Anyone who has set foot in Hawthorne High School during the last four years most likely knows Steven Prieto. He is a well-known senior who can be seen each day running through the hallways, dashing from one activity to another.
Prieto became involved in school activities right away in his freshman year. To start, he volunteered for Safety Town (a program where children going into kindergarten are taught about safety) and for the Ducky Durby (a town-wide event in which people buy rubber ducks that compete in a race down Goffle Brook). He then joined SHARE (the community service club at HHS). “I believe in order to be a leader of any kind, you have to be dedicated to service. For that reason, SHARE was the first club I participated in high school. I believe the best service one can do for their community is through volunteering or committing acts of kindness; you don’t need people to know that you’re doing something to make you feel good,” said Prieto about his experience at SHARE. At the time, Prieto also became a member of the Italian Club, the Student Council, and the Class Cabinet. He joined the theater program and was cast as Hermann Van Daan in The Diary of Anne Frank and as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls. On top of all this, Prieto was employed at Villa Rosa, a pizza restaurant in Hawthorne, and the Wee Can Shop, where he helped with children’s’ birthday parties.
As another year began, Prieto continued his involvement in school activities. He joined the Art and Spanish Clubs and became a SHARE head and a Peer Leader. Prieto was selected for Boys’ State (a summer leadership and citizenship program sponsored by the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary for high school students) and was chosen to participate in the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program—a summer program that Prieto said was an “outstanding experience.” He also started working at the Heart & Lung Center as file clerk four days a week, right after school. In addition, he transformed into Grandpa Joe for the school drama production of Willy Wonka and performed as Ike Skidmore in Oklahoma! “Without a doubt, part of the reason that I’m leaving high school a different person than when I came in,” said Prieto, “is this experience in the theater program. I met countless lifelong friends whom I wouldn’t have ever had the opportunity to meet, improved my public speaking by leaps and bounds, and developed an appreciation for the hard work that goes into the arts.”
The next year, was again a busy time for Prieto. Now a junior, he became a SHARE Chairperson, junior officer for Italian Club and a historian for the Student Council, which “has always held a special place in my heart because, in many ways, I feel like it is an opportunity to leave a tiny footprint on the school community. I began in sixth grade and am glad that I continued through high school,” Prieto added. Prieto also continued being involved with the Network program and gave a performance in You Can’t Take It with You as Tony Kirby and in West Side Story as the leading man—Tony.
Currently, Prieto is serving Hawthorne High School as Student Council President, National Honors Society President, and a Chairperson of SHARE. He continues to be a member of the Class Cabinet, the theater department, Italian and Spanish Clubs and the Spanish Honor Society. This year Prieto also attended a Leadership Training Conference at The College of New Jersey run by the New Jersey Association of Student Councils. “Blessed is an understatement when it comes to my opportunity to have been involved with each of these conferences. While each allowed me to leave with a different message and grow in different ways, I can, with confidence, say that the numerous friendships, experience, and skills which I developed left an impression which I will carry for the rest of my life,” Prieto stated.
“Lastly,” Prieto concluded, “I think an interesting fact about me is that I lost 100 pounds while at Hawthorne High School. When I entered HHS, I knew that I would leave a different person; however, I didn’t really know what this meant to me. While I developed in my education and leadership abilities, I also changed as a person. Even though it was no easy task, I decided to end a difficult battle with obesity. I’d say it’s one of my proudest accomplishments throughout my high school career.”