Our Launch!

Back in October, 2013, the Class of ’63 had a fabulous 50th reunion weekend. We had previously experimented with little reunions in Sayville, Florida, and Maryland, but almost 130 of us came to this big reunion. We were hooked, but concerned about post-partem depression. How could we harness our organizing energy (and the cash left over from the reunion)?

And so the idea for this Alumni Association was born.

This won’t be easy. In high school, we spent our time with those of our same class and age. We had our cliques, often partially defined by who we rode the bus with. Doing an Alumni Association requires that we ignore bus routes and town borders, ignore those age differences that were once so important to us.

Why do it? What binds us together? It is a common heritage. We all weathered high school, the same school, with all its joys and bruises.

We didn’t create this Association because we think SHS is or ever was the greatest school, but because it was OUR school, and it drew us together, offered opportunity, and served as a step on the path of our lives. And together, perhaps, we can make SHS greater.

And about those cliques: Many old-timers wish they had immersed themselves in the available diversity, that we had gotten up from our seats and walked across the cafeteria to talk to those we ignored. We now discover how delightful, how three dimensional, and how accomplished our unknown classmates are. Of course we can use this Association to find old friends.  But we can also use it to find new ones. It’s not too late to get it right.

Help Wanted!

Several yearbooks need senior pictures scanned in high resolution. To simplify the process, entire pages can be scanned as one file. Can anyone help? Currently we need all of 2017 and could use some help with 1981.

If you are interested in local history and/or enjoy helping others learn, we invite you to become a sayvillealumni.org history research team member. We need volunteers to research archival newspapers and other resources, to help establish pre-1930 alumni class lists, search for obituaries, photographs, grave sites and biographical information on our Sayville High School Alumni. We need alumni interesting in serving as their class liaison. We also are in need of alumni to serve as records liaisons/researchers for memorializing our departed alumni (by class year). Interested? Please contact halgbrown@sayvillealumni.org

We are looking for volunteers to serve as “Class Liaisons” (by class year) and also “Class Historians” (on our Historians Research Committee). Many alumni already do this, but we would like to make it official on the top your class page here at sayvillealumni.org

A perfect example is Bill Paauwe, Class of `47 who agreed today to be officially designated as Class of `47 liaison. Despite the reality that alumni of `47 are all now in the late 80’s, Bill remains very active. He communicates with those class of `47 alumni who are interested and hosts annual gatherings at his home. Serving in this capacity for decades, Bill Paauwe embodies Sayville High Schools spirit, with strength, intelligence, and the pursuit of excellence. Thank you, Bill!