An Amazingly Smart Young Woman
Lauren Desiderio never had Samantha Palmer as a student in one of her classes, but the teacher has an enormous amount of respect for the president of Huntington High School's Class of 2012 member.
Mrs. Desiderio is a Huntington social studies teacher, the faculty advisor for the school's National History Day club, a class advisor and a coach. Since she wears so many different hats, the educator comes across a wide cross-section of students and she considers Ms. Palmer to be one of the finest she has encountered.
"While I've never had the pleasure of teaching Samantha, I have had the opportunity to get to know her over the past few years as a member of student government and from her work in the National History Day program," Mrs. Desiderio said. "Samantha and [Class of 2012 member] Brielle Blatt have been lucky enough to compete in this prestigious competition at the national level and along the way I've been able to help mentor Samantha while also having the pleasure of getting to know what an amazingly smart young woman she is."
Ms. Palmer and Ms. Blatt teamed up for a remarkable project on Robert Moses, the famed builder and visionary responsible for most of the metropolitan area's roadways, bridges and parks. The work won first place in the New York State National History Day competition in Cooperstown.
Mrs. Desiderio said she will never forget the reaction of the two teenagers, their mothers and herself when the group learned the young ladies had captured first place in the state history contest. "First there was shock and then there was a lot of screaming and cheering," Mrs. Desiderio said "While Samantha and Brielle did not compete in NHD this year, as officers of the NHD club I could always count on them to go out of their way mentoring students. Through their guidance and passion for historical research they helped Kaylyn Johnston create a phenomenal project on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire."
The teacher and the new graduate appear to have much in common. "Beyond our shared passion for history, we are also both quite competitive on the field hockey field," Mrs. Desiderio joked. "Even though I coach at an opposing school, Samantha and I would often talk about field hockey during the fall season. Between Samantha, Brielle and Madison Biernacki (another member of the Class of 2012) we could, at one time or another, be found sharing insight and tips about common opponents."
When Huntington squared off against Mrs. Desiderio's Harborfields High School team, the relationship between the Blue Devil student-athletes and the teacher naturally changed. "Then I would see the competitiveness and desire to win in Sam and her teammates come through as they would be sure to playfully stop by my classroom on game day just to bother me," said Mrs. Desiderio as she laughed. "These games were always some of our most intense of the season! Samantha's a standout defender and I'm sure will be greatly missed by the Huntington field hockey team next year, bur by my team, not so much!"
Ms. Palmer is headed to Northeastern University in Boston in the fall to study biology. "Samantha Palmer is truly one of the most genuine and humble individuals I have met throughout my five years as a teacher here at Huntington High School," Ms. Desiderio said. "I'm extremely grateful that I have had the pleasure of getting to know Samantha. She cares greatly not just about her studies, but also about others. She wholeheartedly embraced her role as a model student, mentor, and athlete during her time at Huntington High School. While I will miss her warm smile and hellos in the morning next year, Samantha is destined for success and I know she will find it at Northeastern!"