Emily Saltman Balances Life at Huntington High School
Emily Saltman has enjoyed a splendid four year run at Huntington High School where the teenager is member of the Class of 2014. It’s been a time of challenging academic studies, competitive athletics, historical research and raising money to fight the scourge of cancer. Through it all the senior has found a degree of balance that has allowed her to savor it all.
Ms. Saltman has been a student in the Huntington School District since beginning kindergarten at Southdown Primary School. She eventually worked her way through Woodhull School and then J. Taylor Finley Middle School, before shining at Huntington High School for the past four years.
The teenager keeps a close circle of friends, many of whom she has been tight with for years. She is exceedingly well-liked by her classmates and teammates and is respected by teachers.
“Emily and I have been best friends since we made the same travel soccer team in third grade,” Huntington senior Molly Brambil said. “Her upbeat and funny personality never fails to put a smile on my face. It’s hard to find someone who Emily can’t make laugh. She is the most loyal and reliable friend I’ve ever had and I hope to maintain our friendship for life.”
“Emily and I have been friends since first grade and throughout that time she has become like family to me,” said Zachary Burden, another fellow senior and big fan. “Whenever anybody is around her, it is hard not to have a smile due to her humor and just all around fun personality. She is so trustworthy and an amazing friend."
A fine student, Ms. Saltman has been an active contributor in her classes. “In high school, I’ve had a personal level relationship with most of my teachers such as Mr. [Edward] Florea, Mr. [Erik] Bruckbauer, Mrs. [Lauren] Desiderio, Mr. [Michael] Schwendemann and many more,” she said.
Some of the senior’s favorite courses this year include Women’s Studies with teacher Camille Tedeschi, AP Environmental Science with Craig McKee and a career internship with Mr. Schwendemann. “I enjoy these classes in particular because these teachers always captivate the class and keep the class interested, especially Mr. Schwendemann,” Ms. Saltman said about one of Huntington’s most popular English teachers and the school’s drama club faculty advisor.
“I came to the high school in ninth grade hating English, but entering Schwen’s class changed my perspective because he made it so fun to be there that English soon became one of my favorite classes and now I’m interning for him just so I can end my senior year where I started,” Ms. Saltman said.
“Emily has a great sense of humor that never fails to bring a smile to my face,” said Mr. Schwendemann, who is known to refer to the senior as “Salty.” “When she puts her mind to it, she’s unstoppable. Her relationship with my ninth graders is terrific. Sometimes I think they like working with her better than they like working with me.”
Award-winning history project
The teenager has been involved in various co-curricular and extracurricular pursuits, including Relay For Life, National History Day and the Blue Devil athletic program. “Throughout high school, Huntington has provided events and programs that I have been lucky to be a part of,” Ms. Saltman said.
The senior and her research partner and classmate Alyson Baker captured second place in last year’s National History Day competition for their documentary: The Tuskegee Experiments. The work delved into a shameful 40-year clinical study conducted by the US Public Health Service on the progression of untreated syphilis in African American men who were deceived into believing they were being provided free medical treatment courtesy of the federal government.
“I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Emily and watching her grow over the past three years,” said Mrs. Desiderio, who serves as the National History Day club faculty advisor. “She was a student in my Global 10 Honors course as a tenth grader and I continued to work with her over the years through the National History Day club. Emily is one of the most passionate and fun loving students I have encountered throughout my teaching career. An outstanding role model who has always gone above and beyond to help her fellow peers, I could also always count on Emily to enthusiastically participate in class discussion. Emily truly emerged as a leader in our class. I actually just read to my AP World class the children’s story that Emily wrote and illustrated on the causes of World War I and they were beyond impressed with Emily’s talents.”
The National History Day project created by Ms. Saltman and Ms. Baker left an indelible mark. “Creating a ten minute documentary is by no means easy and through Emily and Aly’s perseverance and positive attitude, they created documentaries that were not only technologically sound, but more importantly the research they conducted and their critical evaluation of historical events were extraordinary,” Mrs. Desiderio said. “Emily is without a doubt one of a kind and I will greatly miss her humor and wit. I wish her nothing but the best in college next year!”
Blue Devil soccer player
Ms. Saltman also played high school soccer in each of the past four years. “It didn’t cross my mind to play until someone I played with on an outside team suggested I come” she said about joining the Blue Devil program. “I didn’t tryout. I just walked onto the JV, but played my usual game, grabbing the attention of Mr. [John] Walsh.”
Coach Walsh, the varsity team’s longtime mentor, liked what he saw in the teenager and put her on the varsity as a sophomore. “This past fall was the best season of all,” Ms. Saltman said about her high school soccer career. “I’m not sure if it was because I was a senior or because it was the only year I experienced the playoffs, but it was definitely a great year.”
While Ms. Saltman is a tough competitor, she doesn’t play merely for the sake of winning, but also for the relationships with her teammates. “My favorite part about being on a team is the friendships developed over the season and that continues after,” she said.
SUNY Purchase in her future
SUNY Purchase has accepted Ms. Saltman for the fall semester and she will “most likely” go there. “I’m not sure what I want to major in so Purchase is a good fit for me as of now because of all the SUNYs, Purchase has a really good liberal arts/undecided program,” she said. “It’s also closer to home, but far enough where I can’t be completely dependent on my parents. Hopefully in whatever time I spend at Purchase, I’ll have time to figure out what I’m interested in and make a decision on what I want to major in.”
Ms. Saltman is “very interested” in playing on the SUNY Purchase women’s soccer team. “After playing for almost 13 years, it’d be weird to just stop,” she said. The senior played midfield and forward for the Blue Devils.
“My only regret in high school is in restricting myself to take on challenges and join all the clubs and programs in Huntington,” Ms. Saltman said. “For anyone who’s either entering the high school or still has time to spend there, I suggest getting more involved whether it’s being a part of student government or taking an extra class. Just don’t stress yourself out.”
“We have been fortunate to have Emily at Huntington High School the past four years as she has been an invaluable member of our school community,” Mr. Bruckbauer said. “She is a star in and out of the classroom and is the type of student every teacher wishes he had more of. Emily always comes to class smiling and ready to learn. Her positive attitude and strong work ethic make her an ideal student and a mentor to her peers. Most importantly, Emily is a terrific person with a strong moral compass and who is genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of others. I’m really excited for Emily as she gets ready to embark on the next chapter of her life because I know she will achieve great things and have a positive impact on others. Yet, I’m also sad to be losing such a tremendous person. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to get to know Emily is all the better for it.”