Edgemont SBNC Nominates Faust and Nanavaty
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Monica Sganga, Chair of the Edgemont School Board Nominating Committee announced the selection of two candidates to fill vacancies on The Edgemont School Board . The committee nominated Anish Nanavaty and Jonathan Faust at their meeting on Wednesday night March. 19th. According to Sganga, "The SBNC had the good fortune of having three very strong nominees this year and much thoughtful deliberation ensued. "
The Committee will host its annual Candidates' Forum on April 9, 2014, at 8pm in the Greenville school cafeteria. All members of the community are encouraged to attend.
Anish Nanavaty of Evandale Road has served on the Board of Education since 2011. He is a partner at GVM Media Solutions, a technology and consulting firm in NYC and also the owner of Free Ion Advisors. He is a 1990 graduate of the Wharton School where he received a BS in Economics. He and his wife Malhar have lived in Edgemont for nine and half year and have two children, one in 11th grade and the other in 4th grade.
John Faust has been nominated to the school board for the first time. He lived in Scarsdale as a baby and attended Mamaroneck High School (1986), the University of Michigan Honors College (1990) and Columbia Law School (1993). His is a litigation 
partner at Katten Muchin and Rosenmann LLP where he has worked for almost 20 years. In Edgemont Jon is a lieutenant in the volunteer fire company and also serves as a Commissioner of the fire department. He is active in the Edgemont Community Council and coached many team. He lives on Ferndale Road with his wife Nancy and two children, one in seventh grade and the other in fifth grade.
Girl Power: Skate to the States
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- Written by Carly Glickenhaus
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Every athlete knows how tough it can be to make a Varsity team. A few off-days and the wrong first impression can dictate your entire high school athletic career. Come tryouts, the pressure is on. Tryouts are long and grueling, and they bring out the most vicious, competitive sides of athletes. The process is both mentally and physically demanding and is especially nerve-racking if you happen to be a female trying out for the Menʼs Hockey team. Two underclassmen girls were strong enough and brave enough to take on the challenge.
If youʼve ever seen the movie Gracie, you might imagine Eliza Brosgol and Erin Nicholasʼ tryouts looking something like Gracieʼs. They were shown no special treatment; They were evaluated on the same criteria as the boys were. The nature of the female body forced the girls to work hard to put on the same amount of muscle, but on the ice, the only thing that distinguishes one from the guys is a long ponytail trailing behind the maroon and white helmet.
Brosgol, a sophomore, and Nicholas, a freshman, were introduced to competitive hockey at young ages. In fact, the sport runs in Nicholas family blood. Erinʼs older brothers, James ʼ15 and Stephen ʼ16, are now her teammates.
Both girls participated in the Modified Program at Scarsdale Middle School. Of the SMS boys hockey team, Brosgol says, "It was a really good experience. The game moves much faster with the boys. In that sense, it prepared me for the high school team." Nicholas agrees that past experiences helped prepare her to play with the High School boys. "My travel coach is my dad so having different coaches gave me a small preview of what varsity would be like. The high school team is different because the kids are much bigger, faster and older than I am." She plays on a boys club team, and had become familiar with the rougher manner in which boys play the game.
Brosgol plays for a girls club team, which keeps her quite busy. "Not that many girls in the area 
play hockey. For our team to find good competition, we have to travel much further. Weekends are hard. Sometimes Iʼll have a game 2 hours north and the next day, another 2 hours south." When asked if she thinks SHS will ever have a Girls team, Brosgol says, "Only if girls start playing hockey! It would need to involve girls from other towns since there arenʼt that many who play." The boys team practices tend to be held in more convenient locations as larger numbers of them live in a common area. Battling obstacles like tight schedules and knee injuries, the girls persevered and begun the season with the Raiders in November. "The try outs were definitely a challenge, but I have no regrets about trying out because the team has been so much fun and has been doing so well", says Nicholas. Brosgol was also nervous, but remembers, "When I got there and started playing, it went away." The girls were very proud and excited to have made the team. At the Winter Sports Awards March 4, Coach Jim Mancuso informed parents and other athletes that having girls on the team kept the boys on their best behavior.
