A crowd of family and friends filled the stands of the Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium at Sachem High School North on Friday, June 24, to celebrate the Class of 2022. Graduates came together as a class for the final time as they marched onto the field with “Pomp and Circumstance” playing overhead.
The commencement exercises began with the national anthem sung by the Sachem North Symphonic Choir Seniors, as the graduates who are entering the armed services stood before the Class of 2022.
Principal Andrew Larson addressed the Class of 2022 with words of wisdom before introducing guest speaker Lawrence Zacarese, vice president for enterprise risk management and chief security officer at Stony Brook University. Mr. Zacarese, who is also a graduate of Sachem North, left students with a message of passion and perseverance.
Following the remarks, the top academic scholars of the Class of 2022 were called up to the podium to receive a medal. Salutatorian Samantha Watson was honored in front of the crowd and valedictorian Anna Miller looked ahead to the future, while encouraging her peers to become the authors of their own stories.
“We must embrace new characters and plot twists along the way because, you all know, sometimes the best things in life are unexpected,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll face some critics along the way and our plots will certainly be different. But our storylines are forever intertwined by the fact that we walked the halls of Sachem North together.”
Continuing the ceremony, class president Nooran Khan delivered a speech, thanking all the members of the Sachem community who helped the Class of 2022 reach this moment, including their beloved teachers.
“What I can say on behalf of all the seniors is thank you, to not necessarily what we learned, but to the people who taught us,” he said. “Thank you to the teachers who have made our high school experience unique. Thank you for motivating us, pushing us and teaching us things deeper than the curriculum.”
Board of Education President Alex Piccirillo then began the presentation of diplomas alongside fellow trustees and District administration. After the final diplomas were presented, the graduates returned to their seats where they turned their tassels and threw their caps to the sky.
Date Added: 6/27/2022