Huntington High School staff told the Board of Education on Sept. 30 that participation in the Seal of Civic Readiness program has grown substantially since the district piloted the state initiative.

"When we started this 3 years ago, we had 19 students who completed the ... foundational level. The following year, there were 50, and then last year, we had 60 students," said Mr. Levy, who serves as an advisor to the district’s civic readiness effort. He said the seal is recognized by the New York State Education Department and is affixed to the high school diploma.

Levy described the district’s point system: students must earn at least six points to receive the seal. Points come from two columns of criteria — civic knowledge (coursework, Regents or AP exam results, research projects) and civic experiences (deliberative forums, service‑learning of at least 25 hours, electives with reflection, internships or a capstone project). "This seal distinguishes high school graduates who achieve certain criteria," Levy said.

Levy and board members highlighted the capstone project as the most substantive route: a full capstone — which includes issue identification, research, strategy development and informed action — can yield four points. Levy cited four seniors who met the highest distinction last year through capstone and combined work: Nicholas Plokta, Julius Aldos, Anthony Adejo and Nick Francis. Their projects ranged from mentoring programs and community partnerships to conservation work.

The district has layered additional recognition levels above the foundational seal (bronze at the basic six points), plus silver, gold and "leader of leaders" tiers for students who accumulate 8, 10 or 12 points respectively; Levy said seven students reached the top tier last year.

Board members asked how earlier grades are being prepared; Levy and other administrators said middle‑school experiences and a Findlay enrichment program can generate preliminary points so students arrive at the high school already on a path to the seal. The district plans to continue encouraging earlier participation and to expand adviser support so seniors are identified before college application season.