Congratulations to Sachem East’s Imad Chaudhry on being selected to receive the Students Building Bridges Award from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island.

Imad was publicly honored for his efforts in building bridges across communities and creating a more civil society at Suffolk County’s Holocaust Remembrance Day program at Suffolk County Community College.

Imad was recognized with a citation from an elected official and a certificate from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island.

For years, students and staff at Sachem High School East have been taking part in safe driving education programs through State Farm.

In June, the high school hosted a State Farm driving presentation and received a $500 grant for their work.

The program was interactive and instructive for students, especially those who are just learning how to drive.

With a district as big as Sachem, it’s a great honor to be in the top 100 of the graduating class, let alone in the top 10 or to be named Salutatorian.

For the Class of 2017, Alice Tsai has the honor of being the Salutatorian at Sachem East, while Claire Ramirez has the distinction for Sachem North.

Let’s learn more about these outstanding students!

SACHEM HIGH SCHOOL EAST, ALICE TSAI 

• Hometown: Holtsville
• GPA: 105.77 (weighted)
• Activities: Winter and spring track and field, varsity swimming captain, Tzu Chi Foundation volunteer, Math Honor Society president, Foreign Language Honor Society treasurer, National Honor Society, English Honor Society
• College: Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College
• College major: Science

SACHEM HIGH SCHOOL NORTH, CLAIRE RAMIREZ

• Hometown: Nesconset
• GPA: 104.77 (weighted)
• Activities: Swim team captain, Math team president, Euro Challenge Competition team, National Honor Society communications director, Social Studies Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, Science Honor Society
• College: Cornell University
• College Major: Industrial and labor relations

It is a true testament of incredibly hard work to earn the title of Valedictorian and Sachem East’s Sophie Hannigan and Sachem North’s Erin Maryzek have both captured the high honor.

We sat down with them to get their thoughts on how Sachem has played a role in shaping their lives and set them up for the next chapter which they are about to embark on.

Sachem East, Sophie Hannigan

VIDEO: CLICK TO WATCH INTERVIEW!

Getting to know Sophie: Stony Brook Hospital volunteer, Brookhaven National Lab Gifted Math Program, wind ensemble, National Honor Society treasurer, New York State Math Honor Society vice president, and National History Honor Society public director. She will study math at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

What did the Sachem experience mean to you: “To me, Sachem is family. It’s evidently a very large and sprawling district, but there is something really special about having the Sachem bond. There are people that I met this year from the complete other side of the district that I’ve never seen in my entire life, but just the fact that we all go to Sachem, it’s easy to strike up a conversation. They’re all very nice, caring people. The fact that parents who went to Sachem choose to stay within the district to raise their kids here, it really speaks volumes to the whole Sachem family.”

How has Sachem prepared you for the next chapter of your life? “Sachem has prepared me for the next chapter of my life by going beyond just teaching me academics. All my teachers are passionate about their subjects and you can tell they are genuinely passionate about what they’re teaching, but most importantly, they’ve been personally invested in the students. I can speak on behalf of my entire class that the teachers really do care about you. They want to make sure you’re not just finding success in the classroom, but they want to make sure you have a happy life. I’ve gotten so many pieces of advice from teachers across all different disciplines and it’s really stuck with me up until today what they’ve said, even if it’s from years ago. I think the life lessons have been equally as important, if not more important, than the academic lessons I’ve received.”

How has being a student-athlete made a difference in your life? “Being a student-athlete at Sachem has definitely forced me to learn some time management skills because there would be times when I just came home from practice or I just finished a match and I’d be exhausted and the last thing I wanted to do was start my homework, but I had no choice but to do that. Those skills have carried throughout my high school years. It’s helped me manage everything I juggle. Being a student-athlete has introduced me to the whole feeling of being on a team. It’s a built-in family. At the end of a long day, or if I have a rough day, I could be stressed or not have done well on a test or something, and I could just turn to my teammates for a laugh.”

Sachem North, Erin Maryzek

VIDEO: CLICK TO WATCH INTERVIEW!

