Alexa Giammarino
Dances Toward Graduation
Alexa Giammarino is a dancer and she's gliding toward graduation as one of the top Huntington High School seniors. The teenager is immersed in tough classes and a variety of extracurricular activities and enjoying it all.
Ms. Giammarino came to the Huntington School District from a private school as a sixth grader. She said she "loved public school because it had so much more to offer."
The senior began dancing when she was three years old and started competing when she was seven. "Now I perform in various companies," she said. "I take classes and rehearse seven days a week. I definitely want to at least minor in dance in college."
One of the dance groups that Ms. Giammarino participates in is called "Hip Hop Fusion." It's very selective and membership in it requires an audition. Participants rehearse every Sunday for seven hours.
"We work towards putting together a 90 minute production that will be showcased about six months after the auditions," she said. "In this company we take all styles of dance, hip-hop, tap, jazz, contemporary, and all other styles, and blend them together. This group is so special because all the money we raise from ticket and t-shirt sales is donated to a charity coalition."
Last year the group raised $20,000 for Bethany House. "We also recently had the opportunity to be a part of the New York City dance parade and dance in Tompkins Square Park" the teenager said. "All the girls and boys in the dance company really devote time and hard work into producing an amazing show." This will mark her third year in the company.
This year, Ms. Giammarino is wearing many different hats. She's the senior class president, senior captain of the high school's kickline team, treasurer of the National Honor Society and a member of the Math, Science, Art and English honor societies, the science club and Habitat for Humanity. "I really enjoy the arts," she said. "Along with being a dancer, I love to paint, particularly with watercolor."
Never one to take the easy way out, Ms. Giammarino completed four Advanced Placement courses last year and is enrolled five AP classes as a senior. She notes the "curriculum was definitely challenging and extremely stressful, but it was totally worth it"
Ms. Giammarino has been on the high honor roll academically since the seventh grade and she will graduate in the top five percent of the Class of 2011. She has already been accepted into Northeastern University and earned scholarship money. She has applications pending at several other colleges.
"I'm planning to major in biology and go into medicine from there, but I'm always changing my mind," Ms. Giammarino said. "I might double major in biology and business, if schedules don't conflict."
The senior said "med school is a big possibility, but yet again, I'm always changing my mind." She's confident that at the right time, everything will fall nicely into place.
"Throughout my years at Huntington high school, I have had the most amazing teachers," Ms. Giammarino said. "I have grown to favor the field of math and science. All types of math and specifically, biology. The teacher that I really think is amazing is Mrs. [Deborah] Beck. She was my AP bio teacher. She has great style of teaching and she helped me get a 5 on the AP! I am also currently interning for Mrs. [Lori] Kenny's research and development class, which I really enjoy."
As she glides toward graduation, Ms. Giammarino is making the most of her senior year. It will be one she'll always remember.