Anna Wertheim Lives it Up
Anna Wertheim will graduate in a few short months. The Huntington High School senior began her journey in the district as a five year old. The time flew by as she became engrossed in a blur of studies, activities and travels halfway across the globe.
"I have been in the Huntington school district since kindergarten and I really have loved every minute of it," Ms. Wertheim said. "I really want to make sure that all my teachers from kindergarten on up know they have made an impact on me and I would like to thank them for all they have done for me."
Throughout high school, Ms. Wertheim has stayed very busy. She has participated in the drama club for the past four years and it has "always been like a family to me," the senior said. "As an underclassman there was no one I looked up to more than the upperclassmen in drama club. Realizing that I was a senior this year in drama club was hard to grasp. It seemed like yesterday the Class of 2010 were seniors. But, I have really strived to be as inspiring as 'my' seniors were for me."
Benefitted from Advice
During her early high school years, Ms. Wertheim benefitted from the advice of upperclassmen and now she wants to be that same type of person to the underclassmen of today. She's also gained a whole host of insights from Huntington English teacher and drama club advisor Michael Swendemann.
"Drama club has been a great place friend-wise, but also with acting," Ms. Wertheim said. "I love to act and learned so much from Schwendy and my peers. I'm confident that I am going into college with a strong background in theater. I hope to be involved in theater groups in college."
Some of Ms. Wertheim's favorite courses have been AP Government and Politics, AP Microeconomics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, theater arts and an internship with art teacher Kristin Singer. "I have really enjoyed my classes during my high school career," the teenager said. "I have been in Mrs. Singer's art classes since my freshman year. She has been a really amazing influence throughout high school. I will really miss her next year."
College and Career Plans
Ms. Wertheim has always loved and had a passion for art. One of her pieces was recently selected for High Arts Showcase IX at the Art-Trium Gallery in Melville. The senior plans to pursue art in college as either a double major or minor. "To be honest, I have no clue what I want to study in college or pursue as a career," she said. "I have so many diverse interests. I hope I have time to study them all! I do know that whatever I do, I want to make an impact. Whether it is globally or in a community, I want to promote change."
The Huntington senior has been accepted into the University of Michigan and Binghamton University and received scholarships to the University of Vermont, Tulane University and Case Western University. She is waiting to hear back from several other colleges.
Studied Abroad as Junior
Ms. Wertheim decided to spend the spring semester of her junior year studying abroad with Tichon Ramah Yerushalyim. "At the end of January last year, I got on a plane with 53 other North American teens and traveled to Israel," she said. "During the program, I took the same classes I was taking at home with the exception of Italian, art and band. I also took Hebrew and a class called 'Israel core course.' The whole program was centered on learning the history and culture of Israel."
Ms. Wertheim participated in two field trips each week with the Israel core course. "One was half a day, usually somewhere in the Jerusalem area, and the other was a whole day," she said. "We would learn about a historical event and then travel to the place where it happened. We learned a lot about the politics of Israel and the Middle East. We frequently had speakers from all over the political spectrum, including Palestinian speakers. In addition to day-long field trips we spent weeks at different kibbutzim (collective farms) and we also got to experience something called Gadna, which was a taste of basic army training."
The Huntington teenager traveled throughout the country over the span of five months. "Israel is about the size of New Jersey, but the parts of it are so demographically different," Ms. Wertheim said. "The south is a desert while the north is lush and wooded. I learned to love hiking, we hiked all over. Probably one of my favorite experiences, if not my favorite was a three day hike in the north."
Lived in Youth Village
Ms. Wertheim and her fellow travelers were housed in a youth village in the heart of Jerusalem. "There were kids from an Israeli boarding school, French boarding school and a Russian boarding school," she said. "They were their full time so we did not get to interact with them as much, but it was still an interesting experience. On most weekends we would find places to be hosted. This way we could really go out and experience Israeli culture firsthand. I got a chance to visit my own family, as well as stay in a settlement, experience orthodox practices, Yemenite practices and everything in between."
