Sachem was well represented as always at this year’s Empire Challenge. Credit Ray Nelson

For the third straight year, Long Island beat New York City in the annual United Healthcare Empire Challenge held Tuesday at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Backed by a powerful offense with the Island’s brightest football stars, Long Island won, 40-8.

Steven Casali

As always, Sachem was well represented at the high school football all-star game. Sachem had five players on the Long Island roster, including Steve Mills (North), Tyler Andreassi (North), Steven Casali (East), Ryan Dippel (East) and Brian Balsamo (East). Sachem North head coach Dave Falco was an assistant coach, and Sachem Athletic Trainer Mike Wulforst served in the same role. Sachem Athletic Director Pete Blieberg is the Game Coordinator for the Empire Challenge.

Sachem – East and North – has combined to have 31 players selected for the Empire Challenge since its inception 18 years ago. The Flaming Arrows have had an athlete represent Long Island every year except 2006.

“It’s an honor to have been selected and to be a part of such a great and prestigious game,” said Mills, who won the Zellner Award as the top lineman in Suffolk County last season. “A lot of the kids that I play against during the year are now my teammates like Steve Casali and A.J. Otranto. Although I did not wear the black and gold to represent Sachem in this game, I wore the red, white and blue to represent something even bigger; Long Island football.”

Falco has now served as an assistant coach in the game three times.

“The Boomer game is a great way to end a school year,” Falco said. “It provides you with the ability to coach your top kids one more time and in the process help out a great cause. It’s an honor to be selected to coach in this game. Boomer puts on a great show.”

Steve Mills

Long Island was led by the play of Uniondale and Central Florida-bound running back William Stanback, who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 138 yards. Casali, who will play at the University of Massachusetts, recorded a game-high five tackles from his linebacker position.

The game is run through the Boomer Esiason Foundation to raise awareness and funds in the fight against cystic fibrosis.

“This game will have raised over $2 million for the fight against CF, a great accomplishment which we are extremely proud of,” Blieberg said. “The game itself provides the top graduating seniors from Montauk to Manhattan one last opportunity to play in a high school football game in an NFL Bowl like atmosphere. Having served as the Game Coordinator since its inception has been a privilege and an honor and to know we have helped contribute to this worthy cause is what makes us come back each year.”

PHOTOS: See images from the 2013 Empire Challenge

Sachem’s All-Time Empire Challenge Boomer Game Participants

-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro

This budget includes full-day kindergarten, no reduction in music or sports, a 50 percent reduction to co-curricular activities, and reduction in administration and support staff.

“We have a great community and great school district,” said Sachem Superintendent James Nolan. “During hard times it’s tough and I believe this is a loud statement that people still believe in our school community. This is a very loud and positive statement.”

Sachem needed just 51 percent of the vote this time, because the district chose not to pierce the tax cap of 3.14 percent. This vote was held because the 7.49 percent budget put up on May 21 did not pass with the 60 percent super majority needed. There were 12,588 total voters in that budget, a slightly higher amount than the re-vote, which saw 12,141.

The 71.2 percent is one of the highest passing percentages in Sachem’s budget history, which dates back to 1955. This year’s voter turn out, while still a low percentage of total tax payers and not a district record, was still one of the highest in the last 25 years.

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Building-by-building breakdown of voting

(Official release of Sachem Central School District)

CLICK HERE for a draft of the agenda

(Official release of Sachem Central School District)

This is a week-long camp run by the coaching staff of the Sachem North girls varsity lacrosse team.  Sachem North girls lax alumni currently playing at the Division I college level, as well as former college players will also be coaching.

Any girl who is interested in playing lacrosse at Samoset, Seneca, or North next year is encouraged to attend.  This is a tremendous opportunity to work on your game and meet your future teammates.

Sign-Up Online @ www.syag.com or Call 585-0040

Sachem coaches Alex Young and Pete McNeill will run the camp, which has multiple sessions throughout the summer.

Check the flyer below for more information …

Get out and vote! The next budget vote in Sachem is Tuesday, June 18 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all 12 of Sachem’s elementary schools.

NOTE:  Full Day Kindergarten was restored  to Tax Cap Budget AFTER the budget newsletter was mailed! Again, full day kindergarten is dependent on the 3.14 percent tax cap budget passing.

