Huntington Foundation Gala Set for April 16

The Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education has announced it will honor Huntington High School athletic coach and dean of students Ronald E. Wilson and Town Superintendent of Highways Andre Sorrentino at the organization’s annual gala set for Thursday, April 16 at the Harbor Club at Prime.

Complete details will be announced soon on how to secure tickets to this year’s gala, which will run from 6-10 p.m. and include dinner, dancing, music and the Spirit Awards presentation to Messrs. Wilson and Sorrentino.

Since its founding, the Huntington Foundation has donated about $1.3 million to Huntington UFSD to support innovative programs and classroom practices. The organization donated $51,480.40 to Huntington UFSD last June to fund 12 separate grant requests submitted by teachers and evaluated by Huntington Foundation officials.

Ronald E. Wilson

Born, raised, educated and employed here, Ron Wilson is pure Huntington. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1994, he participated in a variety of after-school activities including the mentoring program, Student Associates Business Alliance, Black History Day, culture club and athletics.

Mr. Wilson is currently working as a dean of students at Huntington High School, where he also serves as head coach of three varsity teams: football, winter and spring boys’ track and field. His list of accomplishments includes producing many All-County, All-State and All-American athletes as well as national champions in track.

As a Huntington High School junior, Mr. Wilson would go back to his old elementary school, taking part in read-aloud sessions with sixth graders and discussing with them what would be expected of them in high school. It was through such programs and activities he identified a strong inner desire to work with children.

While studying elementary education at St. John’s University, Mr. Wilson started volunteering with Teacher Opportunity Corps, serving as a mentor and tutor for inner-city at-risk youth. After obtaining a BS degree in May 1998, he began working as a substitute teacher in the Huntington and South Huntington school districts. He earned a master’s degree at Stony Brook University in 2005.

In October 1998, Mr. Wilson was hired by Tri-Community & Youth Agency to work with the young people that utilize that organization’s facilities and services. He also started volunteering as a coach with the J. Taylor Finley Junior High School football team. Players and their families quickly took a liking to him and he proved to be a highly effective motivator.

Through his connections with young people and their parents, Mr. Wilson saw a need to bridge the gap between Huntington and South Huntington athletes. He turned to Kevin Thorbourne and Crystal White, who have also dedicated themselves to nurturing area youth, collaborating with them to organize a basketball tournament that helped to shatter barriers between the two groups and pave the way for many friendships to be formed.

Mr. Wilson joined the Huntington School District’s full-time faculty in 2001. After working for many years as a second and third grade teacher at Flower Hill School and as a sixth grade teacher at Huntington Elementary School, Mr. Wilson was appointed a dean at Huntington High School.

Andre Sorrentino

Andre Sorrentino is serving his second term as the town’s Superintendent of Highways. A lifelong resident of Huntington and a graduate of Huntington High School Andre resides in Huntington with his wife Kimberly and their two daughters.

During his first term, Mr. Sorrentino pursued an aggressive paving program rehabilitating hundreds of miles of roadway while expanding drainage improvements, tree maintenance and fleet rehabilitation.

A successful automotive repair shop owner, he began working in the business at just 13 years old. Through hard work, dedication to the job and honesty with customers, Mr. Sorrentino climbed his way to the top, becoming the owner of PAS Professional Automotive Services/Sorrentino Trucking on New York Avenue.

The Huntington Town Board appointed Mr. Sorrentino as director of the General Services Dept. in 2018. He then went about jumpstarting improvements throughout the town. From playground repairs to beautification of the Village Green and Heckscher Park, he led the charge to make these facilities safe for children and beautiful for families to enjoy.

To improve our suburban quality of life and attract financial support from the private sector, he implemented the Adopt-A-Corner program and combatted neighborhood eyesores by overseeing hundreds of successful property cleanups. He managed renovations at the Town Senior Center and Veterans Plaza and taxpayers’ money by installing LED lighting at town facilities.

An elected Huntington Fire District commissioner, Mr. Sorrentino is dedicated to the safety of residents and property. During this COVID-19 public health pandemic, he helped managed one of the largest departments on Long Island while ensuring safety of first responders as well as effective response time for residents during emergencies.

Mr. Sorrentino and his family are well known for raising charitable donations through the Sorrentino Family & Friends Turkey Drive to provide meals to thousands of disadvantaged residents annually for over a decade and first responders who are forced to work on holidays.

He has collected donations and delivered nonperishable food to places as far away as Texas. When it comes recognizing his charitable nature, Mr. Sorrentino always credits his father, Andre Sorrentino Sr., the owner of Andrea’s Shoe Repair in Huntington.