Jessie Brennan is a 2006 graduate of St. Joseph’s College where she majored in child study with a concentration in psychology. She also played varsity basketball there.
Ms. Brennan is pursuing a master’s degree at Touro College in literacy and expects to graduate in May 2010. She came to Huntington in 2007 as a second grade leave replacement teacher at Jefferson Primary School and then moved over to Southdown as a leave replacement reading teacher.
In 2009, Ms. Brennan was hired as a probationary special education teacher. She is working on the second grade level at Southdown School in an inclusion classroom alongside colleague Kim Meyers-Bender.
Ms. Brennan was a girls’ basketball team coach in 2008 at J. Taylor Finley Middle School.
English Honor Society Induction Date
The date of this year’s National English Honor Society induction ceremony at Huntington High School has been changed from April 15 to Tuesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Trustees Grant Course Approval
Huntington School Board members unanimously approved a new US military history course at Huntington High School. It will probably run in 2011, according to Joseph Leavy, director of humanities.
The one-semester, half-credit social studies course will be open to juniors and seniors who have completed Global II Regents. The annual enrollment is estimated at 25 students.
The course will delve into the four branches of the military, helping students to gain an understanding of the history and purpose of each. Students will explore the leadership structures of the military, key battles throughout history and humanitarian efforts undertaken by the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.
The estimated cost of books and materials for the course is pegged at $500, which the district would cover through the department’s budget. No new additional staff is required.
The new course will utilize filmed interviews with service members, excerpts from books and periodicals, thesis based classroom discussions and possible field trips.
For more information about the course contact Mr. Leavy at jleavy@hufsd.edu.
Principal’s Challenge
Dozens of Jack Abrams Intermediate School students responded to Principal Mary Stokkers’ challenge by building snowmen following the recent storm. The Principal’s Challenge was open to youngsters who came dressed with boots and warm clothes. The students, teachers and teacher aides were often quite creative in what they managed to build. All agreed it was a fun experience.
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