Huntington’s Kristen Reardon Earns LI Art Award
Confirming what her teachers already knew, Huntington High School senior Kristen Reardon was named one of two Long Island Scholar-Artists for February by the Long Island Arts Alliance. The honor places her among an elite group
Ms. Reardon is not only a talented artist. She has built an impressive academic record and has a delightful personality, too, according to Huntington faculty members. She excels in painting and drawing and especially enjoys working in pastels.
“Kristen feels that the AP Studio course that she took at Huntington High School helped her most in developing as an artist,” said Joan R. Fretz, district director of fine and performing arts. “The course requires that you produce a lot of work quickly and each piece must be of a high caliber. Kristen feels that it helped her to really perfect her techniques.”
The Scholar Artist selection committee picks only 20 Long Island students annually for the award. Two teenagers are honored each month during the school year. Schools can only nominate one student in each of five different categories. In addition to Ms. Reardon, who was cited in the fine arts category, Huntington High School students Jeffrey Bishop (theater) and Amanda Ho (music) earned honorable mention honors. “That’s pretty amazing that three students were recognized from one school all in one year,” Mrs. Fretz said.
The future looks promising for Ms. Reardon, who is considering an academic major that will put her artistic skills to good use, such as landscape design, landscape architecture or interior design. She has already been accepted by Loyola College in Maryland for the fall semester and is waiting to hear from Cornell Univ. and the Univ. of Delaware.
“This choice was based on the dedication you have shown to your craft, your completed application and artistic presentation, your grade point average and your outstanding letters of reference,” wrote Dr. John J. Gallagher, the chairperson of the selection committee, in a message announcing the award.
The Scholar-Artist program, which was established in 2007, is underwritten by the Roslyn Savings Bank Foundation. Students are recognized in print and online by Newsday and at a reception for family, friends and teachers at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Long Island University - C.W. Post College.
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