Getting to know Erin: Varsity field hockey captain, varsity winter and spring track, National Honor Society president, National History Honor Society member, Envirothon Club treasurer, National Merit Scholar and New York State Scholar Athlete. She will study chemistry at Northeastern University.

What did the Sachem experience mean to you: “Sachem gave me a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere. I had the opportunity to play three varsity sports and I’m in a lot of clubs like envirothon. I’m surrounded by teachers who push me to be the best that I can be. Even from kindergarten to now, I know I would not be where I am today without them, especially science teachers which have been a really big part of my life.”

How has being a student-athlete made a difference in your life? “Sports always have been a way for me to destress. I have a pretty crazy life, and so going to practice every day for two hours, to most people might seem like it’s adding on to the stress. For me it’s really a way to relax. It’s nice to not have to worry about being graded or doing homework, but to just have fun.”

How has Sachem prepared you for the next chapter of your life? “Sachem will help in my career and next steps in life in a lot of ways. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in envirothon, which is a club here. Envirothon taught me how to put together a project really well. It’s a big competition where you have to work with four other people and come up with an answer to a problem. I didn’t think I’d work so hard at something that is a made up scenario, but I don’t know if it was my friends doing it with me, or my teacher pushing me, but I love it and now as I go off into college I am going to be able to problem solve really well and be able to work with others to come up with a solution to something that may or may not be real, but is equally important either way.”

Sachem will hold its graduations at Sachem East on June 23 (7 p.m.) and Sachem North on June 24 (9 a.m.) and we will graduate more than 1,000 students.

It’s always special to recognize the Top 10 of our graduating classes at both high schools, so here is a look at where these talented students will study during the next chapter of their lives.

Top 10 Sachem East Class of 2017

1. Sophie Hannigan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2. Allice Tsai, Hunter College
3. Christopher Mingo, Columbia University
4. Daniel Ivanov, New York University
5. Tiffany Ly, Cornell University
6. Victor Guan, Princeton University
7. Tyler Murray, Binghamton University
8. Robert Gansrow, United States Air Force Academy
9. Ariana Eng, Rochester Institute of Technology
10. Matthew Davison, Stony Brook University

Top 10 Sachem North Class of 2017

1. Erin Maryzek, Northeastern University
2. Claire Ramirez, Cornell University
3. Rachel Loyst, St. Lawrence University
4. Abigail Rathmann, Colgate University
5. Samantha Sommers, United States Air Force Academy
6. Marissa Volkman, Colgate University
7. Kaitlyn Baudille, SUNY New Paltz
8. Josh Prentice, Stony Brook University
9. Liam Donohue, Embry Riddle University, Air Force ROTC
10. Ariana Garcia-Cassani, Cornell University

Congratulations to all and thanks for making Sachem proud in all that you do!

Every year Sachem graduates dozens of students who serve in various branches of the military, either through service academies, ROTC programs or enlisting immediately.

There have been thousands of men and women who have graduated from Sachem and served our country and we are grateful and proud of their service. #GoArrows #USA

Students from Sachem East going into military

• Nicholas Joseph Andreotti, U.S. Army
• Thomas Isaiah Michael Brady, U.S. Marines
• Kyle James Dowd, U.S. Marines
• Austin Jerome DeRosa, Stony Brook University ROTC
• Robert Bartholomew Gansrow, United States Air Force Academy
• Zachary David Gao, United States Coast Guard Academy
• Nicholas Anthony Garofalo, U.S. Army
• Jorge Gonzalez, U.S. Army
• Logan Joseph O’Hara, U.S. Air Force National Guard
• Matthew Michael Olivieri, U.S. Marines
• Troy Adrian Robinson, Niagara County Community College ROTC
• Zachary Alan Wally, U.S. Army

Students from Sachem North going into military

• Richard Breier, U.S. Marines
• Michael Carey, U.S. Navy
• Amadeus Garay-Reyes, U.S. Marines
• Lisette Granada, U.S. Marines
• Nicholas Licostie, U.S. Marines
• Austin McCormick, U.S. Navy
• Brody McCoy, U.S. Marines
• Andrew Mendell, U.S. Army
• Kenny Sanchez, U.S. Marines
• Matthew Sofia, U.S. Army
• Sean Szlepcsik, U.S. Army
• Samantha Sommers, United States Air Force Academy
• Liam Donohue, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Air Force ROTC

A number of seniors in Sachem took part in graduation walks at their old elementary schools across the district today. It was a special moment for the older kids and the younger students as well.

Sachem’s technology education program is offering real world experiences and training in the classroom each day. The Computer Repair Technology CTP program also had one of its most successful years to date.

A number of students earned certifications that they will be able to use in their lives and careers. These include:

• 17 students NOCTI Certified and graduating with NYSED endorsement
• 12 students PC PRO Certified
• 2 students Security Pro Certified
• 3 students Comptia A+ Certified
• 2 students Comptia Security+ Certified

VIDEO: Click to watch a video highlight of this year’s program!

Sachem has 20-plus years of history with technology education students starting their own businesses, working for governments and municipalities and being hired by unions or schools to teach these disciplines.

There are also 12 seniors going to various colleges specifically for computer science or computer technology. Sachem also has one student attending the Suffolk County Community College manufacturing, and civil engineering programs.

Other students have earned work at the Town of Brookhaven, the Long Island Ecology Center and various plumbing and steamfitter unions.

In Sachem’s computer repair technician class, students take a three-period class each day. This is available to juniors and seniors and can be taken for one or two years.

In this class, students are submerged in the world of computer repair, networking, security, hardware, system design and other areas important to today’s technology infrastructure. Students also receive hands-on experience fixing computers from students, teachers, staff, and the community.

In the carpentry class, also offered for three periods to juniors and seniors at Sachem, students learn about surveying, foundations, framing, siding, roofing, residential electricity and plumbing and other areas of development and construction.

Students have worked on a number of projects around the district as part of their class curriculum, including the building of a complete home, main entrance reception desks at both Sachem East and Sachem North, book shelves in the elementary school, and other incredible additions in various buildings.

Another year gone by, another fantastic couple of days worth of ceremonies at Sachem East and Sachem North.

Sachem East Hosts Graduation on Friday Night

• Photos: Check out images on the Sachem Schools Facebook page

Sachem East Valedictorian, Sophie Hannigan

Sachem East Class President, Brendan Foy

Sachem North Hosts Graduation on Sunday Morning

• Photos: Check out images on the Sachem Schools Facebook page

Sachem North Valedictorian, Erin Maryzek

Sachem North Class President, Bobbie Ward

Distinguished Alumni Speaker: Stephen Costello, ’79

Sachem High School East and Sachem High School North have been named as School of Excellence winners by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

Schools earn a School of Excellence award by having 75 percent of its varsity teams qualify for and receive the Scholar-Athlete team award. Scholar-Athlete teams require 75 percent of the team’s rosters grade point average be 90.00 or above.

There are only four of high schools in Suffolk County to earn this honor.

The purpose of the School of Excellence award is to unite varsity coaches in challenging their teams to achieve a statewide honor.

NYSPHSAA’s Scholar-Athlete team award was initiated in the 1991-1992 school year.

Thanksgiving Food Drives Bring Out Best in Sachem Students, Staff. 

Sachem was at its finest on Tuesday morning when students and staff across the district came together for one last push for the annual Thanksgiving food drive at both Sachem High School East and Sachem High School North.

The high schools combined to generate more than 1,600 boxes this year. Sachem North’s famed student-group, the Dirty Dozen, was responsible for a record 1,364 boxes in that building. Sachem East put together 306.

“The is probably one of the most impactful things we can do in our schools,” said Emma Hirt, president of the student government at Sachem North. “Every year we average over 1,000 boxes and it’s amazing. It’s really cool when you’re finished and see how many families we’re going to feed this Thanksgiving.”

Students began in September generating funds and items and have worked extremely hard over the last two weeks sorting, packing and shipping the boxes.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that we’re doing something that goes to people in our community and helps them out,” said Erin Mullery, the student government president at Sachem East.

The boxes were shipped out on Tuesday afternoon to various local churches, food pantry’s and other organizations, including Lighthouse Mission in Bellport, N.Y.

