Sachem alum and former district administrator Dr. John Cassese has been selected as the 2015 recipient of the Irving Schwartz Distinguished Retiree Award by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS).
The following text is from a release about the award …
Cassese has dedicated his professional life to public education and educational leadership. His steadfast commitment to the profession and this association is legendary among colleagues and the greater educational community on Long Island.
Cassese first served SAANYS as a member of its board of directors representing Long Island. After his retirement from Sachem he served as the association’s deputy executive director for a number of years. Since retirement, he continues his work as a regional representative for SAANYS and a mentor to all.
Cassese has embraced his retirement years as enthusiastically as he approached his earlier career days. He has held many interim administrator assignments, including working as an assistant principal and summer school principal at Westhampton Beach Learning Center, a Western Suffolk BOCES school facility serving severely handicapped students. He has also formed the company Legacy Plus – its divisions involve everything from the development of teacher in-service programs for Dowling College to managing theatrical services for performance artists. A musical artist himself, Cassese performs weekly at Casa Basso in Westhampton. He is also a board member for the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.