After a Scandal, Students Debate Faculty Vetting Process

With its excellent schools, safe streets, and well-manicured lawns, Scarsdale seems like the last place to be marred by a scandal involving cocaine and prostitution. Yet, last Tuesday, students left classes to find newscasters on campus discussing a former SHS dean, David Mendelowitz, who was accused of participating in exactly these illegal practices. In the wake of his arrest, the topic of Mr. Mendelowitz has become so taboo and sensitive at SHS, that most students, teachers, and deans who were asked to comment on the subject declined because of the district's advice to make no statements. Students were left surprised, angry, and frustrated that they were receiving guidance from a man who has been accused of using cocaine for twenty years on Friday nights, while he was participating in the school's Drug and Task Force Monday through Thursdays.

Ms. Elizabeth M. Guggenheimer, the Scarsdale Board of Education President, said in an email sent out to the district, "many students benefitted from Mr. Mandelowitz's guidance and involvement in school activities." Some students agree that they can look past his crime for a moment to acknowledge the support he gave them in the previous years.

"If people said Dean Mendelowitz was 'weird' or a little 'off' they're lying," said Sarah Sherr an SHS Sophomore. "If you had him as a dean, you would know that he was a great guy."

Another high school junior, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she felt a special connection to Mendelowitz as a dean. "He still helped all of the students and members of my family regardless of his problem and he did so much good for many students and for Scarsdale as a whole that my views on him do not change at all," she said.

While the debate rages about David Mendelowitz as a person, questions about the vetting process of faculty in a prestigious high school are also being raised.

An anonymous SHS senior expressed uneasiness that the school district, however unknowingly, allowed a claimed habitual cocaine user into the school. "I lost a little bit of trust in the selection process of the faculty members in my school. How could these administrators miss such a major flaw in character? This is an excellent district and there is no need for cocaine users to work in Scarsdale," he said.

Freshman Marcus Pompas, however, still trusts the district. "I do feel a little uneasy about the school's selection of teachers, but I still have faith in their choosing of faculty because we have some really great teachers in my school," he said.

Mr. Kenneth Bonamo, the new SHS principal, wants to assure residents the faculty hiring process is thorough and usually very successful. This procedure includes several preliminary rounds of interviews by a committee made up of department members. Administrators, parents, and students join in later rounds to weigh in on the potential teacher. The committee then recommends selected candidates to the district administration, where the final decision is made. In the past, the superintendent has generally accepted the recommendation of the principal. Going forward, Mr. Bonamo believes the Scarsdale community cannot let one person's actions define the school and neighborhood. "What we can do now is what we should try to do every day: be the best people we can be and live up to our ideals. In two months, a year, two years, that's what others will remember about us."

Contributor Isabel Klein is a sophomore at Scarsdale High School where she can be found using an abundant amount of exclamation points, writing for Scarsdale10583 and dreaming about wandering the streets of Manhattan, Africa, and hopefully one day, the moon. Follow her on twitter @isabel_ellis