A School Students Step into the Work World
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Anna Cavalluzzi worked in an English class at Scarsdale Middle SchoolA hallmark of the Scarsdale Alternative School (A-School) curriculum is its annual January internship program. All of the A-School’s 80 students can participate and learn in various jobs, businesses and disciplines, ranging from law firms to television shows. They have the chance to pursue their passions or explore future job opportunities or just try something new.
Here’s what a few A-School students did this January:
Annie Cavalluzzi, a Senior in the A-School, chose to work at the Scarsdale Middle School under her eighth-grade English teacher, Ms. Hiller. Annie assisted Ms. Hiller to help lighten her workload and teach a new generation of students. Although Annie does not expect to pursue a career in education, she enjoyed the experience. Annie remarked that the best part of the internship was: “Getting to go back and work with a teacher who truly changed my outlook on a subject I once did not hold much interest in, as well as going back to the middle school and reminiscing about what I remember life being like Pre-Covid and how I truly was able to live such a different childhood than the students are living now.”
Junior, Cole Liebowitz interned at the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), a private, nonprofit organization that aims to inform the public about current global events -- something Cole believes to be critical in an ever-changing world. He helped draft updates for the FPA’s book, Great Decisions, where he wrote about topics such as the ongoing Russia-Ukrainian conflict, political trends in Latin America, Energy Security, and Iranian protests. “I think the best part of my internship was that it was all virtual. I could work in a comfortable environment while also being (somewhat) flexible with my schedule.” Cole stated. “However, having a flexible schedule is not always a good thing. Sometimes I would hold off my work until the last minute and have to power through it in one sitting.”
Junior, Dani Goldman interned under interior designer, Cheryl Bunzel, at her business CB Studio Design. Dani enjoyed selecting furniture for people in order to help them design a certain space. She noted the experience as “so cool because it was like, omg, I'm really helping somebody design their house.” Though she doesn’t plan to do anything related to this in a future career, she remarks this internship as “an amazing experience and good just to try it out.”
Junior, Alex Wang worked in the Scarsdale High School library and assisted with shelving, scanning and buying books, updating and editing the library website/database and organizing past Maroon magazines. He learned about the background of both the building and parts of the school. “The librarians assigned me to organize past Maroon magazines/newspapers, and it went all the way back to the 1940s. It was really cool to see how the school was back then and read stories of what was happening. Like, did you know that SHS used to have a smoking lounge for students, and there was a rifle team?” Alex recounted. He also built a better relationship with the staff and said, “it was great knowing how much I was helping them out.”
Junior Irene Li worked at the Renaissance Bakery in the village, helping customers at the front, making pastries, stacking boxes, and more. She had this to say about the experience: “The best part of my internship was how chill it was. I liked interacting with the customers. I met a lot of wonderful people. The staff was super nice and easy to talk to if I ever needed help with anything.” Though she doesn’t expect to pursue anything similar in the future, she was “grateful for both the experience and opportunity to see how a small bakery functions.”
Brady Silberfein, a Junior, interned virtually for the booking team for Good Morning America, the morning television program that features news, weather forecasts, special interest stories, and popular culture. Brady helped her employer obtain interviewees for the special interest stories portion of the show. She commented that “The best part of my internship was the research I was doing and knowing that it helped my sponsor.” Though Brady is unsure of her future career, she can see herself doing something in TV production. In the end, she said that her time in internship was a good experience in teaching her what to expect in this field.
Janani Vittal and Maya KatcherJunior, Maya Katcher, worked as an intern for a freelance designer, involving different projects in animation, VFX, and more. Maya was given the opportunity to learn new software, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, combined with her previous knowledge of Adobe After Effects. Though Maya worked virtually, she believed that was a positive for her, as she was “not on as strict of a schedule as someone working in person would be, which works really well for the way (her) brain operates.” Maya noted that her internship was a great experience for her in learning more about this particular field. She stated that it “was a great eye opener as (she) saw how pursuing this job would shape (her) future financially.” She added, “My sponsor showed me his college path and really gave me a clear outline of how he got to where he is today. All of this information made this internship feel so real, which just excites me even more for my potential future in this field!”
Tyler HughsonThe Internship program continues to provide students with a meaningful experience and help them discover or understand their different fields of interest. Who knows what these kids will be doing in the years to come!