Each girl feels lucky to have someone else in the same position. Nicholas remarked, "Having Eliza on the team made the experience a lot less awkward and a lot more fun. I played field hockey with her and I played hockey with her when we were younger so it was a lot of fun getting closer to her on this team."
Their team has been playing together for nearly four months, beginning pre- season in November and continuing the post-season until just recently. A sixteen-week losing season would be an eternal misery for coaches and players alike, but fortunately, "ʻDers Puck" had no such season.
Mancuso expressed his doubts in the Raiders performance against Suffern; It was extremely difficult to beat them once, and beating them twice would be nearly impossible. With great focus and teamwork, the team proved their coach wrong, beating Suffern 4-3 to win the Section I title for the first time in SHS history. Another win against Shenendahowa put this underdog in the running for the State Championship. They lost 6-4 in the semi-finals against Ithaca in Utica on Saturday, March 8. (You can watch the game on the Scarsdale cable channel this week.) It is always unfortunate to bring a great season to a close with a loss, but simply having the opportunity to compete in the State competition is both impressive and unprecedented for this Scarsdale team.
These girls have undoubtedly inspired athletes of all sports to develop their skills and confidently showcase their talents even if it means going against the norms. When it comes to the Brosgol and Nicholas, "hitting like a girl" is a good thing.
Carly Glickenhaus is a sophomore at SHS. She is a goalkeeper on the Raiders Varsity Soccer team, and also enjoys writing and photography.
300 Debaters Visit SHS for Invitational Tournament
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On Friday February 7th and Saturday February 8th the Scarsdale High School Speech and Debate team hosted the 10th Annual Scarsdale Debate Invitational. This year's tournament featured close to 300 students from 26 schools from seven different states. Scarsdale High School physics teacher and debate team coach Joe Vaughan, along with many high school students from the team and their parents, organized the event and provided hospitality for the competitors and coaches throughout the weekend. The proceeds from the tournament will help fund Scarsdale's many qualifiers for the State and National Tournaments for which our students have qualified. This coming weekend the High School Speech and Debate Team heads to Harvard University for the Harvard National High School Invitational Forensics Tournament, which is held in Cambridge each Presidents' Weekend, and is one of the most prestigious high school speech and debate tournaments in the country.
Photos courtesy of Jon Thaler. See more of his work here:
Hora Time
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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My son is having his Bar Mitzvah at Yankee Stadium- he can't wait to see his montage on the big screen.
My daughter had a professional photo shoot before the big day- there will be life-size posters of her hung all around the ballroom.
My daughter didn't want the big party, so we just hired limos for her and 15 of her friends and rented them a house in the Hamptons for the weekend. We had activities planned for them the entire weekend.
By age 11, your child has a Bar/Bat Mitzvah date. This important milestone in Judaism marks the bittersweet road from childhood to adulthood. By age 12, your child is learning to chant a Torah portion. You feel proud, and you start the party planning. You figure you better start making a list of the things you need to do and decisions you need to make to get ready to celebrate your child's accomplishment.
Your list likely includes, but is not limited to:
• Invitations- (Who to invite? Should I make an A list and a B list? What wording should I use? Is it really possible to spend that much on invitations? She wants to invite how many friends?)
• Calligrapher
• Hair Stylist
• Make-up artist
• Venue and caterer (as well as menu- so many choices!)
• Photographer and videographer
• Seating chart (decide whether or not you'll take "requests")
• Graphic Designer (for invitations and/or "branding your child")
• Entertainment and games
• Music (DJ? Band? An 11-piece band? Live performance by Flo Rida?)
• Cake
• Favors
• Event planner
• Exit favor
• Dresses and suits
• Flowers
• Centerpieces
• After-service Kiddush luncheon
• Thank you notes
• Security- (actually, this is a team you can hire to act as "babysitters" for the kids, although they often disguise themselves as dancers)
• Meeting after meeting with the calligrapher, florist, caterer, venue, baker, DJ/band leader, entertainers, graphic designer, hair stylist, makeup artist, etc.
