McGoldrick is one of Huntington’s Unforgettable Seniors
Erin McGoldrick will graduate next month as one of the most unforgettable seniors in Huntington High School’s Class of 2010. She’s been immersed in activities and challenging courses for the past four years and said her experience has been wonderful. She will leave a happy young woman.
“When I came to high school my freshmen year I was very quiet, shy and reserved, so I decided to join the marching band to continue my music education,” Ms. McGoldrick recalled recently. “The experience not only gave me a chance to play saxophone but, surprisingly, brought me out of my shell.”
The teenager is excited to be headed to Gettysburg College next fall. She’s mulling over possible majors, including ones in English, political science or history “or maybe I’ll find some way to combine everything I love,” she said. “No matter what I chose to do, I have many teachers at Huntington High School to thank for encouraging me to pursue many different areas of study.”
While tough courses have required plenty of hard work, Ms. McGoldrick has enjoyed Huntington’s well-rounded high school program. “I have had a lot of fun participating in the school’s performing arts program, a program that really shaped my high school experience,” she said. “From jazz band to wind ensemble, I have met so many people and made many friends. Mr. [Jason] Giachetti was definitely the best band teacher I’ve ever had and he really helped me become a better performer. In jazz band this year Mr. G. gave me the opportunity to play a soprano saxophone in jazz band, which I was thrilled about.”
Sifting through Memories
Sifting through four years of memories, Ms. McGoldrick said some stand apart from others. “My junior year in high school I played a solo for the marching band, which was a crazy and wonderful experience for me,” she recalled. “I had to play a solo in front of thousands of people at the Syracuse dome. However, I remember being more frightened playing for the first time in front of my peers. The entire marching band really rallied around me and supported me making that a special year for me.”
As a senior, Ms. McGoldrick was a marching band section leader, which was one of her most challenging high school experiences. “In the end it was ultimately rewarding to toughen out a difficult situation and get thanked at the end of the season by members of my section,” she said. “This year I joined chorus, which was an entirely new experience for me. I was completely freaked out. As a freshman I would never have had the guts to sing in public, because I barely spoke to begin with. The new chorus teacher, Ms. [Veronica] Escamilla was very encouraging and I was very happy to be a part of the choir.”
In a few short weeks Huntington’s literary magazine, Et Cetera will be published. Ms. McGoldrick has been its editor this year and the post has provided her with an opportunity to encourage creative writing at the high school. She’s worked closely with faculty advisor Ken Krummenacker, an English teacher at the school, to produce an outstanding edition.
“I had Mr. Krummenacker as my English 11 Honors teacher and he really emphasized the significance of poetry as a form of writing,” she said. “There are so many forms of self-expression and Et Cetera was really an outlet for student expression through poetry, short stories and even photography, and other works of art. This year I begged my best friend, Johanna Clifford to contribute some artwork to the magazine and she took on the task and contributed so much more. She is the art editor of the magazine and has worked incredibly hard to make the magazine look amazing.”
A Remarkable Tribute
So much has been crammed into the last four years it’s a remarkable tribute to Ms. McGoldrick’s organizational and time management skills that she’s been able to excel simultaneously in so many different areas.
“I am going to miss my Italian class the most when I graduate,” Ms. McGoldrick said. “Mrs. [Carmen] Mastrogostino shows so much enthusiasm and love for the subject she is teaching and the students she teaches. The class is very special with a lot of really kind people and we all have become a close-knit group through the years. In our class we have learned about Italian culture, language and life while learning about each other in the process. I will always remember that particular class in high school.”
The senior said she plans to continue learning Italian and will minor in it in college as well as studying abroad in Italy for a semester. “I believe I would not have such a passion for Italian studies if it wasn’t for my class in high school, as well as my Italian class in middle school with Ms Leonetti.”
An Advanced Placement Government course this year helped Ms. McGoldrick realize she also wants to enroll in political science courses during college. “However, I am keeping my options open as my AP Literature course has been an unforgettable class as well, studying works of literature such as ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ as well as the opportunity to study prized works of literature outside of class,” she said. The teenager read “The Sun Also Rises” and “Wuthering Heights” for homework and the chance to expand her knowledge of literature.
Another Special Experience
As a junior she enrolled in AP U.S. History with teacher James Graber and it turned out to be another special experience. “He has also been my AP Microeconomics teacher this year and I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn in his class,” Ms. McGoldrick said. “History courses have been my favorite throughout high school and Mr. Graber’s teaching has made the subject that much more interesting and sometimes, in the case of economics, infinitely more understandable.”
It’s been a great run for Ms. McGoldrick and teachers on every grade level say she’s been an unforgettable presence in Huntington for more than a decade. If the past is any indication, success at Gettysburg seems assured.
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