Author Tyler Hughson, worked here at Scarsdale 10583, writing and researching articles for Joanne Wallenstein. About the internship he said, “Although I don’t want to continue in a field like this, I definitely think this was a worthwhile internship that taught me about the functions of the journalism industry and recent news in Scarsdale. I leave this internship with thankfulness to Joanne for this great opportunity and an appreciation for how much I was able to learn.”
SBNC Seeks Candidates for School Board
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SBNC Seeks Candidates for Nomination to the Scarsdale School Board
Two members of the Board of Education are completing three-year terms
The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is seeking to identify potential candidates to serve on the Scarsdale Board of Education. The SBNC held its first meeting of the 2023 season on January 26th and is now engaged in active outreach to build a robust candidate pool.
Over the next several weeks, SBNC members will recruit and review candidates in order to nominate two candidates for the nonpartisan slate in the next school board election. The school board election and budget vote are slated for Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The two of the school board members who will complete three-year terms this year are eligible for re-nomination.
The SBNC invites all Scarsdale School District residents to propose names of qualified individuals to serve on the Scarsdale Board of Education by email to sbncchair@gmail.com. A candidate must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a qualified voter, and a resident of the Scarsdale School District for at least one year prior to the May 16th school board election date. Jonathan Lemle, SBNC Chair, stated: “The non-partisan SBNC process continues to enable a wide-range of Scarsdale citizens to be considered for nomination to the Board of Education. We welcome service-minded residents to step forward to help shape educational policies that support the children of our community.”
Interested candidates should complete a biographical information form and submit it via email to sbncchair@gmail.com as soon as possible, but no later than 7:00pm on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Application form is available on the SBNC website at www.scarsdalesbnc.com. Please see the “Join the School Board” tab or contact the SBNC Chair for further information.
Contacts: Jonathan Lemle, Chair Deborah Skolnik, Vice-Chair
Six Scarsdale High School Students Named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars
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Six students at Scarsdale High School have been named Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars, the Society for Science announced Tuesday. Scarsdale High School was tied for most scholars in the country.
The scholars from Scarsdale High School and their research projects are:
Cindy DeDianous
Alpha Retinal Ganglion Cell Dysfunction Precedes Vascular Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Type 1 Diabetes
Ali El Moselhy
Framework for Optimal Budget Allocation of HIV Intervention Policies
Ullal Sameer Kini
Associations Between Pathophysiological Traits and Symptom Development in V30M and V122I Transthyretin Amyloidosis
Bryan Shi
A Mutagenesis Study of the Parkinson’s Protein α-Synuclein Reveals An Unexpected Link Between Membrane Association and Serine-129 Phosphorylation
Jaden Tepper
Creating a Novel Device To Improve the Evacuation of Subdural Hematomas
Nicole Emma Zlotnikov
Asparagopsis taxiformis Reduces Methane Emissions and Alters Microbiome Composition in Organic Grazing Sheep
“We have long been proud of our science and science research programs, and the tremendous work our students produce through it, “ Scarsdale High School Principal Kenneth Bonamo said. “The students who have been recognized have been diligent in their research and it is wonderful to see their work in the spotlight.”
Interim Superintendent Dr. Drew Patrick praised the selected students for their scholarship as well as the school’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) faculty.
“The Scarsdale Schools have long been known for the exceptional educational opportunities available to our students, led by our outstanding faculty,” Dr. Patrick said. “It fills me with immense gratitude- but not surprise- that our faculty continued to shepherd students through such a rigorous competition despite the challenges faced in the last school year. It is notable that half of our winners are studying outside the science research program, a testament to the entire STEAM team.”
The Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math research competition for high school seniors. Each top 300 scholar receives a $2,000 award from Regeneron with an additional $2,000 going to their school to support STEM-related activities. The competition overall awards $3.1 million to provide the opportunities and resources that students need to become the next generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, and STEM leaders. The 40 finalists each receive $25,000 and the chance to compete for the $250,000 first place prize in a week-long competition in March. Finalists will be announced on January 24, 2023.
“The enthusiasm and quality of projects from this year’s participants were just outstanding. Each year, I am tremendously impressed by the ingenuity that the students bring to the competition,”said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO, Society for Science and Publisher, Science News. “Their hard work, creativity and perseverance should be applauded.”
Growing Team Hopes to Make Squash a Varsity Sport at SHS
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Now in its second year, the Scarsdale High School Squash Team is back, stronger than ever. The team has grown from only nine players last year to 20 players this year who have formed three teams. The teams compete at the FairWest High School League against Bronxville, Rye, Briarcliff, Greenwich, Darien, Fairfield, New Canaan and New Haven. The teams train once a week with coach Adham Abou Taleb at the Westchester Squash Academy in Mamaroneck.
The team is looking forward to representing Scarsdale in the 2023 U.S. High School Championship Feb 26-28 at the Arlen Specter Center in PA. A second team is also planning to compete at the 2023 National Interscholastic Team Championship Feb 3-5. The team hopes that one day squash will become a Varsity Sport at the high school.
Follow the team on their Instagram and on Scarsdale page on the fairwest league website.
About the team, Coach Adham Abou Taleb said, “It has been a pleasure coaching the Scarsdale High School students at our club, Westchester Squash Academy for the second year in a row.
This season, I helped many players completely new to squash develop some of the skills and fitness levels that the sport requires, and I watched the more experienced players approaching the courts with a renewed and fresh enthusiasm for the game, coming from competing not just as individuals, but as part of a team.
I believe squash is much more than hitting the ball and winning games, it is about hard work, perseverance, consistency, and getting out of your comfort zone, and when you are part of a team is also about commitment and responsibility.
I am very proud to say that some of our senior players are very good leaders and great role models for the younger ones. I am confident in saying that when they will go to college, some of the younger ones will step in their shoes and take on the baton for next year and success will keep coming because success is not just holding a trophy in your hands but creating a path for others to follow.
As it stands, our A-Team is 3 and 2 with wins against Greenwich, Westport, and Rye and losses against Darien and Bronxville.
Team B stands at 0 and 4
Team C stands at 1 and 1
We are excited to travel to the National Championships in Philadelphia this February and we are looking forward to working even harder next season.”
Pictured Above:
Back row from L to R: Richard Fawcette, Eimaan Bilal, Nora Afzali, Peter He, Neil Sriram, Zane Kohn, Ali El Moselhy, Daniel Hochberg, Maddie Wilson, Sophia Kahan, Ephram Cukier.
Front row L to R: Aryan Barauh, Peter Lin, Armita Ahmed, Rehma Qadir, Daniyal Naeem, Noah Zoland, Nicholas Apessos, Amal Bilal and Leo Fried.
Vote Today for the SBNC Nominating Committee at Scarsdale Middle School
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The 2023 School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) election will take place on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 7 – 10 AM and 2 – 9 PM in the Scarsdale Middle School (SMS) Auditorium Lobby at 134 Mamaroneck Road. In the event schools are closed on Election Day, the election will be held on the earlier of (i) Wednesday, January 11, 2023, or (ii) the next day school is in session. Any Snow Date or Run-off election will be held in the SMS Auditorium Lobby at the same times given above.
A mail-in ballot is available for those who choose not to vote in person. Mail-in ballots are available to the public in hard copy at Scarsdale Village Hall and the Scarsdale Public Library, and available in electronic form here starting Wednesday, December 14th, 2022.
Any resident of the School District who is (i) 18 years of age or older; and (ii) a resident of the School District for 30 days prior to the election (December 11, 2022) may vote in the SBNC Election.
Completed mail-in ballots must be sent to: SBNC Administrative Chair, PO Box 172H, Scarsdale, NY 10583 and received in the SBNC PO Box no later than 4 PM on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.
Residents who are unable to access a ballot by either of these methods may contact the SBNC Administrative Committee Election Chair, Susi Coplan, by email at SBNCElection@gmail.com for assistance. For more information about the SBNC, please click here.
Listed below are the candidates from each neighborhood along with their biographies.
EDGEWOOD (3 candidates running for 1 position):
JENNIFER ARMAS: 270 Madison Road Length of Residency: 18 years
Occupation: Currently Stay-at-home parent, Formerly School counselor
Education: Wittenberg University (BA), University of Washington (M,Ed)
Children’s ages: 19, 16
Civic Activities: Library Volunteer Coordinator and Volunteer & College & Career Center, SHS; HS Mentor & Essay Support, Yonkers Partners in Education; Volunteer, Hope Community Services; Co-Chair, TASIS School Gala Auction, Trail Maintenance Volunteer, Steep Rock Preserve; Junior League of Central Westchester; Co-Chair, SMS Pizza Day; President, Drake-Edgewood Neighborhood Association; Board Member, Scarsdale Drug & Alcohol Task Force; Class Parent & Fair Registration Co-Chair, Edgewood; Guiding Eyes for the Blind
SHIVI S. BANSAL: 175 Nelson Road Length of Residency: 4 years
Occupation: Finance
Education: IIT Kanpur, India (BS), University of Illinois (PhD)
Children’s ages: 5, 3
Civic Activities: Board of Trustees, Kids Base Little School; Technology Advisory Committee Village of Scarsdale
CLAIRE HUNT: 44 Carman Road Length of Residency: 23 years
Occupation: Stay-at-home parent
Education: College of the Holy Cross (BA)
Children’s ages: 7, 4, 1
Civic Activities: Religious Education Volunteer, St. Pius X FOX MEADOW (3 candidates running for 3 positions)
FOX Meadow (3 candidates running for 3 positions):
KEVIN CHEN: 97 Lee Road Length of Residence: 2.5 years
Occupation: Risk Manager
Education: NYU Courant, (MS Math Finance)
Children’s ages: 8, 2
Civic Activities: Volunteer, Scarsdale Chinese Association; Volunteer, Huaxia Chinese Academy Greater New York School; Member, Bank of America’s Asian Leadership Network
DAVID KIRSHENBAUM: 19 Tompkins Road Length of Residence: 4 years
Occupation: Investment Management
Education: University of Pennsylvania (BS), Columbia (MBA)
Child’s ages: 8, 6, 6
Civic Activities: Coach, Scarsdale Recreation Baseball and Basketball; Interviewer, Penn Alumni
SUSAN LEE: 73 Brown Road Length of Residence: 9 years
Occupation: Stay-at-home-parent, Previously: Marketing/ IRBD
Education: Smith College (BA)
Children’s ages: 12, 7
Civic Activities: Budget Study Liaison, Fox Meadow; Co-Chair, PTC Budget Study; Member, League of Women Voters Scarsdale; Member, Scarsdale Forum; Volunteer, St. Pius X; Volunteer, Moms Demand Action
GREENACRES (4 candidates running for 3 positions):
TULIKA KHEMANI: 83 Garden Road Length of Residence: 2 years, 3 months
Occupation: Stay-at-home parent, Previously: Private Equity/Consulting
Education: MIT(BS-Engineering) Harvard Business School (MBA)
Children’s ages: 6, 4.5
Civic Activities: Class Parent, Volunteer for Artful Looking & Book Fair,Greenacres; Community Partner, HBS; Consultant, National Jazz Museum
ARTHUR RUBLIN: 22 Donellan Road Length of Residence: 20 years
Occupation: Attorney, Partner
Education: Harvard, (AB-Government) Columbia Law School, (JD)
Children’s ages: 17, 15, 12
Civic Activities: Scarsdale Union Free School District Board of Education; Chair, Coalition for Scarsdale Schools; Greenacres Neighborhood Association; Scarsdale CNC; Scarsdale Youth Advisory Council; Scarsdale Forum Education Committee
MOLLY YUE TU: 3 Putnam Road Length of Residence: 5 years
Occupation: Manager of Operations
Education: Peking University (BA), Columbia Business School, (MBA)
Children’s ages: 8, 6
Civic Activities: Volunteer, Artful Looking, Greenacres; Co-Chair, Greenacres PTA Multicultural Committee; Editor, Scarsdale InSight (e-magazine in Mandarin)
JOCELYN ZOLAND: 3 Berkeley Road Length of Residence: 11 years
Occupation: Stay-at-home parent, Previously: Business Executive
Education: University of Pennsylvania (BA), Duke University, (MBA)
Children’s ages: 14, 13
Civic Activities: Board Member, Scarsdale Travel Softball HEATHCOTE (1 candidate running for 1 position)
HEATHCOTE (1 candidate running for one position):
