Huntington has been a blast for
Alexa Kaplan
While Alexa Kaplan has lived in the Huntington School District since the day she was born, the teenager only began attending public school here as a Huntington High School freshman. She's accomplished an awful lot these past four years and will graduate next month as one of the most popular members of the Class of 2013.
Personable, articulate, informed, humorous, friendly and loyal; Ms. Kaplan is many things, including being a fine student. She is headed to Syracuse University in the fall, where she plans to study music education on the way to law school and an eventual career as an entertainment lawyer.
Ms. Kaplan attended Solomon Schechter elementary and middle schools, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through eighth grade. She enrolled at Huntington High School as a ninth grader and seamlessly fit in with her classmates.
Over the past four years, the teenager has belonged to the Key Club, stage crew and Tri-M music honor society. She is the secretary-treasurer of the stage crew and has worked as the co-lighting designer along with fellow senior Gabe Goldman.
"I joined the stage crew my sophomore year and had a blast," Ms. Kaplan said. "Mr. [Kenneth] Gilbert made it so enjoyable that I couldn't wait to come back." She has built an excellent working relationship with Mr. Gilbert, the longtime stage crew advisor and auditorium manager.
Ms. Kaplan's senior year schedule includes AP Literature and Composition, participation in government, economics, advanced algebra, music theory, theatre arts and chamber choir. "I wanted a slightly more relaxed senior year that still had some demanding classes to keep me occupied," she said.
The senior's favorite Huntington High School teachers have been Veronica Mainville, Michael Schwendemann, John Pagano, Edward Florea and Anna Fabela.
"Mrs. Mainville is a wonderful choral director who is so easy to talk to," Ms. Kaplan said. "I can come to her for advice and she always helps me through tough situations. Her bubbly personality has made chamber choir one of my absolute favorite classes. She made me realize my passion for singing and my love for choir."
Ms. Kaplan is happy she enrolled in theatre arts. "Mr. Schwendemann is hysterical," she said about the high school English teacher and drama club advisor. "After working with him for two years during the musicals and dramas, I wanted to finally experience having him as a teacher. His theatre arts class is so entertaining and eye opening. I leave his class with a new perspective on life. He is one of those teachers that you can joke around with and have a good time."
Regardless of the course, Ms. Kaplan always manages to hit it off with her teachers. "Mr. Pagano made me love English," she said. "His 11 Honors class was entertaining. I always left his class feeling like I'd had a good time, but learned as well. Mr. Florea made me like science. He made chemistry easy to grasp and fun, too. He gives the absolute best advice. I can come to him with literally any problem and he always has a solution."
Ms. Kaplan has enjoyed many of her classes, but one of her all-time favorites is an animal behavior course taught by Ms. Fabela. "I have always had a love for animals, and getting to learn their behavioral patterns was so much fun; and what other class takes you to the Bronx Zoo?," the senior asked. "Her class was so much fun; and funny, too."
The last four years have been jammed with activities, but several stand out for Ms. Kaplan. "My most memorable experiences in the district would have to be Relay For Life and the Sears shopping tour," the teenager said. "I participated in last year's Relay event and had the best time, so I decided to join the raffles committee this year. It's been a blast so far and I can't wait for this year's event on May 17."
The Sears shopping tour with the Key Club was also both rewarding and fun. "During the event you are in groups of three or four and you are paired with a child from the district," Ms. Kaplan said. "These children don't necessarily have money for necessities like coats, shoes, shirts, etc. Within your group, you are given a Sears gift card and you shop for the child, who is supplied with a list of what they need and their sizes. It is such a good feeling knowing you've helped someone, especially someone so young who may not have that much."
Ms. Kaplan has found choosing a career to be a difficult process. "It's changed so many times throughout high school," she said. "I entered high school with a passion for marine biology, but eventually changed it to vocal performance. As of right now, I am in the music education program at Syracuse University, but I plan on attending law school at the end of my four years. I have recently realized that my desired field of study is entertainment law, which basically deals with celebrities and their problems. Having a music education major under my belt may help with music-industry related cases."
Choosing Syracuse seems like a natural choice for Ms. Kaplan since she has always had an affinity for the school. "My mom is an alumnus, so Syracuse is always present in my house, whether it is apparel or sports," the teenager said. "Although my mom has had a heavy influence on my decision, once I visited the school I fell in love with it. I recently attended an event called Own the Dome, which took place in the Syracuse Carrier Dome. The event was held for Class of 2017 accepted students. It was an overnight event that included bonding exercises and many fun activities. A famous hypnotist performed for us, and many of the school's clubs performed as well. The event made me realize that I was very comfortable on campus and that spending the next four years there will be absolutely wonderful."
As Ms. Kaplan looks ahead to college, she is willing to share with next year's ninth graders what she has learned over the past four years. "My advice for incoming freshmen is not to jump into anything too quickly," she said. "Figure out what interests you and go from there. My freshman year I didn't join any clubs because I wanted to focus more on my school work and discover my interests. After I figured out what interested me, I found clubs to match."