Sachem High School East Community Celebrates Graduation

FARMINGVILLE, NY — Sachem High School East’s Class of 2021 donned their red caps and gowns — recognizing the school’s colors — as they were feted for their achievements before friends and family at their graduation ceremony.

Principal Louis Antonetti recognized the graduates who are entering the U.S. armed forces and then offered the class some heartfelt advice to carry with them into “all areas of their lives,” according to a Sachem Central High School news release.

“Our time on this planet is limited, but our time here always reveals the truth about ourselves and others,” he stated. “We get one life, we get one body to keep healthy, one mind to keep at peace. They say all you need to achieve happiness is a fit body, a sound mind, and a house full of love, and all three things take work to achieve.”

In her follow-up address, Valedictorian Mackenzie Szlosek reflected on an inspirational poster that features a river navigating a rock blocking its path, sharing “words of encouragement based on this image with her fellow graduates,” district officials said.

“I can promise you that not much in life will present a greater challenge than a global pandemic did,” she stated. “We will succeed and achieve as a result of our built-up persistence and tenacity, stay with the current and carry on no matter how large or jagged the rocks may seem because, in the end, it is the river that emerges victorious.”

In his speech, class president and salutatorian Jayden Reilly highlighted “the importance of time and how imperative it is to make the most out of each moment,” district officials said.

“I believe we have been given a new perspective on how we should use, value, and cherish our time,” he stated. “Time is the one resource that money can’t buy. It is the one resource that you are currently wealthier than Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates in, and regretfully, it is the one resource we always take for granted.”