Paw Print Awesome Sight from Air
Mike Connell loves Huntington. He’s a Blue Devil alum, a longtime local businessman and a top-notch amateur photographer who doesn’t mind juggling his busy schedule to accommodate a request for his talents.
Mr. Connell’s skills were put to good use last week when he climbed into the bucket of a Huntington Manor Fire Department truck and soared 50 feet into the air, high above the Jack Abrams School community, which was arranged below to resemble the giant paw of a husky dog, the school’s mascot.
Kyle O’Brien, a sixth grader in teacher Peter Ravo’s class helped design the paw print formation on graph paper with Mary Scott, a teacher assistant in the school’s computer lab.
“The graphic design looked terrific on paper, so we set out to organize another aerial photo,” Principal Mary Stokkers explained. “The Huntington Manor Fire Department responded to [secretary] Bik Bialkowski’s request to bring their aerial truck to Jack Abrams.”
One early morning last week, the school’s fourth and fifth graders were decked out in white shirts while sixth graders donned blue. Faculty and staff members looked happy in red. Even Jack Abrams himself, the building’s namesake, was there looking dapper in his red shirt.
Mrs. Stokkers called the event “a full school effort,” that custodians Richie Franklin and Manny Feliciano, physical education teachers Eric Triolo and Angela Meringolo, dean of students Scott Armyn and Suffolk Police Officers Drew Fiorillo, Ralph Clanton, Joe D’Alessandro, Colleen Cooney-Tsandes and Angela Ferrara helped orchestrate.
Although just a sixth grader, Mr. O’Brien planned the whole thing out foot-by-foot, Mrs. Stokkers said. But, once he was hovering over the large group, Mr. Connell, who had given up his day off and passed on a planned morning fishing excursion, asked for some rearranging to be done.
“When it was time to snap the pictures he told us all to hold both hands up in the air,” Mrs. Stokkers said. “It was amazing.” The school’s 520 students and 70 faculty and staff members were mesmerized by the fire truck brought over by HMFD 1st Assistant Chief Mark P. Sciallo and firefighter John Damico. “Everyone cheered when the picture was taken,” the principal said.
The photo snapped by Mr. Connell last week conjured up images of another aerial photo taken ten years ago to celebrate the new millennium. At that time students and staff configured themselves to resemble the number 2000.
Mr. Connell’s photo will be mounted and put on display in a lobby showcase for public viewing. “We had fun planning this as an historical school project,” Mrs. Stokkers said.
All graphics, photographs, and text appearing on the Huntington Public Schools home page and subsequent official web pages are protected by copyright. Redistribution or commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. Comments or Questions? email the Public Information Office