HHS Class of 2010 Valedictorian Named Nat'l Merit Scholarship Finalist

The valedictorian of Huntington High School's Class of 2010 has been named a finalist in this year's National Merit scholarship program, an academic competition for recognition and college financial awards.

A serious scholar who is cherished by members of the school community across the board, Rebecca Silverman is one of the most respected students of her generation. "She is very bright and very focused," Dr. Leonardi said. "Her energy is contagious and her beautiful smile brightens up everyone's day. She  is a hard working young woman who is always at the forefront of whatever activity takes place at Huntington High School,."

Ms. Silverman is one of 15,000 finalists chosen from an initial pool of 1.5 million entrants in the 2010 National Merit program. Scholarships funded by the National Merit Corporation., individual corporations and sponsor colleges will be awarded to 8,200 of the finalists between March and June.

"I am extremely grateful that I have had such a wonderful experience at the high school," Silverman said. "I have always felt that there truly exists a community within the school and I have always found both the teachers and the administrators in the building to be kind, helpful and caring. No matter what question or issue I have that needs to be addressed, I have always found help and support from the school administration and it is extremely nice to know that our high school is being run by a group of people who truly care about the well-being of the students."

A variety of faculty members have touched Silverman in different ways. "There are many incredible teachers in each department," she said. "In sophomore year my AP Biology teacher, Mrs. [Deborah] Beck, guided me through my first AP class with a patience and understanding that was matched only by her incredible knowledge of the subject matter that frequently left my classmates and I awed and extremely impressed. Of course, my high school career would never have been complete without Mr. [Michael] Schwendemann or 'Schwendy' as we call him, our drama club director, who I am currently interning with and who has constantly supported me and offered indispensable advice throughout the years."

Ms. Silverman has been integrally involved in virtually every aspect of life at Huntington High School over the past four years. She most recently assisted with this year's drama production staged by students at Jack Abrams Intermediate School.

While the top senior has been stellar in the classroom and worked closely with many teachers over the years, she also had warm words for a group she considers to be "the unsung heroes" the high school.

"Few students realize what an absolutely amazing secretarial staff we have at the high school and I can most certainly attest that there were many days when they saved me from succumbing to the stress of everything,"  Silverman said. "From the music office to the main office, I have always found a kind smile and a word of advice to help me through those days when I was running around the school trying to photocopy papers or sign checks for clubs. I would like to sincerely thank these hard-working members of our school community for all their hard work and compassion."

In November it was announced that Rebecca was named valedictorian of the Class of 2010. She will address what is expected to be a crowd of more than 2,000 at the school's 149th commencement exercises on June 25, 2010.

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