Louis Contino's Wild Ride
Louis Contino lives life large. He earns top grades, is into sports and the arts, sets high goals for himself, has a wide circle of friends and he knows how to have fun.
Mr. Contino graduated late last month with Huntington High School's Class of 2011. His unforgettable personality and effusive manner will be missed around the building when classes resume next fall. The teenager gathered steam little-by-little over the past four years until by sheer will he became an unstoppable force. He will begin studying at Emerson College in Boston in the fall.
"High school has been a wild ride for me," Mr. Contino said. "In the past four years I have grown tremendously, not only physically but mentally, as well. I started off as a tiny, little overweight freshman who was too afraid to try anything." That soon changed.
Mr. Contino's friends encouraged him to get involved in the Blue Devil athletic program. "I started off joining track and wrestling but I found it hard to do both and I later realized that my grades suffered, as well," he said. "By the end of freshman year, I had mastered the art of balancing school and after school activities."
When his sophomore year rolled around, Mr. Contino was ready to spread his wings a little bit wider. "I decided to dabble in the arts, computer graphics specifically," he said. "It is there that I discovered a true passion of mine. I became obsessed. My creativity really shined through my art and I would say that some of the greatest moments of satisfaction in my life have come through the expression of my creativity."
Earned Five Awards for Art
Huntington teachers believe the teenager definitely has talent. Mr. Contino has already earned five different awards for his artwork. The honors include the Long Island's Best Award at the LI Media Arts Show, scholar artist recognition and an Award of Excellence from the Long Island Arts Alliance, and several other citations.
He's even been able to sell some of his pieces, a development that would swell the head of any young artist. But, Mr. Contino is as down-to-earth as a person can get. While he's proud of his accomplishments, he remains a pretty humble young man.
After dipping his toes into the world of art, Mr. Contino made a discovery. "I soon realized that tackling one field in the art world was not enough," he said. The teenager's life was changing, twisting and turning in many directions.
"By the start of my junior year I had lost a total of 45 pounds and my confidence was off the charts," Mr. Contino said. "I said to myself 'I never thought I could get this far. If I can make myself feel this great, then I can do anything.' I then branched out even further by joining the 'a capella' choir, becoming more involved in chamber choir activities and joining the drama club and PlayFest."
Welcomed by Acting Fraternity
The acting fraternity welcomed Mr. Contino with open arms and served as a gateway to a whole new world. "Drama club was a wonderful experience for me," he said. "I discovered a warm and accepting group of students who had an equal passion for the arts. I had found my group. I became very close to my newfound friends, who I still cherish to this day, especially my best friend Ally Kiley, who I have now been dating for almost a year."
Mr. Contino shifted into his gear this past year, joining the National Honor Society and the staff of the yearbook, The Huntingtonian, as well as participating in the video club and Tri-M Honor society and serving as president of the Art Honor Society and historian of the chorus.
Expert at Juggling
How Mr. Contino successfully juggled play rehearsals and productions, a capella and chamber choir performances, continued development and refinement of his computer graphics talent and creating countless videos with the video club in addition to keeping high grades and participating on the Blue Devil track team is anyone's guess.
"Five fields of art, all different, being tackled by one boy with my new found overflowing sense of confidence," Mr. Contino said laughing. He wrote and directed his own PlayFest production and emceed the event with classmate David Lillienstein.
Art is not a passing fancy in Mr. Contino's life. "My goal as Art Honor Society president was to earn enough money to hang up art work all over the school as a beautification project," he said. A Huntington Foundation grant for $1,000 funded the initiative.
When you get Ron Wilson talking about Mr. Contino, it's hard to stop him. Mr. Wilson is currently a Huntington High School dean, after teaching elementary school for several years. He's also the Blue Devil boys' track coach and there's no student he holds in higher esteem than Louie Contino. Interestingly, the feeling is mutual.
"Mr. Wilson has been a big inspiration," Mr. Contino said. "He was my third grade teacher. It was his first year teaching and yet he had the biggest impact on my life. Then as I moved into sixth grade he moved up as well. But, two years of teaching was not enough for him and me. When I joined track, I found out that he was the coach of the eighth grade Finley track team. As soon as I moved to the big bad scary high school, Mr. Wilson received a job as the new varsity track coach. I've known Mr. Wilson for nine years of my life. I'm not sure what ill do in college without my buddy there."
Ally Kiley Helped the Most
Mr. Contino has a big heart. He raised more than $1,000 for the American Cancer Society at this year's Relay for Life. "Louie is just a great young man," Mr. Wilson said. "He's always ready to help someone in need."
Looking back over the past four years, so many people have made an impact in Mr. Contino's life. "But, the one person who I would have to say helped me the most in the shortest amount of time is Ally [Kiley], who I've known for only two years," he said. "In those two years I have acquired self-confidence, determination and maturity, but more importantly, a best friend. She constantly pushed me to achieve my goals and it was her pushing that helped me join National Honor Society, run for president of the Art Honor Society and join drama club my senior year."
A slew of honors and awards in the graphic and performing arts have set the stage for Mr. Contino to realize even more success in the competitive Emerson College environment.