Blue Devil Greats Win Town Scholar Athlete Awards

Huntington Town Board members honored Huntington High School seniors Devon St. John and Nicholas Plachta for their outstanding scholarship, community service and athletic achievements during a ceremony at Town Hall.

The Town Board presents its coveted Scholar Athlete Award to one male and one female member of the graduating class of each Town of Huntington high school.

Town Supervisor Edmund Smyth spoke eloquently about St. John and Mr. Plachta, describing their attributes in glowing terms for the crowd, which included principals, athletic directors, superintendents and family members.

Huntington Superintendent Beth M. McCoy and high school Principal Rochelle C. Brown were both on hand for the festivities, offering the two Blue Devil seniors their heartfelt congratulations and later posing with the pair for a series of commemorative photos.

Devon St. John

Huntington senior Devon St. John has succeeded in every possible way over the past four years. One of Suffolk’s top girls’ soccer players, she was the third highest goal scorer in the county last fall, but she has especially shined on the lacrosse field. Cornell University has recruited her to play on its NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse team. She has tentative plans to study economics at the Ivy League school.

President of Huntington High School’s Varsity Club, Ms. St. John is among the Class of 2025’s best with an overall academic grade average of 102.2071. She has earned varsity letters in soccer, Unified bowling and lacrosse.

Senior editor of the high school student newspaper, Ms. St. John is a two-time winner of the Huntington High School school-wide spelling bee. A New York Native American History Award winner and a Latin Club member, she was chosen by her classmates as a Natural Helper and served as a class representative on the Guidance Review Committee.

The chief executive officer of her Virtual Enterprise company, Ms. St. John is also the head lifeguard at the Pine Hollow Country Club. She has served as a mentor to youth girls’ lacrosse players, collected and wrapped toys for children from underprivileged families in the community and is a National Latin Exam Award recipient.

Ms. St. John helped organize and addressed the crowd of players and fans at the Huntington girls’ lacrosse team’s Morgan Message Day. The Blue Devils dedicated the game to the life and legacy of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died by suicide in July 2019 after sustaining a “dream shattering” knee injury that sent the 22 year old into an emotional tailspin.

“In honor of Morgan Rodgers, Morgan’s Message was created to show student athletes that it is okay and it is courageous to ask for help,” Ms. St. John said. “In Morgan’s memory, we have to remember that mental health is just as important as physical health and should be treated as such.”

Nicholas Plachta

Nicholas Plachta has been one of Huntington High School’s exceedingly rare three sport athletes, playing on the soccer, basketball and tennis teams. He plans to study public policy at Georgetown University. He captured a four year ROTC scholarship.

“My success in high school has come from taking advantage of all the opportunities that Huntington has to offer,” Mr. Plachta said. “Whether it was extra help, athletics or fun and stress relieving events throughout the year, Huntington has allowed me to excel, thrive and enjoy myself.”

Mr. Plachta has pursued a challenging schedule of Advanced Placement courses and compiled an outstanding overall academic grade average of 102.8830. He is especially appreciative of how unique each class is, with no two teachers being the same. He said the variety of courses and the engaging, informative and reliable teachers made every subject enjoyable.

“Being a part of the Huntington soccer, basketball and tennis teams has also been a highlight of my high school experience,” Mr. Plachta said. “Whether it was league games, practices, playoffs or even county finals, every moment was unforgettable. These experiences have helped shape my passion for leadership and service.”

Secretary of the Principal’s Advisory Committee and president of the Science Honor Society, Mr. Plachta interned at the Lenox Hill Cystic Fibrosis Center. He won a National History Day award for historical essay, participated in the high school’s debate club and tutored elementary school students with the Huntington Warriors.