**If the June 18 proposed budget is approved (Daily Tax Change of $0.55)**

1. No reduction in sports program
2. No reduction in music program
3. 50% reduction in all clubs and extra curricular activities
4. Full Day Kindergarten
5. Further reduction of administration and support staff

**If the June 18 proposed budget is defeated the following will be eliminated in order to reach a mandated 0% tax increase (Daily Tax Change of $0.00)**

1. Elimination of all sports
2. Elimination of non-mandated music program
3. Elimination of all clubs and extra curricular activities
4. Elimination of kindergarten

TOUCH 10

There are 55,000-plus registered voters in the Sachem community. More than 12,000 came out to vote on May 21 (well above average from previous years) and we’d like to see that number increased again this time around. Reach out to at least 10 or more people you know and get them to vote. Call them, email them, and knock on their doors. Share information and be involved in the process.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS

In order to request an absentee ballot, a person must be a registered voter and complete the application for an absentee ballot. These applications are available from the District Clerk’s office or click here application for absentee ballot. Complete the form and submit to the District Clerk at her office (not via mail) at Samoset Middle School.

GET SOCIAL

Like Facebook.com/SachemSchools and follow us @SachemSchools on Twitter. Use #SACHEMVOTE when discussing the budget.

The budget vote will take place on Tuesday, June 18 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all 12 elementary schools.

Lincoln Center performers at Sachem in 1967.

In March 1967, performers from Lincoln Center in New York City graced the stage at Sachem Jr.-Sr. High School.

“To give Sachem High School students an idea of the tremendous scope of the performing arts and to whet their appetites for the fare served by Lincoln Center, performers have left their exquisite theaters at 55th Street, Manhattan, and traveled to Lake Ronkonkoma to entertain on the stage of our own high school,” read a story about the event in “The Sachem News,” a now defunct publication formerly published by Sachem’s Board of Education.

The setting admittedly is not as  glorious, but the performances are as brilliant and no first night audience could greet these productions with more enthusiasm and appreciation than our local high school students. For many of them it is their first acquaintance with ballet or opera or live drama, and their responses have been extremely favorable.

The Lincoln Center Student Program is co-sponsored by The New York State Education Department as a curriculum-related activity. The availability of such a program enables a school’s faculty and administration to build a study of the performing arts around live performances of high quality. For instance, the students in Sachem’s new dramatics course assist with costumes, settings, lights and behind the scenes responsibilities for the programs. The school’s English department prepared students for the opera performance and provided a follow-up experience of discussion and review.

The Lincoln Center Student Program gives a third dimension to our Cultural Coherence Course, which aims to broaden the cultural horizons of our youngsters; and since the program is affiliated with this course, we have been able to use Federal Funds to underwrite the cost of bringing these artists to our school.

Sachem’s first program that year was a lecture-demonstration arranged by the New York City Ballet. The opera “Don Pasquale” by Donizetti was performed on March 10, 1967 at Sachem with the seniors and juniors attending, and that year Sachem also played host to a drama program by the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center and a solo recital and chamber music concert by artists from the Julliard School.

It is hoped that exposure to performances of high artistic quality will guide our young people in forming discriminating tastes and that ultimately they will absorb the arts info the fabric of their lives. If past success is any measure for future endeavors, both from the student responses and faculty enthusiasm the program will continue to offer rich rewards indeed to the young people who attend our high school.

The exposure certainly paid off and dozens, if not hundreds, of former Sachem students have guided their lives by the drama, entertainment and arts scene. Sachem continues to have a strong drama program today.

-Words by Chris R .Vaccaro

Dorothy Stallone

Sachem resident and parent Dorothy Stallone was one of 10 honorees for this year’s “Friends of Education” award that celebrates this year’s outstanding contribution to the field of education.

She was the only honoree that was a non-educator and had some impressive company including two principals and Eastern Suffolk Boces educational leader Gary Bixhorn.

The honor was presented by Phi Delta Kappa International President Dr. Sherry Alessandro and other members of Stony Brook University Chapter 1603 of Long Island.

Her hard work and leadership was recognized and nominated by Samoset Principal James Horan and Assistant Principal Cheryl DePirroro.

“It was a great honor to be recognized,” Stallone said. “I had a great group of people from this great community behind me to help me do so much for what we believe in, I can’t thank them enough.”

-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro