wo talented student-musicians in the Sachem Central School District were selected by the New York State School Music Association to participate in the 2023 All-State Music Conference. An additional seven students were chosen as alternates.

Congratulations to the following:

All-State

• Jaden Rudnicki, HS East – Symphonic Band, French horn

• Jeremy Cruz, HS North – Mixed Chorus, bass 2

Alternates

• Robin Gillespie, HS North – snare drum

• Ryan Panzarino, HS North – alto saxophone

• Armaan Sandhu, HS East – snare drum

• Christopher Sneider, HS North – French horn

• Avi Talsania, HS North – flute

• Mason Vaughn, HS East – string bass

• Jacob Flores Zeranski, HS North – violin

These Sachem students auditioned by participating in NYSSMA solo and ensemble festivals last spring. They are among the top musicians from school music departments across the state to be selected.

The All-State Winter Conference will take place in Rochester from Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

Date Added: 10/4/2023

Since 2017, the Interact Club at Sachem High School North has partnered with the Pulsera Project, a nonprofit organization that connects Central American artists with students in the U.S. through the sale of colorful, handwoven bracelets, or “pulseras” in schools. In this time frame, the Interact Club has sold bracelets on behalf of artisans in Nicaragua and Guatemala at fair trade prices, raising a total of $16,715 for the organization. To thank Sachem High School North for its generosity and contributions to the Pulsera Project, the organization sent the school a handwoven banner.

The Pulsera Project provides High School North students with a cultural exchange. The building’s hallways are brightened with colorful art, while it is simultaneously providing a market for the artisans. All money from the sales is invested in people and gives them opportunities for higher education, access to healthcare, loans for housing and businesses, environmental initiatives and more.

The Interact Club brings together students to develop their leadership skills while providing service to several causes. Through their work, students have embraced the Pulsera Project’s philosophy that service is a two-way street. They have gained valuable experience at a young age that has encouraged them to be responsible global citizens.

Date Added: 9/28/2023

Sachem High School North students showed their Sachem Pride during pep rally on Sept. 22 to kick off homecoming weekend. This year’s pep rally took place over two sessions in the high school gymnasium. The energy was high as each fall season team was introduced to the crowd and performed a short skit. The football team ran into the gym last, building excitement for its homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Additionally, Sachem North held its second annual homecoming tour. Football players, cheerleaders, Arrowettes and their coaches paraded through some of the elementary schools to get younger students excited about homecoming weekend.

On Saturday, Sachem High School North faced Brentwood on the gridiron. Pre-game festivities were canceled due to the weather however, the day was still a success as High School North came out victorious, 21-0.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 9/27/2023

Two Sachem High School students were named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Congratulations to Adrian Dayao from High School East and Jacob Flores Zeranski from High School North.

Adrian and Jacob are among the approximately 16,000 academically talented high school seniors to score exceptionally high on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and be named semifinalists. This pool of students represents less than 1% of high school seniors across the nation and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

More than 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level, where they will compete for scholarship money totaling nearly $28 million. The district congratulates both students and wishes them the best as they advance in the National Merit Scholarship Program!

Date Added: 9/21/2023

Several senior science research students from Sachem High School North were busy this summer participating in prestigious research programs. Dreshta Boghra and Marco Villatoro worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the High School Summer Research Program and Avi Talsania was accepted into the Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces at Stony Brook University.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Febin Kurian and Piyush Joshi, Dreshta investigated the use of electrical strain sensors and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. She studied the relationship between linear strain and applied force, and the strain induced when cooled to cryogenic temperatures. The research seeks to increase the performance of superconducting magnets and related technologies.

Marco worked with his mentor, David Chan, in the collider accelerator department, formulating an engineering design for an upgrade to the Brookhaven LINAC Isotope Producer (BLIP), a high-energy particle accelerator. The upgrade involved creating new piping, as well as cooling and heat rejection systems, to increase beam intensity, which increases the production of isotopes used for medical imaging scans.

At Stony Brook University, Avi Talsania conducted research under the guidance of mentors Adam Hansen and Dr. Miriam Rafailovich on skin clotting, which focused on examining the proliferation of fibroblasts and human dermal cells, with a particular emphasis on how aging and collagen availability affected them. Avi collaborated with Dr. Steven Fliesler at SUNY Buffalo to investigate the impact of AY9944, a DHCR7 (cholesterol) inhibitor on these cells. Additionally, Avi assessed the effectiveness and toxicity of the peptide P12 as an anti-thrombotic agent in fibrinogen fibers. Avi will continue his endeavors in computational neurology research at the Haskins Laboratories of Yale University.

Date Added: 9/19/2023