JACOB ADLERSTEIN: 65 Morris Lane Length of Residence: 3.5 years
Occupation: Attorney
Education: University of Pennsylvania (BA) Columbia Law School (JD)
Children’s ages: 8, 6, 3
Civic Activities: N/A
QUAKER RIDGE (4 candidates running for 2 positions):
June (Xun) Deng: 52 Black Birch Lane Length of Residence: 4 years
Occupation: Designer
Education: Pratt Institute (BFA), Musashino Art University
Children’s ages: 5, 2
Civic Activities: Class Parent, Teacher Appreciation Coordinator, Class Cultural Event Coordinator Kids Base Little School
Marc Litofsky: 12 Cornell Street Length of Residence: 13 years
Occupation: Bond Sales
Education: Syracuse (BS)
Children’s ages: 17, 13,11
Civic Activities: Coach/Manager, Scarsdale Youth Soccer; Coach, Scarsdale Rec Basketball; Coach/Manager, Scarsdale Travel Basketball; Chair, QR Rec Basketball
Dana Mitchell: 18 Coralyn Rd Length of Residence: 6 years
Occupation: Interior Designer
Education: Tulane, Washington University School of Law, New York Institute of Art & Design
Children’s ages: 12, 7
Civic Activities: N/A
Jennifer Simon Tabak: 26 Myrtledale Road Length of Residence: 13 years
Occupation: Stay-at-home parent, Previously Educational Software Manager/Programmer
Education: Wesleyan University (BA), University of Pennsylvania (MSE)
Children’s ages: 16,13
Civic Activities: VP, League of Women Voters Scarsdale; VP & other roles including: Exec Liaison to Schools, Inclusion Committee, Budget Committee, Temple Israel Center; Board Member, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling; District Surrogate Parent, CSE/CPSE; Co-Chair, Scarsdale CHILD; YWW; Class Parent, Quaker Ridge
About the School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC)
The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is a committee of residents elected from across the Village for the purpose of nominating candidates to fill vacancies on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Members are elected from each of the five elementary school districts to serve a term of three years on the Nominating Committee and two additional years on the Administrative Committee.
The Administrative Committee would like to encourage all Scarsdale residents to support the SBNC by voting in local elections, considering a candidacy, and making a contribution. The SBNC Administrative Committee runs the annual SBNC elections financed entirely by community support. Any contribution is greatly appreciated.
Contributions may be made via PayPal online here.
Checks may be made payable to the “SBNC Administrative Committee” and mailed to P.O. BOX 172H, SCARSDALE, NY 10583
SBNC Continuing Members (Nominating Committee):
Edgewood: Alan Meizlik, Valerie Phillips (Term Ends 2023), Anne McCourt Bates, Christine Weston, Meng Zhang (Term Ends 2024)
Fox Meadow: Zachary Altschuler (Term Ends 2023), Claudia Green, Jennifer Zola (Term Ends 2024)
Greenacres: David Fenigstein (Term Ends 2023), Kim Greene-Liebowitz, Allison Kahner (Term Ends 2024)
Heathcote: Lauren Hammer Breslow, Jennifer Goldfarb (Term Ends 2023), Kimberly Miller Champlin, Dianna Cohen-Irom, Sarah Hopkins (Term Ends 2024)
Quaker Ridge: Stephanie Israel, Stacey Strauss, Mauri Zemachson (Term Ends 2023), Lisa Gans (Term Ends 2024)
2022/2023 SBNC Administrative Committee Members:
Sarah E. Bell, Resolution Chair (SNAP); David Benderson (EW); Lara Chassin (SNAP); Susi Coplan , Election Chair (QR); Jennifer Fischer (GA); Laura Gelblum, Resolution Vice Chair (FM); Kathleen Gray (GA); Kerry Hayes (HE); Seema Jaggi, Treasurer (FM); Swapna Kanekar (FM); Cecelia Anon Kowalski (EW), Jon Lemle, SBNC Chair (FM), Laura Ying Liu, Secretary (HE); Chris Marks , Webmaster (HE); Ekta Sahni (QR); Amy Schiff, (EW); Deborah Skolnik, SBNC Vice Chair (GA), Purnima Srivastava (QR), (Claire) Yin Yang , Election Vice Chair (HE); Cindy Yau (GA)
For additional information, please contact Susi Coplan, SBNC Election Chair, at SBNCElection@gmail.com
