Faculty Committee Helps Select Scholarship Award Winners
Dozens of Huntington High School students were recognized at the annual senior academic awards night in early June, as a crowd of several hundred parents and family members saw the winners of tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships announced. Some have asked, “Just how are the recipients selected?”
“Most of the award winners are selected by either outside agencies or by the academic departments,” said Jayne Hallett, a high school guidance counselor. “There is a scholarship/awards committee which selects a small percentage of the awards. The faculty is asked to vote for recipients of the American Legion Citizenship Awards, Daughters of the American Revolution and Alumni Cups, as well as to suggest students they feel are deserving of scholarships and awards. ”
Once the committee has been given all the faculty nominations and student background information, it goes to work. “The Committee takes their (teachers) feedback into consideration and we also review applications that students have completed for some of the other scholarships,” Ms. Hallett said.
The committee is comprised of about 15 individuals including Principal Carmela Leonardi, representatives from each department, the senior class advisors, the guidance counselors and club and activity advisors. Its membership totals approximately 15. “There is a wealth of knowledge about the seniors in a variety of settings with this type of representation,” Ms. Hallett said.
“The Committee meets for a block of time, usually two periods, for one or two days,” Ms. Hallett explained. “The director of guidance chairs that meeting and I coordinate all the information that needs to be determined. I serve as the primary liaison to the outside agencies who communicate to me the names of students they have selected, based on the criteria that they have set up.” Peter Paternostro, the director of guidance, coordinated the actual program itself in the high school auditorium. A reception in the main lobby followed the presentations.
A full list of all the senior awards and the recipients of each, along with scholarship stipends is available on the Huntington School District’s website.
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