Business Students Dress for Success
There were plenty of double-takes when Huntington High School business students dressed up in professional attire one recent day. It's a regular event that helps teach the teenagers some important lessons.
"Students practice the concept that presentation is nine-tenths of everything," teacher Suzie Biagi said. The veteran faculty member asks students to log the reaction of others upon being spotted in their distinguished attire. The teenagers later share the reactions with classmates.
Mrs. Biagi said students are especially looking to see if as a result of being dressed in business clothes, more respect is shown to them, if they are taken more seriously and if others are more deferential. Later class discussions become spirited when students share their personal experiences.
"Senior Portfolio and Career and Financial Management [courses] require students to think outside their usual mental box," Mrs. Biagi said. The practical side of Senior Portfolio includes such topics as dressing for success, including learning how to tie-a-tie for the men, professional hairstyles for women in the workplace, interview etiquette, resume development, the use of credit cards and more.
Senior Portfolio has been an especially popular one-semester course. It results in students earning one-half of an academic credit upon successful completion of its requirements. It is offered only to seniors and has stood the test of time with many vocal supporters among Huntington alumni and their parents.