One look at the cover of “Sachem News” from September 1967 and you could tell the school district was transforming and growing by the day. New buildings were launching, administrators were beginning to build legacies, enrollment was soaring and the stones were being set for a foundation that has lasted since Sachem was formed in 1955.
By 1967, Sachem was only 12 years old, young in the grand scheme of development, especially compared to neighboring schools like Sayville or East End schools like Southampton or East Hampton. To grow up in the 1960s and 1970s, culturally speaking, echoed the widespread change right in Sachem’s backyard.
Fred Andersen, formerly a fifth grade teacher at Nokomis Elementary School, was named Principal of the same school because veteran administrator John Beyernheimer took over as Principal at the newly built Wenonah Elementary School in Lake Grove.
Wenonah and Chippewa were approved by voters in 1965 and were fully functional by September 1967. At that point, construction was underway for Sachem High School and Merrimac Elementary School on Broadway Avenue. The high school opened for the 1969-1970 school year, while Merrimac opened a year earlier in 1968-1969.
Peter Creedon, who served as Assistant Principal at Sachem Jr./Sr. High, took the job as the new Principal at Chippewa in ’67. He had worked at Sachem from its inception 12 years earlier also as a guidance counselor, and Director of Guidance.
Editor’s note: The following is an installment of an ongoing historical series about the Sachem Central School District. I have the great pleasure of exploring Sachem’s historic archives and bringing to light stories that have been out of sight for decades.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro