No Swings for Babies in Greenacres
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Greenacres has a newly renovated school, but after three years of requests there are still no swings for young children in the playground, which is on Village owned property.
In 2020 we noticed that the iron bar that once held the baby swings was bare. Parents and grandparents with babies had no swings.
Over the years, we wrote to Trustee Lewis and the Recreation Department and received numerous replies – but no plans to replace them.Finally in the 2022-23 Village budget, $40,000 was allocated to install a new playground.
So what happened since then? Nothing.
According to Brian Gray, Superintendent of the Recreation Department, an inspector deemed the swings to be unsafe years ago, and the swings are so old that replacement parts were no longer available. So they determined that a new swing set would need to be installed.
However, the bids that came in to replace the playground exceeded the $40,000 in the budget. So the project was tabled. In the 2023-24 budget those funds disappeared altogether and we’re told they are now being used to install pickleball courts at Crossway.
We’ve written to the Mayor and the Rec Department numerous times, and here’s the latest. It’s a long explanation of why there are no swings – without any assurance that there will ever be swings.
Take a look at this email dated July 7, 2023.
Good Morning Joanne,
I am in receipt of your email below and would like to provide some background on the Greenacres Playground renovation project as it relates to the delay.
The Department of PRC’s Park Foreman is a certified playground inspector. A couple years ago, while performing a routine inspection of the swings at Greenacres Playground, it was identified that the bushings which secure the clevis hangers that attach to the chains holding the swings had worn away. The bushings are inserted into welded brackets along the top rail which are ultimately part of the overall swing apparatus. Referring to Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specifications for Playgrounds Equipment for Public Use, ASTM1487-17 – Fig.A1.17 (diagram attached) the clevis hangers were no longer safe and needed replacement prior to returning the swings back in service.
Upon trying to get a like for like replacement, we identified that the original manufacturer of the swing set was Iron Mountain Forge, who had been bought out by Little Tikes approximately 20 years ago. Unfortunately Little Tikes no longer manufactures the necessary parts, therefore necessitating replacement of the entire apparatus.
Upon gaining quotes for the full project renovation, inflation had driven playground costs up as much as 40% since the Village Board appropriated funding for the renovation. In an effort to be fiscally responsible, Department staff has delayed the project in hopes costs come down and we can purchase and install an updated playground within the appropriated budget.
The funding source for the project is the Park Land Trust which I utilize for most Capital Projects planned for the Department of PRC. The current Capital plan has $410,000 earmarked from the Park Land Trust Acct. for the construction of Pickleball Courts. The Village is now focusing on offering a Pickleball Pilot Program that could change funding necessary moving forward. Providing the outcome of the Pickleball pilot program, there may be funding available from the Park Trust Acct. for me to request an increase for Playground Renovation Projects in the future.
I have attached a few pictures below of the existing swing structure and failed clevis hangers to this email so you gain a full understanding of what I have described.
Lukas Effman to Wed Kara Sciscente on July 15
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Lukas Effman (SHS Class of 2008) and Kara Sciscente will be married on July 15, 2023 at Crossed Keys Estate in Andover, New Jersey. They are the children of Richard and Shelley Effman of Scarsdale and Daniel and Carol Sciscente of Congers, NY.
Kara is a full time Enterprise Account Executive at AlphaSenseand a part time chef and Lukas is a Director of Sales at Melio and is also the lead singer of the band East Love.
East Love is a Indie Pop group comprised of three lifelong friends from Scarsdale! They've played shows at many renowned venues such as Brooklyn Bowl, Highline Ballroom, Webster Hall, Rockwood Music Hall, City Vineyard, among others. They most recently played an intimate Sofar Sounds set, showcasing a few of their newest releases. Over the past year, they've released 7 brand new songs, all a part of their EP called 'Day Of'. They hope to continue writing, recording, and performing new music in the coming months and years.
Check out their music here. The band has amassed nearly 20 million streams to-date, on Spotify alone (not including millions more on YouTube).
The two first met when they were sitting across the table in conference room #5. They came from two separate companies representing two separate products with one shared interest. Things progressed quickly from the conference room, to LinkedIn, to Covid quarantine, to Brooklyn!
Science Research Program to Host Annual Symposium
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- Written by David Duan
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2023 Science Research Seniors
Over the years, Scarsdale High School students have worked to develop cures and treatments for diseases ranging from colorectal cancer to Alzheimer’s. One student even discovered a new planet while working at NASA. How? Under the direction of the Science Research program, which guides students through independent research. This program is run by Mr. Dylan Prendergast, Dr. Michael Kumaresan, and Ms. Nicole Pisano, who work together to help students develop fundamental background knowledge on a topic of their choice, find a research mentor, construct scientific presentations and papers, and prepare to present their work at research competitions. This year’s senior class was particularly successful at research competitions, with most participating students placing at each competition.
Most impressive among them were Ali El Moselhy, Jaden Tepper, and Cindy DeDianous, who were semifinalists at Regeneron STS, a highly prestigious and competitive research competition, with DeDianous going on to be the high school’s first-ever finalist. Moselhy successfully developed an algorithm that optimizes an HIV/AIDS treatment and intervention budget for sub-Saharan Africa. Tepper designed, created, and tested a novel device for the evacuation of subdural hematomas. And finally, DeDianous developed a novel method of diagnosing diabetic retinopathy at its earliest stages.
This year’s virtual research symposium, which showcases the work of each student in the program, will be posted on June 1st. David Duan, this year’s publicity committee chair, would like to share a few words about the program:
Science Research is a three-year elective class available to rising sophomores at Scarsdale High School. Students choose their own scientific topic of interest and conduct novel research in their field.
In the first year, Sophomore year, students will read scientific papers to gain background knowledge on their topic. They will find a professional scientist mentor to help guide them in their studies and with whom they will conduct research over the summer. The year ends with the Westlake-Somers Competition, where they will practice presenting proposed summer research in front of a judging panel. They will utilize their sophomore summer to conduct research and formulate a presentation summarizing their summer experience.
The objective of Junior year is to build upon their knowledge and research from the previous summer. They will also assist in workshopping and providing comments for the senior presentations. Throughout the year, Dr. Kumaresan teaches the students an introduction to statistics within the field of research. They are exposed to advanced mathematical concepts of hypothesis testing and probability.
Senior year, the students will complete a full research project and present in both academic paper and presentation form. They will compete in regional and national competitions, including WESEF, Regeneron STS, and JS-HS.
Every year, the Science Research class organizes an in-person and virtual symposium, displaying the various stages of research the students are involved in. The virtual symposium will be published on Thursday, June 1st, under the attached link. We hope everyone can appreciate the dedication the students have put in throughout the school year.
Click here to access the link!
Kudos for SHS Student Athletes at 2023 Maroon and White Dinner
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Spring Senior Athletes at awards dinner.A line of thunderstorms and heavy rain swept through Scarsdale at 3:15 on Tuesday afternoon June 6, less than an hour before the Maroon and White barbeque planned for 4 pm. The weather forced the festivities, photo-taking and dinner inside the cafeteria, where chairs had been assembled for the early awards ceremony. As Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi noted, the mother nature was not a big challenge for Scarsdale athletes who are flexible, strong and resilient.
The entire program was shifted earlier this year to accommodate some senior athletes who were to receive athletic awards from Con Ed later that same evening.
With the lacrosse team headed for the state tournament in Albany, where they will play Farmingdale, of the lacrosse team was absent from the ceremony, but there was still much to celebrate.
Before the dinner, senior athletes from each team gathered for photos, which you can see below.
A deejay and enthusiastic students made it difficult to hear anything in the cafeteria until the room quieted for the awards ceremony at 5:15 pm.
Unusual this year was the fact that two entire teams had won the state championships and the boys soccer team and the girls tennis team came to the front of the room first to received recognition and award plaques.
Hannah Feurerstein with the Timberger family.This week, in addition to the lacrosse team’s trip to Albany, the boys tennis team has also won the sectionals and regionals and will compete for the state title at Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Queens on Friday June 9, 2023.
Moving to the awards ceremony, Maroon and White along with the SHS athletic department had many awards for Scarsdale’s talented athletes.
Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi spoke proudly of the students accomplishments this year, including 70 All-League commendations, 19 All Section and two named All American. The boys golf, tennis and lacrosse team won the sectionals, and the girl’s flag football team were state champions. Three boys golfers competed in the state championships and two girls from the golf team will compete in the NYS Federation meet on June 11.
Maroon and White Presidents Joe Feldman and Amy Frank then gave a shout out to all the athletes and the parent volunteers and then began with the presentation of the Maroon and White awards.
First, the Timberger award, named for Maroon and White supporter Elizabeth Timberger was given to a student who played a supporting role on a team. This year’s award went to Hannah Feurerstein, the manager of the girls’ soccer team who was “always on time, went above the call of duty,” and was “selfless, dedicated and optimistic.” She will study sports management at Syracuse University.
The Nina Mooney Award is given to a senior female athlete who displays commitment, enthusiasm, spirit, concern for others and a positive work ethic. This year’s winner, Maddie Greco, played both field hockey and lacrosse and was a ConEd award winner. She will continue to play both sports at Union College.
Maddie Greco received the Mooney Award.
The Nonie Knopp Memorial Award goes to a senior male athlete who display commitment, enthusiasm, spirit, concern for others and a positive work ethic. This year’s award winner, Colby Baldwin was captain of both the football and lacrosse teams. He was called, “the strongest player on the team,” and credited for his leadership, energy, and refusal to lose. He will continue to play lacrosse at Penn State.
Sue and Jerry Peppers came to the front to present awards to both a female and male athlete who “distinguished themselves through their dedication and hard work in games and practice, through their unselfish adherence to sportsmanship and team play, and through their active encouragement of all team members. The recipients of this award are also required to achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.5, as measured by the most recent grades available at the time the selection is made.”
Colby Baldwin with the Knopp family.This year’s female award was granted to Natalie Hu, a four year member of the tennis team who led her team through two back-to-back state championships. She plays first singles and was All League, All Section and a Con Ed Athlete. She will continue to play tennis at Tufts.
The male Peppers award went to All American soccer player Nico Galeano who has played on the team for four years while maintaining a 3.75 GPA. The Captain and midfielder took his team to the states this year. In addition to All League, All Section, All State and All American awards, he was named a Con Ed athlete as well. He will attend the University of Michigan.
The two teams that won the state championships were also called up for recognition.
Nico Galeano and Natalie Hu with Sue and Jerry Peppers
The Girls’ Tennis Team, led by Coach Jennifer Roane won its second consecutive state championship.
Team members are:
Campbell Alin
Carly Alin
Kay Cottrell
Maya Cukierman
Emma Ha
Natalie Hu
Emily Hyman
Katherine Kendall
Hyunjin Lee
Giana Marks
Natasha Pereira
Jalyn Ryu
Yelena Sahakyan
Olivia Sun
Maya Vora
Girls Varsity Tennis TeamAnd the Boys’ Soccer team are state champions this year:
Here is the roster:
Head Coach Marcos Monteagudo 
Boys' Varsity Soccer Team
Assistant Coach Andrew Nagel
Assistant Coach Carlos Vasquez
Assistant Coach Peter Squiteirri
Jose Alava Marino Carlos Benitez
Filipe Chaladovsky
Matthew Choe - captain
Daniel Cisneros Lacruz
Carson Cohen
Oliver de la Fuente-Akersveen
Alexander Duval
Lorenzo Galeano
Nicolas Galeano = captain
Zachary Grossberg
Lucas Kantor
Leo Khang
Toby Khang
Justin Laing
College bound athletes
Janghee Lee
Michael Marks - manager
Henry McAllister - captain
Ryan Nicholl
Henry Rifkin
Zachary Ruback
Santiago Rudloff
Hadley Schwall - manager
Lev Stahl
Andre Tsou
Sebastian Verrelli
David Wang
Bryant Wu
Benjamin Yacoub
Pappalardi then called up students who have committed to compete in college sports.
Here’s the list:
Class of 2023 Senior-Athletes Who Committed to Play in College
1. Colby Baldwin, Lacrosse, Penn State University
2. Mary Jane Callahan, Field Hockey, Muhlenberg College
3. Noah Chappell, Lacrosse, Amherst College
4. Zachary Friedman, Track & Field, Connecticut College
5. Madeleine Greco, Field Hockey and Lacross, Union College
Scholar Athlete Honor Society
6. Natalie Hu, Tennis, Tufts University
7. Riley Iasiello, Field Hockey, Queens University of Charlotte
8. Toby Khang, Track & Field, American University
9. Harrison Lambert, Swimming, Binghamton University
10. Aidan Lee, Swimming, Williams College
11. Olivia Lee, Soccer, University of Pittsburgh
12. Andrew Lehrman, Lacrosse, Union College
13. Serena Li, Volleyball, Mount Holyoke College
14. Haochen Liu, Swimming, Williams College
15. Makenzie Mauro, Field Hockey, Wesleyan University
16. Brian Nicholas, Hockey, University of Michigan
17. Henry Rifkin, Track & Field, Colgate University
18. Alexandra Simon, Track & Field, Wesleyan University
19. Matteo McIver, Track and Field, Bryant University
More kudos went to students who have played three seasons of sports for all four years of high school. The Ironman Awards, went to:
1. Andre Couto 
Ironmen
2. Madeleine Greco
3. Samantha Hoexter
4. Toby Khang
5. Henry Rifkin
6. Allison Scheffler
7. Juliet Schneider
8. Alexandra Simon
Scholar Athlete Honor Society awards were granted to students who are dedicated, competitive and perform on the field and in the classroom with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
This year’s winners were: Isabelle Goldbahn, Charlie Hirschhorn, Frederick Kushnick and Alexandra Simon.
Raider Award WinnersLast, the Scarsdale Raider Award is given to students who “possess the attitude, work ethic, resilience, and leadership qualities to change the outcome of a game, culture of their team, or quality of a season by their presence.” This year’s awards went to Riley Iasiello, Mykaela Madoff and Henry Rifkin.
Here are photos of the senior athletes:
Boys Tennis: JP Figueiredo, Coby Gantcher, Ben Hyman, Sameer Kini, Dean Buonagurio, Michael Marks
Boys Golf: Matthew Steuerman, Ari Lemisch, Matthew Choe
Baseball: Alex Vetrone, Patrick Vasilescu, Patrick Carroll, Tommy Chesnut, Logan Lynch, Liam Vasilescu, Colin Dunsky, Harrison Ruback, Ian Silberstein, Charlie Block
Girls Golf: Ellie Bowen
Boys Track: Zacharie Friedman, Zachary Feldman, Riaz Ahsan, Toby Khang, Henry Rifkin
Flag Football: Mattie Silberfein, Katie Han, Hannah Feuerstein
Girls Lacrosse: Riley Iasiello, Maddie Greco
Girls Track: Ally Scheffler, Sophia Garcia, Alexandra Simon, Lauren Zoota
Greco, Hu and Galeano also received ConEd Awards
Play for a Cure to Fund Research for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease type 4B3
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Hunter SchultzOn Monday, May 22, 2023, Hunters CMT4B3 Research Foundation, will host its First Annual Golf Tournament, “Play Fore A Cure'' at the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York, to fund research for life-saving treatments for children and young adults with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease type 4B3. The sold-out event will host over 300 guests from our Westchester community.
In May of 2020, six year old Hunter Schultz, the grandson of Robin and Billy Schultz of Scarsdale, was diagnosed with CMT4B3. They were told there was no cure or treatment. CMT4B3 is a progressive neuromuscular disease, similar to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and ALS. CMT affects 3 million people worldwide, however it is ultra-rare for young children to have an early on-set of this disease. Children with CMT4B3 lose the ability to walk, limb deformities, the use of their hands and potentially their sight and/or hearing. Eventually the disease can compromise a patient's breathing, which can lead to premature death. Rather than sit back and watch their grandson and other children just like him deteriorate, they founded Hunters CMT4B3 Research Foundation to advance treatments for this disease.
In addition to the golf outing, there will be a ladies card party, vendors, dinner, live music and silent/live auction. They hope to raise substantial funds for research and development of treatments and a gene therapy. “We are overwhelmed by the love and support we are receiving, which enables us to spread awareness of this devastating neuromuscular disease.”
Their research efforts are highlighted in the current issue of The University of Miami Medicine Magazine, “DNA Detectives, a family’s journey to cure a rare genetic disease.” In less than 3 years, they have remarkably: hosted an International CMT4B3 Research Symposium, raised over $1,200,000.00 for research and development of treatments, assembled a renowned Scientific Advisory Board, listed as a Peripheral Nerve Society patient resource, developed disease models, mice, rats and zebrafish through National Institute of Health programs and contracted with laboratories and universities worldwide to find a cure!
WHEN: May 22, 2023 The Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York
FOLLOW: @hunt2cureCMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
For more information about the foundation please visit www.cmt4b3research.org.
