Sachem High Schools North and East will be well represented at the 2017 New York State School Music Association’s All-State festival, as a total of 10 student-musicians were selected to perform during NYSSMA’s annual Winter Conference. The event will take place at the Rochester Convention Center in Rochester, New York, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. 

From High School East, students Timothy Demott and Edmond Tomaselli will perform with the mixed chorus, while Cecilia Antonelle will sing with the treble chorus. Justin Taveras will play the trumpet as a member of the wind ensemble and Samantha Fierro has been selected as an alternate for the chorus. 

From High School North, students Morgan Tiller and Paige Menneci have been selected for the mixed chorus and Marissa Tedeschi for the treble chorus. Sofia Sangiorgio has been chosen as a flute alternate for the band and Matthew Mazer as an alternate for the chorus. 

“The entire Sachem music department is incredibly proud of our students who were selected to perform with this year’s NYSSMA All-State ensembles in December,” said Justin Comito, chairperson of secondary music. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work, talent and dedication of each student, along with their teachers and family members who have mentored and supported them throughout their musical career. On behalf of the entire Sachem community, we wish them all the best in this incredible musical opportunity.”

The process for selecting an All-State musician is rigorous and includes teacher recommendations, audition scores at the NYSSMA solo evaluation festival during the prior spring, and participation in other performing organizations. 

Two Sachem high school science research students excelled in their respective concentrations over the summer as they furthered their research initiatives at Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
 
Angelina Franqueiro, a fourth-year science research student from Sachem High School North, was accepted into the 2017 High School Summer Program at Stony Brook University’s Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces. Angelina has been performing cutting-edge research on understanding the differences in rigidity between normal cells and cancer cells, a focus presented in her paper, “Nano Mechanical Properties of Breast Ductal Carcinoma MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-4175, MCF-7” and “Normal Breast Ductal Cells MCF-10A and their Extracellular Matrices.” She has delved deeply into the subject by investigating the biophysical properties of living cells utilizing atomic force microscopy. 

Daniel Waxman, a fourth-year science research student from Sachem High School East, was accepted into the 2017 High School Research Program at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Daniel’s concentration in particle physics allowed him to utilize the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at the laboratory. His work over the summer was centered on programming computers to identify the particles that resulted as products from the collisions within the ion collider. The title of Daniel’s work is “STAR Particle Identification using Machine Learning Algorithms,” and this study contributes toward a better understanding of particle physics.

Both students will enter their research projects in the 2017 Siemens Competition for Math, Science and Technology. Daniel also plans to enter his work in the upcoming Regeneron Science Talent Search, formally known as the Intel Science Talent Search.
 

The Sachem Central School District began a new tradition on Sept. 5, as the entire faculty and staff from all 15 buildings gathered for an inspirational Superintendent’s Conference Day at Sachem High School North.

A sea of red Sachem apparel blanketed the bleachers of the High School North football field as more than 1,000 staff members listened to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Graham address the crowd. Dr. Graham began by thanking all members of the faculty and custodial and security staff, whose tireless efforts make the success of the district possible. 

Following Dr. Graham’s opening comments, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Kristin Capel-Eden honored a group of educators and support staff who have completed more than 30 years of service to the district. Each honoree crossed the stage to cheers from their colleagues as they accepted their certificate of recognition.

Dr. Graham continued his presentation with four short stories, each of them highlighting the importance of creating a deep connection with students. Drawing from a personal experience with his fourth-grade teacher, he illustrated the impact that one educator can have on a student’s time in school and encouraged the professionals before him to “take pride in your work, take pride in your students and always remember that we are Sachem.” 

After the presentation, faculty and staff attended various staff development activities throughout the district.

Sachem students are all smiles on the first day of school.

In an effort to create a smooth transition for students, Sachem High Schools North and East recently welcomed the incoming Class of 2021 during this year’s freshman orientations. 

Gathered in the auditoriums at their respective schools, the incoming freshmen met the buildings’ principals and support staff, who discussed essential information about the school, including building rules and expectations. Then, with their schedules in hand, the students had the chance to tour the building and practice opening their lockers. 

The tours concluded with an ice cream social at East and a barbecue at North, giving the students time to forge bonds with other incoming freshmen. 

*The photo above is from Sachem High School East’s freshman orientation.