Huntington HS Students Win Teddy Roosevelt Renaissance Award

HUNTINGTON, NY — Two Huntington High School seniors were presented the TR Renaissance Award, named for U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, the school district announced.

"TR, as President Theodore Roosevelt was affectionately known, is near and dear to the heart of many Americans, including teachers and students at Huntington High School," the district wrote. "So the Teddy Roosevelt Renaissance American Awards presented to Ella Kamenstein and Angie Hernandez-Ramos carried a great deal of prestige."

Joseph Leavy, chairman of humanities, said recipients need to show qualities popularized by Roosevelt, including a "love of the active life, concern for the underdog or the marginalized, patriotism, strong connection to Long Island and its history, powerful public speaking, and a well-rounded, highly personable character."

Kamenstein, an advanced placement scholar with honor, was inducted into four separate academic honor societies. She will be attending the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She intends to study international affairs and Spanish. She said the key to her success has been "never giving up." When the going got tough, the teenager "learned that things will get better and just keep trying." She took on an assortment of leadership roles at the high school.

Hernandez-Ramos intends to major in English at Middlebury College. An advanced placement scholar with distinction, she cited the substantial support she received from teachers, advisors and her parents as the key to her success.

Named a distinguished senior, Hernandez-Ramos took delight in taking business and English classes at Huntington High School. She said those two departments "really shaped" the person she is today. She participated in the activities of the Latin Honor Society and Math Honor Society as well as A World of Difference, a club that seeks to stop bias and discrimination in all walks of life.

The teenager called the high school’s mock trial program, with which she starred as lead attorney to be the "pinnacle" of her accomplishments. The Suffolk Bar Association named Hernandez-Ramos as the best mock trial attorney in the county after she led Huntington to the Suffolk crown and the state finals.