H-ton Trio Presented Students Building Bridges Award

Huntington High School juniors Emma Gutierrez and Olivia McGreevy and senior Will Fallon were honored with the Students Building Bridges Award at the Suffolk Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island’s annual Yom HaShoah program.

Huntington Principal Rochelle Brown, Chairman of Humanities, 7-12 Joseph Leavy and teacher Suzi Biagi joined the three students at the dinner and ceremony held the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack.

The Students Building Bridges Award, presented in partnership with the county’s State Senate and Assembly delegations, honors Suffolk County youth who work to create a more civil society. Student recipients are recognized for their efforts in bridging the community, teaching tolerance and completing services that aim to advocate change and improve the lives of others.

Profiles of the award recipients were distributed to the crowd, detailing the basis for recognizing each of the teenagers with the Students Building Bridges Award. These profiles appear below.

William Fallon

Will Fallon is a natural leader who bring positivity, inclusiveness and kindness to every space he enters. As a key member of both the golf and lacrosse teams, he fosters a spirit of camaraderie and acceptance among his teammates, consistently modeling respectful and supportive behavior. Beyond athletics, he has distinguished himself as a dedicated ambassador for his school community. Over the past year, he graciously volunteered to be shadowed by nearly a half-dozen eighth grade prospective enrollees not currently attending Huntington UFSD, offering them an authentic, welcoming glimpse into the value of public education in Huntington. His maturity, generosity of spirit and ability to connect with others make him an outstanding representative of what it means to build bridges within and beyond the school environment.

Emma Gutierrez

Emma Gutierrez has consistently demonstrated compassion, leadership and dedication to making a difference. In the A World of Difference club, she has played a pivotal role as a peer trainer, leading fifth grade workshops for the past three years and training her high school peers for the last two years. Her ability to connect with children and teens alike is remarkable and her quiet strength brings a sense of calm and inclusion to every space she enters. In the Grandfriends club, she brings joy and energy to every event. From coordinating coat drives to running booths at our annual high school homecoming bonfire to raise funds for our beloved senior-senior prom. Despite her busy schedule, including involvement in student government, she always finds time to lend a hand and uplift those around her. She is a natural leader with a heart of gold.

Olivia McGreevy

As a peer trainer and program leader, Olivia McGreevy has made an extraordinary impact, using her insight, compassion and energy to bring people together across ages and experiences. Through the A World of Difference club, she has trained both fifth graders and her high school peers, tackling important topics such as diversity, tolerance and bias with incredible maturity and sensitivity. In the Grandfriends club she has been an enthusiastic and very active contributor, developing activities that engage and entertain local senior citizens. She is deeply thoughtful and consistently looks for ways to expand programmatic reach and impact. From organizing coat drives to helping run fundraising booths, she brings a genuine warmth and joy that lights up every room. She is truly a compassionate leader.