Homecoming to Honor South Huntington's 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees

Written by Liz DeMonte | Jan 17, 2024 7:17:05 PM

The Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, which is typically held every 2 years, will begin the Homecoming itinerary on Saturday morning, October 14th at 11am. Four of Walt Whitman’s successful alumni will be honored at the event before appearing in the Homecoming parade. We welcome Class of 1996, Eliot Lonardo, Class of 1997, Dara Reid Croft, Class of 2006, Ed Wu, and Class of 2007, Brittany Schiavone, into this year’s Hall of Fame. Our honorees will be treated to a celebration brunch and the Induction Ceremony will follow at 11:30pm at Walt Whitman High School's North Cafeteria.

Honorees and their families are welcome to join us in the Homecoming Parade at 1pm, weather permitting. Starting at the high school and making their way down Jericho Turnpike, the parade carries the excitement of our students, staff and community members, bringing everyone together for this always anticipated community event.

Upon returning back to Walt Whitman High School, our inductees will join us on the field for the inaugural coin toss to commence the Whitman vs. Commack football game at 3PM. We look forward to a spirited Homecoming weekend and memorable celebration in honor of these four worthy inductees!

Eliot R. Lonardo is a lifelong resident of the Town of Huntington. He is a 1996 graduate of South Huntington's Walt Whitman High School, going on to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice at LIU C.W. Post campus. Eliot is a 1" generation Italian-American on his father's side. Eliot's parents are both entrepreneurs - his father was in the construction business, and his mother is in the electronics industry. He credits his mom for his work ethic, moral compass, and dedication to helping his community.

After graduating from college, Eliot got his real estate license and started his real estate career full-time in 2004. In 2018, he joined Signature Premier Properties Huntington office. In 2022, Eliot was the #1 agent in Units (listings & sales) in his office, and was ranked #7 in the company out of almost 1600 agents. In 2018, Eliot served as Chairman for the Long Island Board of Realtors Fair Housing & Cultural Diversity Committee. Eliot has also served in numerous leadership roles on both a State and local level.

Eliot is a Trustee on the South Huntington Educational Foundation (SHEF). In 2019, Eliot was honored by SHEF at their 2nd Annual Gala for his contributions to the South Huntington School District. He serves on the Walt Whitman Alumni Association which is gearing up to celebrate the school district's 100" Anniversary.

Eliot was appointed to the Town of Huntington's Board of Assessment in 2018, and was voted as Chairman in 2021. Eliot also proudly serves on the Town of Huntington's Affordable Housing Advisory Board, which suggests solutions to the affordability issues we have on Long island.

On a community level, Eliot actively works with the TRI CYA, Townwide Fund, Girl Scouts, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Walt Whitman PTA, Walt Whitman Marching Band and other school based and local organizations.

Eliot is married to Rebecca, a veterinarian, and they reside in Huntington Station with their 2 young daughters who attend the South Huntington School District. When Eliot is not working he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, attending sporting events, and his addiction to Facebook.

Dara Reid Croft was born and raised in the South Huntington School District. She spent K-12 in the South Huntington schools, attending Countrywood, Stimson Middle School, and Walt Whitman High School. As a Whitman Wildcat Dara played varsity tennis earning All-County honors. She also played varsity volleyball, fenced and participated in winter track, earning a Gold Key award. She was a member of student government, serving as President of the Junior Class and Secretary of the Senior Class. Dara was a member of Girl’s Leaders, serving as Treasurer her senior year.

After graduating from Whitman in 1997, Dara earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2000 from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor in 2004 from the Hofstra University School of Law. Upon graduation from Hofstra Law School, Dara was selected to be an Attorney Advisor for the Executive Office for Immigration Review in the Newark Immigration Court as part of the Department of Justice’s Attorney General Honors Programs. From 2005-2006, she worked as a Staff Attorney at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Immigration Unit. In 2006, Dara joined the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor at the Department of Homeland Security where she worked for over thirteen years as an Assistant Chief Counsel. As an Assistant Chief Counsel, she worked on issues relating to national security and fraud. In June 2020, Dara was appointed by the Attorney General as an Immigration Judge at the Varick Street Immigration Court in New York, NY.

Dara currently lives in Manhattan with her husband. In her free time, Dara enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, skiing, paddle boarding, hiking, reading, and playing tennis. While she no longer lives in the district, she is a proud Wildcat alumnus and maintains close ties to the district through her nephews, who attend Stimson and Whitman.

Born and raised on Long Island, Ed Wu grew up as a musician, athlete and a nerd. It was in his early 20s that he found his greatest joy in capturing the essence of stories and the visions of fellow filmmakers through his lens, cementing his path as a cinematographer.

Ed was recognized as one of the Rising Stars of Cinematography in the February 2017 issue of American Cinematographer and was selected to be a part of Variety’s 2016 Below-the-Line Impact Report. His work on the films SLEIGHT and BLAST BEAT were officially selected at the Sundance Film Festival garnering critical acclaim for his work. Ed has had the opportunity to work in a variety of formats for companies such as NETFLIX, MIRAMAX, MACRO, BLUMHOUSE, MASTERCLASS, FACEBOOK, and AMPAS in feature films, television, music videos, and commercials. Although it has been years, he credits his achievements to his time at the prestigious cinematography program at the American Film Institute.

Through his experiences as a cinematographer and wanderer of the world, he’s seen the power of an image and constantly continues to search for the perfect frame to tell the story. Ed has had the good fortune to shoot in the majority of states across America as well as different parts of the world including Iceland, China, and India. He was selected as a cinematography fellow for Film Independent’s signature diversity program: Project Involve in 2015.

Brittany Schiavone, Class of 2007, has always defied stereotypes by showing others what she’s capable of accomplishing, both in her school career in South Huntington and afterward.

In 1994 Brittany, and four of her kindergarten classmates, pioneered a new educational program in South Huntington called Inclusion, which has evolved into the Team-Teaching model currently used throughout our schools today. Brittany remained fully included through Middle School and credits her excellent teachers and her experience with her typical peers with providing her with a solid academic and social foundation. She loved her time in South Huntington and while she was at Walt Whitman, attended three proms, two fashion shows and participated in the mainstream Dance Program, dancing with her typical classmates, in four dance shows.

After graduation, her passion for living life to the fullest sparked an idea to help parents who are expecting babies with Down syndrome and founded Brittany’s Baskets of Hope. In order to change the narrative from “I’m sorry” to “Congratulations” when a baby is born with Down syndrome, Brittany sends their families personalized Welcome Baskets. These baskets contain donated handmade blankets, hats and booties, as well as other gifts for the babies and resources for the parents, as they begin their journey. Since her first basket delivery in 2016, Brittany’s Baskets of Hope has celebrated more than 3,000 babies in all 50 states. She collaborates with local, national and international Down syndrome organizations to give support to new families facing their own Down syndrome journey.

In 2022, with the help of her Self Direction staff, Brittany created her own for-profit corporation, Fireball By B Beaded Jewelry. In addition to her ETSY Shop, she sells her jewelry at local craft fairs and conducts beading classes in her home.

Brittany is the 2019 Loreal Paris Women of Worth National Honoree. She has been honored by legislatures in both Huntington and Brookhaven townships. Brittany has been featured on The Today Show, GMA3, News 12, Fox Business, CBS News, ABC Hidden Heroes, Inside Edition and was the recipient of a basement-to-home-office transformation by NBC TVs home renovation show, George to the Rescue.

Through her own compassion and persistence, Brittany is showing the world that people with Down Syndrome can truly do anything they set their minds to.

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