On Thursday, September 19th, 2019, Huntington High School began a new tradition in which a huge fire was held in the high school parking lot. 

Looking to replace the homecoming dance which has low attendance and was not very profitable, the student government decided to change Thursday’s festivities to a bonfire. “Mr. Cusack had wanted to do [a bonfire] for years and this was the perfect opportunity,” said Student Government President, Chris Mavrogian, regarding this decision. 

Once news of the bonfire traveled around the school, clubs began to plan their booths while students wondered how this event would work. Questions flooded the school of where this would be held, what will it be like and are they really going to light a bonfire at the school? 

“When I first heard we were gonna do a bonfire, I thought it was really cool. My second thought was are we going to burn a hole through the middle of the parking lot,” said Dean Paul Caleca describing his reaction to the new idea of the bonfire. 

The bonfire was a hit throughout the entire Huntington community. “In the thirty-two years that I’ve been in education, [the bonfire] is the best event I have participated in,” told Caleca while Sophomore Francesca Stamatatos said, “It was really fun! I would go again.”

However, this event was much more than a fire in a parking lot. “The bonfire involved not just the students but the greater community,” described Dean Ron Wilson. 

The day of the event, 2,000 people filled the Huntington High School parking lot. Surrounded by clubs selling food, drinks or products, the fire gleamed from the middle of the lot. 

After a great turnout, the community cannot wait for a future bonfire and to see how this will progress in future years.