How much should I expect to spend on a Bar/Bat Mitzvah party? Costs vary, of course. First, and most importantly, you need to come up with a budget you are comfortable with given your own family's circumstances. One Rabbi I spoke with said that there is nothing more upsetting to her than a family who doesn't plan well and ends up suffering financially as a consequence. An average venue with catering can run $20,000 or more for 175 people, but this does not include anything else on the above list; and these services can be pricey. Once you have your budget, you can begin making calls. Costs, as well as quality, have a wide range, so referrals from friends or colleagues and reading online reviews can help. One Scarsdale mom I spoke with cautioned against hiring the first person you meet with. "I met with one popular guy that people use to book their DJs and games. The whole time he was trying to figure out where my party was and who my friends were so he could 'size me up.' He sent me a quote," she continued, "and it was more than double all the other quotes I had gotten." She estimated the cost of a party to be between $20,000-$150,000 with the average in the middle. "And remember, everything can be negotiated," she added. Jacqueline Vazquez, an event planner and owner of Lifetime Events by Jacqueline, estimated that the average cost for a party in Westchester is around $50,000, but can go as high as $100,000 or more. "A modest luncheon could be had for $8,000."
What are popular venues for a party? Hotels, country clubs, and temples continue to be popular venues, but Life, The Place To Be in Ardsley and Chelsea Piers in Stamford are fun alternatives. Nightclubs or dance clubs are increasingly sought after venues. Ms. Vazquez said that the Net Jet Hanger at Westchester Airport is another interesting space people are using for parties, and there's also the CV Rich Mansion in White Plains. Destination Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are becoming more commonplace as well. Rabbi Andrea Frank, an independent Rabbi, said her favorite Bar and Bat Mitzvah parties were in people's backyards. "Often, people will have a tent and dance floor set up, the grill going, and a separate area for kids and adults, so everyone tends to have a great time," she said.
What are current trends in Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in Scarsdale? Christine Varbero from Caperberry Events provides event planning and on-site catering for the CV Rich Mansion. "The night club theme is very in right now," she said. "Also, fun things with food, like candy bars and themed food stations." The most elaborate party she saw was when a family had the mansion transformed into a carnival with stilt walkers, rides, and real carnival games. "Kid branding" is very in right now. For example, a girl by the name of Dawn David (fictitious) might have her initials (DD) branded to look like the Dunkin' Donuts logo. And after the branding is complete, prizes, favors, decorations, and cakes often contain the logo. The branded decorations alone can cost thousands of dollars. The Scarsdale mom I spoke with exclaimed, "The amount of other-kid-branded sweatshirts my kids have is insane!" Ms. Vazquez added, "The top tier trends are high tech- intelligent lighting, gobos with fun patterns, live event cams, virtual reality games, and laser tag games. Colors are still popular, and traditional themes are still used such as sports and hobbies."
Most importantly, how do parents keep the true meaning of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in the day? The Scarsdale mom I spoke
with does think that the day gets lost on many Bar/Bat Mitzvah children. "They're only 13, and the families must take responsibility to see that the meaning of the day is significant to the child beyond how tall the cake is." She has increasingly seen girls registering at a specific jewelry store in Scarsdale. She prefers to gift money- she feels that at least that may go toward paying for college. More concerning is seeing the day get lost on the parents. The planning is exhausting, but one must keep in mind that it's a short party, and just a party at that- for a 13-year-old. Unfortunately, people still tend to talk about how great the party was (or not) instead of how wonderful a job a child did with his or her Torah portion. Many synagogues now require students to do service projects as part of their Bar/Bat Mitzvah training, but why wait until then to teach your child the lesson of service to others and the gratification that (hopefully) comes along with it? And why leave it up to the synagogue to teach that instead of the parents? From Bronx River cleanups to volunteering with the Junior League of Central Westchester to donating used books and toys to other children, there are plenty of opportunities to teach even the youngest of children the gift of a mitzvah.
