2011 Sachem North Seniors Graduate

Dressed in black caps and gowns, hundreds of seniors at Sachem High School North sat proudly on graduation hill and completed a chapter in their lives Saturday morning when they graduated.

Sachem High School East held its graduation on Friday evening under mild raid, but North had the fortune of clear skies and sun at times. Next year North will host graduation on Friday evening if the school board approves that set up again.

Sachem Superintendent James Nolan spoke during the ceremony about what the true definition of success is.

“Success comes from being a good person and using your time and talents to help make our world a better place,” said Nolan, who was quoting students he spoke to in the weeks before graduation. “That is what gives you inner peace and tremendous satisfaction.”

Proud parents and relatives sat by the thousands in the audience as Sachem’s successful graduates had their names called one-by-one and they entered a new group, the Sachem alumni network.

Class President Mike Scarlatto gave a rousing speech filled with jokes, sincerity and passion for his school community.

After giving a well-deserved shout out to his fellow teammates on the Flaming Arrows baseball team, he made it a point to remind everyone where their roots are.

“Although we are all going our separate ways in this crazy world, we’re able to say we came from the same place,” he said. “I’m proud of my roots and I will say I attended Sachem with pride. No matter where life takes us we will still hold one thing in common and that’s We Are Sachem.”

Sen. Charles Schumer, who did not speak Friday night at East, made an appearance at North for roughly 10 minutes and gave his patented speech about reaching for dreams and urging students to “go for it.”

He also said students in the current generation are fortunate to have been born into a time with vast technological advancements.

“Technology is to your graduation like water is to a fish, you’ve been swimming in it your whole life,” he said. “The fact that you’re graduating from a great school like Sachem North, which gives you a leg up unlike most of the other young millions of Americans graduating this year and the fact that you’re the first generation to grow up with this technology means you have tremendous opportunity. Now is a good time to see what your dream is and even if it’s high, reach for it.”

Valedictorian Amanda Valdes said writing her graduation day speech was one of the more difficult tasks she faced in her 13 years in Sachem.

“I couldn’t figure out who I was supposed to be as a speaker,” she said. “This wasn’t supposed to be about me, it was supposed to be about us. For a brief time we were one, joined by a common experience at Sachem High School North.”