The Spanish Exchange: SHS Students Experience Madrid
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As I was on my way to the camp bus stop in June 2012, I received a very exciting piece of news; I was selected to be a part of the Spanish exchange program for the following school year. Around mid-September, twelve other Scarsdale students and I learned that we were paired up with Spanish students, around the same age as ourselves, who attend Colegio Ramon y Cajal, a private school in Madrid. When I found out I was matched with a junior named Maria De La Fuente I immediately went home to contact her. Leading up to her arrival, Maria and I spoke almost every day and realized that we had a lot in common.
After contact via email and Skype for so long, the day when I would meet Maria finally arrived. On Friday, October 12 
thirteen SHS students accompanied by our two teacher chaperones, Señor DiDomenico and School Psychologist Ernie Collabolletta went to JFK airport to greet our Spanish friends upon their arrival from Madrid. After receiving kisses on each cheek from the Spanish students, we all boarded the school bus to Scarsdale and began the fun-filled weeks of activities we had planned.
We spent two busy weeks with our Spanish exchange students, showing them what it was like to be a teenager in Scarsdale and all too quickly it was time to say our goodbyes. As the students were about to board the bus for the airport, the news came that their flight was cancelled due to an impending hurricane (the infamous Sandy). At first, the Spanish students were jumping for joy because they were going to have an extended stay, but nobody realized what was in store for the next few days. With the loss of electricity and fallen trees everywhere, I am sure the Spanish students had an unforgettable, yet scary, extra three days.
Four months later, once again, Mother Nature decided to interfere with the Spanish exchange program. As I was packing my bags to leave for Madrid on Friday, February 8, we received notice that our flights were cancelled due to nor'easter/blizzard, Nemo. Thankfully, our flights were quickly rescheduled for the following Sunday and before we knew it, we were finally in Madrid.
There I was reunited with Maria and introduced to her parents, and it felt as though no time had passed at all since I had seen her in October. All of the exchange students were excused from school the day we arrived, so Maria already had a full day planned for me, to make up for the two-day delay. After returning to Maria's home and resting a bit, we ventured into the city with some other exchange students. Although I was tired and jet-lagged I went on my first Spanish metro ride, saw the beautiful Plaza del Sol, and ate my first, of many, plates of Jamon de Serrano.
On Tuesday we experienced our first day at Colegio Ramon y Cajal. Kids between kindergarten and twelfth grade attend this school, so while walking into school in the morning, there were little kids playing in the courtyards, a very different sight than when entering Scarsdale High School. In Maria's school, the older students choose their course of study and she selected the math and science path, which entails Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Technical drawing, Philosophy and the required classes: English and Spanish. I found it very interesting to sit through Math and Physics because in my classes I happened to be learning the exact same topics that they were studying. On the days that we went to school, we just sat back in the class and tried to understand what was going on.
The days in which we did not attend school, all the SHS students and our two teachers went on excursions through Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo. Some of the sites we visited included Palacio Real, Retiro Park, and Museo Reina Sofia. On our first excursion, we started off the day at a famous café called Café Fijon where we enjoyed delicious cappuccinos and fresh Churros con chocolate, fried dough sticks with a cup of pure melted dark chocolate on the side. After filling up on a Spanish breakfast, we went to the very famous Museo del Prado where we walked around, with headphones as guides, viewing the paintings of Goya, Velazquez, Greco and more. The most memorable paintings I saw were the ones during Francisco Goya's dark period. His paintings before this time are all very colorful and pretty, but when he entered his dark period, the paintings became very gory and depressing. I found the contrast between his artworks during the two times of his life to be astonishing because they really reflect the hardships he faced. Goya entered this Dark Age later in life after becoming deaf and contracting syphilis.
After visiting El Museo del Prado, we walked to the Plaza Mayor. As we were entering the magnificent square, a large parade of Spanish men and women, dressed in costumes, was walking through the plaza, singing songs and cheering. We found ourselves right in the middle of this up-beat procession and jumped into the fun. Candy was being thrown all over and everyone was chanting. It was a great feeling to be a part of a real cultural festivity and it was a memory I will never forget.
Following our exciting experience in Plaza Mayor, the entire group sat down in a very nice restaurant for a traditional Spanish lunch. In Spain, lunch is considered "the big meal" of the day, so our lunch consisted of four delicious courses. We started off with plates of Jamón and cheese, chorizo, tortilla de patatas, and croquettes. After this filling start, we enjoyed wonderful paella and traditional Spanish desserts.
On another day we visited El Escorial, one of the historical residences of the King and Queen of Spain in the pueblo 
of San Lorenzo del Escorial. On the first Monday of our trip, we drove 45 minutes to this town outside the city of Madrid only to learn that El Escorial is closed to the public on Mondays! Even though we were disappointed that we were not able to tour this splendid palace and see the burial site of Ferdinand and Isabella, we made the best of it and found a quaint café in the center of the pueblo, where we once again drank cappuccinos and ate pastries. This turned out to be one of my favorite days because afterwards we returned to Madrid and were given a choice of how to spend the day. A group of us decided we wanted to return to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, and then go to the Mercado de San Miguel, which is a very large market with numerous tapas stands. We went on an "eating tour" through the market and ate many different tapas plates. We then went to what Ernie considered to be, "the best bakery in Madrid," in the middle of Sol and had delicious cakes and chocolate Napoleons. Ultimately it turned out to be a very fun day and a great way to experience Madrid.
The last trip we took was to Toledo, otherwise known as "the city of three cultures" because Jews, Arabs, and Christians all lived there together. Placed all around the Jewish quarter are tiles in the ground that say "life" (Chai) in Hebrew. I found the Jewish quarter to be very fascinating because I felt a piece of my own culture and background in this city. Aside from the expansive history Toledo has, the views are breathtaking and it is enjoyable just to sit and take it in.
Touring as a group during the week was great, and on the weekends I enjoyed spending time with Maria, her two younger brothers, and lovely parents. They took me to different parts of the city and Maria's father Carlos, cooked his specialty, seafood Paella, which was top-notch. Her parents also surprised me with tickets to a fashion show for Madrid Fashion Week 2013. The family only spoke to me in Spanish, which greatly improve my speaking abilities and by the end of the two-weeks they even complimented my improvement. I really liked my Spanish family and plan on keeping in touch with them and seeing them in the future, either in New York or Madrid.
While in Madrid, we had beautiful weather, experienced so much culture, and did I mention, great food? I encourage all Scarsdale High School students to partake in any exchange program offered. The 2012-2013 Spanish Exchange Program was an incredible and memorable adventure and I was so lucky to be a part of it.
Contributor Chelsea Shemesh is a junior at Scarsdale High School
Bulleyproof Your Child
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On Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 7:30 pm, the community is invited for a lecture by nationally renowned anti-bullying expert Dr. Joel Haber. This enlightening evening will focus on bullying and bullying prevention. Dr. Haber is know for his passionate and inspiring manner of getting to the heart of why people bully and what parents can do about it. Participants will leave the program with valuable tips that can be used with their children to prevent bullying before it starts.
Dr. Joel Haber is a Clinical Psychologist and nationally recognized parenting expert who has dedicated more than 20 years to the prevention of abusive behaviors in children and adults. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed, Bullyproof Your Child for Life: Protect Your Child from Teasing, Taunting and Bullying for Good. Dr. Haber was a member of the advisory board for The Bully Project and credited in the 2012 movie, "Bully".
This program is presented as part of Westchester Reform Temple's ongoing Parenting Series and is free and open to the public at Westchester Reform Temple, 255 Mamaroneck Road, in Scarsdale, N.Y. For more information: call the temple at 914-723-7727 or visit www.wrtemple.org.
Community Considers Measures to Tighten Security at Scarsdale High School
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In response to the tragic events that occurred at Sandy Hook on December 14, school administrators, teachers, and students are giving SHS security a lot of thought. Assistant Principal Chris Griffin said his personal view definitely changed after December's tragedy. "If you weren't thinking about school security and safety, then I don't think you were alive. The days after the tragedy, there was a lot of emotion, and when people are emotional they look for immediate, severe changes ... now, we are trying to make prudent decisions as opposed to reactive decisions."
Currently, SHS has a building emergency response team comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, a police officer, a representative from Buildings and Grounds, a psychologist, and the Director of Counseling. The administration is reviewing the school's safety measures and will make recommendations to the Board of Education. However, the decisions it makes will not be easy. "It's difficult because people's opinions are all over the place. Some people think we should remain the way we are, and other people think our security should be tighter, so our job as a team is to evaluate all that information," Mr. Griffin explained.
One of the measures that teachers and students alike support is locking most of the entrances during the day and leaving only a few main doors open, such as the ones on Brewster and Post Roads. This plan includes locking doors by a certain time each day; For example, doors could be locked after second period, as homeroom occurs between second and third periods. Guests and visitors would have to enter through one of two main doors on Brewster or Post and obtain guest passes from the office. This plan would most likely utilize a system of "greeters," who would stand by these doors to monitor who enters the building and issue visitor passes. "I think it's very important that we watch who's coming into the building," commented Biology teacher Margret Siegrist. While some find this plan unnecessary and feel that it would interfere with the welcoming environment of the school, senior Phil Meyers argued: "It's not a perfect system, but it's better than what we have now." Visitor passes would make it important for teachers, administrators and staff to wear their identification badges so they can be easily identified as employees. "People often assume that the random adults they see walking in the hallways are teachers or parents," noted Charlie Blatt, a junior. Identification badges and visitor passes would help prevent such confusion.
Food deliveries pose additional problems. Some students order pizza or meals from Buon Amici or Nonni's, to be delivered to the school between periods three and six. Although these deliveries do not appear to be a security threat, they do allow people who are neither students nor faculty the freedom to access the campus. "We have to be very careful about deliveries coming to the cafeteria, and who's coming to deliver them. They should have one of the cafeteria aids over by the door so students don't directly come in contact with who is there," suggested Ms. Siegrist. Many students agreed that taking away this privilege would upset them and do more harm than good.
Another thought is to lock all the doors and issue swipe cards to both teachers and students. This plan
would involve each teacher, or possibly each student, being given a swipe or key card to carry with them in order to enter the building through any door. However, this idea doesn't seem to be at the top of administration's checklist because it probably would not have a strong effect. It is especially not a priority for students, who could abuse the privilege of having constant access to the school. "It is something that is definitely being considered...[but] I wouldn't expect us to issue student swipe cards within the next couple of weeks," Mr. Griffin explained.
There is also debate regarding SHS' open campus policy, which allows juniors and seniors to leave campus during free periods at any time during the day. This policy distinguishes the high school's security system from those of the other six schools in the district. Few students agree with getting rid of the open campus policy. As Charlie Blatt put it: "Removing the open campus policy would be an unnecessary restriction that would make students sad." French teacher Sandra Chan agreed and said, "I don't think that goes along with the spirit of the school."
When asked, many students said that they feel safe at Scarsdale High School. Junior Solange Azor, next year's Senior Class President, articulated a common thought: "I have never felt vulnerable or like I'm in any immediate danger." Freshman Samara Jacobson agreed, adding: "The chances of something happening in Scarsdale are very small because events like this don't occur often, and Scarsdale is generally a very safe area." Some, including freshman Sarah Bowen, feel that "all of the safety measures we have in school are enough." While Charlie Blatt agrees with locking doors and issuing visitors passes, she added, "any other restrictive measures are just fear mongering."