There was even an opportunity for some community service activities in Israel as Ms. Wertheim raised money to help youngsters with disabilities, worked at a soup kitchen, visited a senior center and participated in related initiatives. "All were really touching experiences, especially helping out at the program for kids with disabilities," she said. "I really enjoyed connecting with the kids and seeing them have so much fun."
While studying in the Middle East, Ms. Wertheim celebrated all the Israeli and Jewish holiday as if she was a citizen of Israel. "That was an especially fun experience," she said. "It was very different than how I would celebrate at home. Some of my favorites were Holocaust Remembrance Day, where we went to the Holocaust Museum in Israel and got to hear a survivor's experience. In Israel, at set times an air raid siren goes off and everyone just stops what they are doing and remembers. It is very powerful."
The air raid sirens also sound on Remembrance Day for soldiers and victims of war. "It is another very moving day," Ms. Wertheim said. "Our Israeli counselors talked of their own experiences in the army and with fallen friends. It is such an ingrained part of Israeli society. These things happen all the time and are fresh in people's mind. The nice thing about Remembrance Day is that it is followed by Israeli Independence Day, which is a fun holiday where the night before the main square in Jerusalem becomes a big party area with music and dancing and fireworks. Then the next day everyone heads to the beach for a barbecue. It was so much fun and so fascinating experiencing those holidays."
Naturally, loved ones were a little uneasy about the Huntington teenager living in the Middle East for an extended period. "A lot of people were nervous for my safety but I never felt scared," Ms. Wertheim said. "We always had a guard/medic on our trips and Israel is a really safe country."
Opportunity for Personal Growth
The Huntington senior found her time in Israel to be an opportunity for personal growth. "I had never lived away from home before so adapting to roommates and living far from home was hard at first," Ms. Wertheim said. "Classes were not held every day so it became a lot of teaching myself. I really credit my junior year teachers at home for helping me out, especially [science teacher] Dame Forbes for giving me access to the PowerPoint's and resources my classes at home were using."
The teenager's overseas experience was not without its challenges. "Traveling in a foreign country where I didn't really speak the language to cousins I hadn't seen in years, who didn't speak much English, was frightening," Ms. Wertheim said. "I think all in all, I came out of the program a different person. But, I wouldn't have even participated in it without the support from Huntington High School and encouragement from my teachers."
Fencing and Marching Band
Looking back over the past four years, Ms. Wertheim doesn't hesitate to say she's had a great time. "I have really enjoyed high school," she said. "Until reflecting upon it now, I didn't realize how much I have changed. High school presented so many new challenges and experiences for me. I know going off to college next year I will be more than prepared."
A member of the Huntington varsity fencing team throughout high school (she fenced epee), Ms. Wertheim "absolutely loved" this year's squad. She has also been a member of the Blue Devil marching band in each of the past four years, rising to the rank of trumpet section leader this year.
"Marching band was definitely a great stepping stone into high school," Ms. Wertheim said. "It has taught me a lot of life lessons in leadership, teamwork and time management. Each year was very different but very memorable none the less. Although I was sad not to have a traditional end in Syracuse (due to Hurricane Sandy), I think this year's band was the best yet and the season ended with a bang. I have never been happier with a performance than Syracuse this year."
Ms. Wertheim was nominated for Huntington's Natural Helpers program as a junior. Members of the group learn effective means of intervention so they can help their classmates overcome an assortment of issues "I am so happy to have gotten to know the wonderful Rob Gilmor through the club," she said about the organization's faculty advisor. "He is so genuine and kind and I am so grateful that he has been a part of my time here at Huntington High School."
Advice for Class of 2017
As the Class of 2013 nears its date with destiny, many seniors have been willing to share their experiences with younger students. "My advice to freshmen and really everyone in high school is to live it up," Ms. Wertheim said. "Don't be afraid to try new things. Go outside the box. Don't get discouraged before you start! What made high school so much fun for me are the activities I did and the friends I made through them. Go out, explore, have adventures. Yes, sometimes all you will want to do is go back to bed and quit everything, but in the long run, you won't remember those days. You're going to remember the days where you accomplished something and tried something new. This school has so much to offer! Don't let it slip through your fingers. Experience it. You will thank yourself later for it."