Speaking of gifts, what do people in Scarsdale traditionally give as gifts to a Bar or Bat Mitzvah? Most people I spoke with gave me a range, depending on how close you are to the child or family, and whether it is just the child going or the whole family. Multiples of 18 are traditional, as 18 stands for Chai and is a spiritual number in Judaism. One Scarsdale parent told me that she gifts a minimum of $200 if attending as a family, and up to $500 for a close friend or family. "For a close circle, $360 is most common," she said. "Kid to kid is usually $54. If you barely know your child's friend, then maybe $36. For a close friend we would go up to $108." What if you're not attending the ceremony and party? Some people give, some people don't, but it's usually on the lower end if a gift is sent.
Choosing a Sleepaway Camp in the Off-Season
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What do you do when your child comes to you in February and says "I want to go to sleepaway camp THIS year?" What do you do when you first decide that you want to send your son or daughter away to camp in February? Can it still be done this year? Yes! Many excellent camps still have space for summer '14 and you can find the right one for your child now.
Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to choose a fabulous sleepaway camp for your child without visiting camps the summer before. In fact, over the course of the year, many people who never visited camps decide to send their children to overnight camp and make excellent choices. How does a parent decide?
Start by thinking about your child's personality and interests as well as any requirements that you may have (i.e. price range, location, length of stay, particular activities, single sex v. coed v. brother-sister, future siblings, etc.). Next, think about the camps. Inasmuch as there are thousands of camps listed on the internet, a great way to find the right one is to consult with a camp advisor who has expertise in this area. Most camp advisors or referral agents (as they are called by the camps) do not charge parents for their services. Call a camp advisor who has personal knowledge of the camps, knows the directors and has actually observed the camps in session herself. She will know about the administration, facilities, philosophies and cultures of the camps. She will know, or find out, which camps that are appropriate for your child still have space. When you speak to your camp advisor, be honest and share information about special needs, if any, or difficulties that your child has had in the past. In order for a camp advisor to help you find a camp that is a great fit and where your child will succeed, it is important that you tell the advisor everything they need to know about your child. Do not hold back with the camp advisors or camp directors who all want your child to thrive at camp.
Your camp advisor will suggest several camps to you and get you information from them. Look at the DVDs and packets they send. Once your advisor gives you a few suggestions, look at those websites as well. After you have reviewed the information, call any of the suggested camps that interest you and speak to the directors yourself. Directors often tend to have much more time to talk to prospective parents at this point in the year than they do when families tour camps over the summer. Ask the directors about staff and camper return rates. It is also helpful to ask directors for references from other parents.
As tempting as it may be, try to avoid canvassing all of your friends to find out what they have heard about camps you may be looking at. Their information is not always based on personal knowledge. Of course, if a friend sends their own child/ren to a camp you are considering, their feedback might be very useful to you. However, don't pick a camp just because a friend or neighbor sends a child there. You should also think hard about sending your child to camp with a friend from home. There are many good reasons not to.
After you narrowed down your camp choices, start to include your child in the process. Your child will become less nervous and more excited about going if they are involved. Show your child a few DVDs of camps you like. Your camp advisor will help you select one or a (very) few camps to have home or Skype visits. It is not necessary to visit an empty camp in the off-season. While it is very helpful to visit camps in session, you will not observe friendships, relationships or supervision or feel the culture of the camps by seeing them over the winter. When you visit a camp without campers, you do not have the opportunity to observe how the staff interacts and engages the kids. In the off-season, meet or speak to camp directors before making a decision to enroll.
The directors set the tone at the camp and you want to feel comfortable with them and their philosophy. Your child should absolutely be present at any home visit. Let the director get to know him and let your child ask questions. Your camp advisor will help you come up with questions to ask the director yourself. Ask the director about anything that is important to you. After all, you will be entrusting that camp with your most important possession- your child. Often, your camp choice will be obvious after you meet with one or a (very) few directors. If you need help deciding, go back to your camp advisor. At the end of the day, listen to your gut feel and choose the camp where you can most envision your child returning for many wonderful summers to come.
This article was contributed by Ellen Wylie of Spectacular Summers. Let Ellen help you find the right camp or summer experience for your child or teen. Visit her website at www.spectacularsummers.com or call her at: (914)722-2644 or (888)774-2267.