“You see the best of everybody come out around this time,” said Damon Gallo, an advisor of the student government at Sachem East. “We’re doing something that directly affects people. We’re able to give someone a Thanksgiving meal that otherwise may not have one. This is community service, this is civics. The students love the fact they can help out people in our community.”

For Sachem North teacher and student government advisor Jonathan Chiaramonte it’s about inspiring the next generation of volunteers in the building knowing that dozens of alumni will be out doing good in the world after their impactful experience at Sachem.

“The reason we want so many students involved is because we don’t want it to end here,” said Chiaramonte to a crowded auditorium during a food drive assembly on Tuesday. “We want them to do that in their dorms, in college and continue this. None of us need to be here to make that change. So many students of ours have gone on and done fundraisers like this. We want you to be inspired to continue a life of service.”

Latest drama production hits the stage March 1-3.

Check out images from the student theater action here …

Annual event has generated major donations over the years

St. Baldrick’s has long been a vibrant point of community service and spirit in Sachem. This year multiple schools combined to raise more than $70,000, a district record for this particular charity. 

Waverly Avenue Elementary School led the charge with more than $48,000 in donations in support of 85 people who shaved their heads for cancer awareness.

“This is a great way for our Waverly students, parents and staff to make connections to the world around them and the importance of doing for others who are less fortunate,” said Waverly Principal, John Ruggero.

Sagamore has raised more than $11,000 so far and will generate more donations this week through its “Sagamore Spikes Out Cancer” volleyball tournament. Sachem East raised $7,800 and Sachem North raised $6,500.

At the event at Waverly that featured hundreds of students and parents in attendance, there were also a number of students, teachers and principals from around the Sachem district who took part, showing an incredible amount of shared support from various buildings.

“St. Baldrick’s is a great way for kids to connect to the world and pay it forward,” said Kristina Fulcher, a teacher at Waverly who helped organize the event this year.

Sachem East is part of Project Happiness

Discovery Education and LG have teamed up to take you on a virtual field trip to explore the science behind happiness. Join us on our journey to understand how happiness is a learnable skill that can be achieved through the Six Sustainable Happiness Skills – mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity, and gratitude.

Sachem East students were part of this social and emotional learning project.

CLICK HERE to watch the video!

March Madness Showdown! Students from Sachem East and Sachem North competed against each other on Tuesday night in a number of fun activities to mark an engaging week of spirit activities at both schools.

From scooter races, pie eating contests, fire-in-the-hole, balloon pop, dizzy bat and hungry hippo, the score was tied to the very last match of tug-of-war and North kids pulled East kids across the line to take the trophy back to Lake Ronkonkoma.

The Sachem Showdown was a great evening of friendly competition and excitement. Students from both schools demonstrated sportsmanship and enjoyed themselves!

#GoArrows

Sachem’s annual “March Madness” tradition has been a staple for the student body for more than 20 years

Students spent the days enjoying a spring “spirit week” where each day promotes a different fun theme – America, decades, school pride – and the week culminates with a basketball tournament featuring both staff and students. March Madness has been a key element of Student Government activities for years in Sachem.

This year saw the creation of a “Sachem Showdown” event where both Sachem East and Sachem North came together for activities one evening. From tug-of-war to balloon pops and other engaging activities, the students made the best of the cross-district event and look to expand on it in the future.

At Sachem East, the March Madness fundraiser was combined with an effort to raise funds for the ALS Ride for Life organization. Student Government officers handed a check in the amount of $1,500 to ALS patients Frank Wojcik, Paul Weisman and Dr. Christopher Pendergast.

“People left that day speaking of actually getting chills listening to Dr. Pendergast speak to the students through his eye-gaze computer while the entire gymnasium was so quiet,” said Michael Jannace, a teacher and club advisor at Sachem East. “What a beautiful scene! The care and respect demonstrated at Sachem East helped to spread awareness of this deadly disease with no cure.”

Onto the highest stage for these history students …

High school club gets accolades for support and service

Sachem’s Teens as Teachers Class and Club were honored at the 2018 Interfaith Anti-Bias Task Force Annual Spring Convocation and Awards Breakfast at the Suffolk County Legislature building.

Sachem’s Teens as Teachers is a Health Education substance abuse prevention education initiative taught at Sachem East and North High Schools.

