Editor’s Note: The following is information from the original issue of “Sachem News,” a publication distributed by the Sachem Board of Education for decades. I’ll be reporting on my historic findings every week. -CV
Date: November, 1957
Headline: BOARD PRESIDENT SAYS SACHEM “SECOND TO NONE”
In a letter to the community, Sachem board president Herman Beebe wrote, “I believe that everyone who has the interests of the youth of our country at heart wishes to see these young people receive the very best education that we can give them. It is with pride that we make the statement that our schools are second to none. This accomplishment has been attained by careful selection of personnel by securing the best of materials, and by devoting many hours of careful study to each problem that has confronted our young school board.”
The newsletter has a two-page spread with the title “THE IS SACHEM” over a map of the school district.
Among the buildings listed on the informational sheet:
- Sachem Jr.-Sr. High School; enrollment 405
- Grundy Avenue School; enrollment 499
- Waverly Avenue School; enrollment 378
- Gatelot Avenue School; enrollment 376
- Lynwood Avenue School; enrollment 349
- Union Avenue School; enrollment 179
- Parsnip Pond Road Annex (rented)
- Methodist Hall School (rented)
- Community Hall School (rented)
There is also a page of information explaining the basics of the Sachem Central School District at that time:
- Sachem was officially born on July 1, 1955. It was created out of three small Union Free Schools, each containing an elementary school.
- Each of the former districts (Lake Ronkonkoma, Holtsville-Farmingville, and Holbrook) faced an educational crisis. Their children could not be sent to outside schools any longer. The people voted to centralize and construct a complete school system.
- Sachem Central Schools was then in its third year of operation. Thanks to centralization, there was a new high school for students in 1958.
- The new high school (now Samoset Middle School) brought the total school buildings to six, not including three rented buildings in the district (Parsnip, Methodist and Community).
- At the time, Sachem was very large, containing 23.5 square miles (18,994 acres) and extending from east of Medford Avenue, Holtsville, in the East to Gibbs Pond Road in the West. The northern boundary is Mooney Pond Road, Farmingville. Sunrise Highway in Holbrook was and remains the southern boundary. Sachem is located in three townships: Brookhaven, Islip and Smithtown.
- The total population in Nov. 1957 of the community was 11,670 (7,414 adults and 4,256 children), with more arriving each year after. At the time the figures showed an increase of 13 percent that year.
- The stat sheet said there were 3,467 year-round homes and 1,961 summer homes as Lake Ronkonkoma was once a summer resort area on Long Island.
- In Nov. 1957, there were no more than 295 new homes under construction, according to the “Sachem News”.
- “The year-round home increase over 1956 is 411, which indicates that someday we very well may be the largest school district in New York State.”
- “Figures received from Suffolk County Planning Board tell us that only 22 percent of the district is developed, leaving 78 percent undeveloped. The possibility of a large population increase is very likely if the present trend continues.”
- “Our present school enrollment is 2,446, an increase of 454 over 1956-1957. At the present time we did not have a 12th grade, the students in this grade are being sent to outside high schools in Bayport, Port Jefferson and Sayville. Next year our new high school is completed, we shall have all grades in full operation.”
BOE Meetings: In the 1950s, Sachem Board of Education meetings were held at the rented Parsnip Pond Road Annex on the second Tuesday of each month.
Student Government Elections: The original Sachem Student Government officers were voted in after campaigning and speeches administered at Waverly and Gatelot. The first set of officers included: Ray Gentner (President), Gail Johnson (Sr. VP), Candido Gonzalez (Jr. VP), Kathleen Moran (Secretary) and John Still (Treasurer).
Superintendent: Well that’s not exactly what the title was just yet. The head of the school district was, of course, Walter C. Dunham, but he went by the title “Supervising Principal” at the time. We’ll have more on his title change and vision in future posts.
School board: The original Sachem Board of Education was as follows:
- President: Herman Beebe
- Vice President: Charles Seibert
- Board trustees: Arthur Bahnmuller, Mary Bedell, Harry Fields, Francis Hugelmeyer, Seymour Singer, Alfred Steiger, Theodore Wilson
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro