The Farmingdale band bus tragedy that claimed two lives and sent dozens to the hospital last week, reverberated through Huntington UFSD and among many alumni. The crash fatally injured Gina Pellettiere, who taught in Huntington for five years and was well-liked by her faculty colleagues and students, most of whom have never forgotten the gifted educator. Huntington music teachers reacted with shock to the news. “Gina was a loving mother; a passionate teacher; a laugh and smile that will be forever cherished,” said Josephine Greco. “She was a personality that could light up a town. A reliable friend. A mentor. A skilled musician. Fearless. Ambitious. Full of life. Irreplaceable.” Ms. Pellettiere earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Hofstra University in 2001 and 2006, respectively. The Huntington School Board appointed her as a music teacher at a public meeting on June 25, 2001. Trustees granted her tenure three years later. She resigned from the district on October 1, 2006 to accept the position of director of bands at Farmingdale High School. Many Huntington faculty members who worked alongside Ms. Pellettiere are still employed in the district today. They took the news of the crash and her death hard. Ms. Pellettiere was leading a group of hundreds of Farmingdale students to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania when the bus she was riding in left Interstate 84 in the Town of Wawayanda and flipped down a 50 foot ravine, killing the band director along with retired social studies teacher, Beatrice Ferrari, who was serving as a trip chaperone and injuring many students, including five seriously. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Ms. Ferrari was the aunt of Huntington UFSD fifth grade orchestra teacher Christina Bhasin. “Gina was a strong, enthusiastic, independent women whose love for music and people met no bound,” said Andre Rizzuto, the current Blue Devil marching band director. “Gina was a prominent figure in the industry of music education. She was able to bring people together in a way that just always felt organic and right and that came through her personality and character as an individual. Any environment she was in, it was always more uplifting when she was around and that was the best trait she brought out in every person and soul she has touched. Gina was taken from us way too soon, but her memory will live on through the people and lives she has inspired through her life. We love you Gina, rest easy.” The terrible accident hit Huntington faculty and alumni in different ways. “As a former Daler myself, (Class of ’91) I know that this hits home for me and it may certainly have an impact on some of us here both in the marching band community and otherwise,” wrote high school Principal Brenden Cusack in a message to staff.