The course and club were developed in order to proactively address the growing problem of substance use and abuse among our students.

The purpose of the peer-to peer substance abuse education program is for the students to collaboratively work with one another, educating their younger peers on how to stay drug-free and empower students with the skills to make health enhancing decisions.

The program uses the peer education model to facilitate substance abuse prevention lessons to middle school students.

The Peer-to-Peer Substance Abuse Education program uses peer educators to serve as advocates, group facilitators, discussion leaders, and credible role models for successfully resisting pressures, to the students in the middle schools of Sachem.

The skill-based lessons facilitated include goal setting, communication skills, managing emotions, and resistance skills. Both peer educators and those they teach are benefited by increased self-esteem, increase knowledge and skills about health and drug related issues, and develop advocacy and leadership skills.

As part of a tradition started two years ago, the Sachem Alumni Association lined up notable alumni from the Sachem to speak at this year’s Sachem East and Sachem North graduations.

This year’s speakers were Joe Amplo from the Class of 1995 and Lori Ann LaRocco from the Class of 1989. Amplo spoke at Sachem North on Friday, June 22 while LaRocco spoke at Sachem East on Saturday, June 23.

Amplo, who was inducted to Sachem’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017, is the head men’s lacrosse coach at Marquette University and an assistant coach for Team USA, which will play at the World Lacrosse Championships in Israel next month. He led Marquette, a program that’s just five years old, to Big East championships and NCAA Tournament bids in 2016 and 2017. Prior to Marquette he was an assistant coach at Hofstra University, his alma mater, for 10 years. With the Pride, he was a part of 11 NCAA Tournaments, three as a student-athlete and eight as a coach. In 2011 Hofstra had the No. 1 ranked defense in the nation thanks to Amplo who served as the team’s defensive coordinator. As a student-athlete he was an All-America East selection as a senior at Hofstra in 1999. At Sachem, he was a captain for both the football and lacrosse teams. He was a member of Sachem’s Suffolk County and Long Island championship lacrosse teams in 1995 and played in the Suffolk County football championship his senior season.

LaRocco, an inaugural inductee of the Sachem Hall of Honor in 2017, is senior editor of guests for CNBC business news. She coordinates high profile interviews and special multi-million dollar on-location productions for all shows on the network. Her specialty is in politics, working with titans of industry. LaRocco is the author of “Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers” (Marine Money 2018), “Opportunity Knocking” (Agate Publishing 2014), “Dynasties of the Sea: The Ships and Entrepreneurs Who Ushered in the Era of Free Trade” (Marine Money 2012) and “Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds” (Wiley 2010). LaRocco has been working at the network since 2000. Her track record has garnered the trust and respect from Wall Street rainmakers to Washington. Establishing relationships with some of the best in business, LaRocco’s contacts have told her first of business deals in the billions of dollars, enabling CNBC to break the news first. Prior to joining CNBC, LaRocco was an anchor, reporter and assignment editor in various local news markets around the country. LaRocco graduated with a B.A. in Mass Media Communications and Broadcast Journalism from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 1992. She is a proud Sachem 1989 graduate and a proud mom of three active children.

Amplo on speaking at his alma mater: “I am so grateful for the opportunity and humbled beyond words to be asked to speak at the Sachem graduation. Sachem High School set the foundation for so many things in my life and the lessons that I learned there have defined me as I navigate through life. To be able to speak to the most recent graduating class as they begin their next chapter of life is an honor that I will cherish.”

LaRocco on the honor of speaking: “As a fellow Sachem graduate, I am honored to deliver this year’s keynote address at Sachem East’s graduation. There are leaders in all of us waiting to be encouraged and unleashed. I look forward to delivering my message of being courageous and staying focused on achieving your dreams.”

Previous alumni speakers include Bob Greifeld, the CEO of Nasdaq, Laura Gentile, a Vice President at ESPN, and Stephen Costello, a sports business executive. All are inductees of the Sachem Hall of Honor or Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame.

You can learn more about the Sachem Alumni Association at SachemAlumni.org.

All images and video from the ceremonies can be access via the Sachem Schools social media pages …