The hallways at Northport High School now carry the names and photographs of more than a hundred people from the Northport-East Northport community who served in the armed forces. The school inducted the first class of its Veterans Wall of Honor on Thursday, November 5, six days ahead of Veterans Day, and the wall is set up to grow every year from here.

A wall, a display case and a ribbon

The tribute has two parts: a wall of names and a display case with photographs, both installed inside the high school so students pass them during the school day. Veterans, their families, students, teachers and local officials gathered for the induction ceremony, and the afternoon ended with a ribbon cutting at the display itself.

Principal Robert Dennis proposed the project and worked with the district's central administration to build it. In his remarks at the ceremony, he described the wall as a way to keep the people behind the names in view, including the families who served alongside them, and to show students that the history in their textbooks lives in their own neighborhood.

Who made it happen

Five community groups backed the project: the East Northport Rotary Foundation, Friends of Northport Inc., Hoops of Northport, the Northport-East Northport Kiwanis Charitable Fund and the Rotary Club of Northport Charitable Fund.

Students were part of the program as well. Members of Project VETS and the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society helped run the ceremony, and the Northport High School Chamber Orchestra and choir performed. State Sen. Mario Mattera and Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi attended along with district administrators and members of the Board of Education.

The first class

The district published the full list of 2026 inductees, more than 120 names in all. Many families appear more than once: Gerard F. D'Andraia Sr. and Jr., Henry George Darch Sr. and Jr., and three members of the Lindstadt family, Frank, Peter and Robert. Four Litsch family members are on the wall, as are three Whites, two Groelingers, two Guidos, two Higginses, two Hosies, two Krahels, two Loccisanos, two Robys, two Ronigers and two Ruffolos.

The full list of names is posted on the district's site with the announcement.

Adding a name for 2027

The wall is meant to be a standing tradition rather than a one-time tribute. Northport High School will start accepting names for the 2027 induction class in January, and the district says details on how to submit a veteran will be posted then. Families in Northport, East Northport and the surrounding hamlets who want a relative included should watch the Northport-East Northport School District site at the start of the new year.

Veterans Day week in Northport

District schools are closed on Wednesday, November 11, for Veterans Day. The district office is at 158 Laurel Avenue in Northport and can be reached at 631-262-6600 with questions about the wall.

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