However, not everyone feels this way, especially after the shootings at Sandy Hook. "I didn't feel unsafe here until after Sandy Hook. And I think that at the Middle School it was a different situation because the kids were younger and we didn't have an open campus," observed Sandra Chan. English teacher George Olivier said that events like Sandy Hook "wake people up and remind them. When Columbine happened, people woke up and we put security cameras in the building. It makes people realize, 'Oh yeah, that's right, that's a good measure.'"
The task of deciding what measures should be taken is very difficult. "I think the administration/district should try to come up with a middle ground solution that appeases everyone," suggested Solange Azor.
Despite differences in opinion on how to make the school more secure, Assistant Principal Griffin spoke for everyone when he said, "What happened at Newtown is inexplicable, horrific, and tragic." To that end, the administration and the community are working together to find an agreeable solution and once it is implemented, we hope all SHS students will cooperate.
This article was contributed by SHS students Marie Ceske and Carly Glickenhaus
Sweet, If Not Spellbinding: Beautiful Creatures
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Should you spend a spell with Beautiful Creatures? Scarsdale mom-and-daughter team Deborah Skolnik and Clara Enders weigh in with their reviews of the witchcraft film. By Mom Deborah Skolnik - If you're the parent of a tween, you know it's an out-of-this-world experience. No, not cleaning up cast-off sweat socks and listening to cries of "My hair looks hoooorrrible!"—that's the everyday stuff. What I mean is, you're sitting through lots of movies about vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural species. In the case of Beautiful Creatures, you'll be communing with witches—a habit they'd have hung you for in olde Salem, but which in twenty-first century Scarsdale will merely claim two hours of your life. You could do worse.
As the film opens, we're introduced to Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), a 17-year-old whose interests are broader than the confines of his small Southern town. Tired of his narrow-minded girlfriend, he's intrigued when a new gal shows up at school: Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert). Soon, Ethan is working his way into Lena's heart and secrets. She's a witch—or "caster," as she prefers to be called, in a humorous nod to our P.C. culture.
Problem is, Lena's not sure if she's a light (aka good) or dark witch yet: It'll be decided on her next birthday, and she has no say. In truth, she may already be doomed to darkness, since she's bound in a curse dating back to the Civil War. Oddly, Ethan may play a role in the curse too, since he's had some strange Dixie-era dreams of late. Can the two undo the hex and lead Lena to the Light Side?
If you're as unconcerned about Lena's fate as most adults would be, just sit back and watch the pair's tender romance, spackled with plenty of witty banter, unfold. Guiltily wish, as I did, that Ethan were better looking: Every time the camera lingered on his face, I wanted it to pan out again.
Don't bother investing much in the supporting characters, from eccentric aunts to Holly Roller neighbors, who flit by so briefly they're 
meaningless. What's more frustrating is that the dark side's evils aren't explained. Lena's mother and cousin are both dark divas, but all that seems to mean is they wear hot dresses, drive sports cars, and seduce men. Sounds good to me. In fact, the film relies too heavily on shallow, outdated conventions to convey its players' essences . The bad women toss their hair and go "Mwahahaha!", while Ethan's rebelliousness is signaled by his love for a Kurt Vonnegut paperback. When was the last time you saw a teen reading Vonnegut....or a paperback, period?
Despite these drawbacks, Ethan and Lena make a plucky pair, and you'll be rooting for this new generation to upend age-old prejudices and problems. Ultimately, this movie isn't so much about casters as the spell of young love.
Note: This PG-13 film won't leave you struggling to explain the birds and the bees to your wide-eyed 8- or 9-year-old, but scary special effects may freak out more sensitive kids. It's probably best for the 10 or 11-and-up crowd.
By Daughter Clara Enders: I've wanted to see Beautiful Creatures since I began seeing the enticing commercials on TV. The special effects and the cliffhanger movie clips, like the ones of the witches using their powers, pulled me in. Beautiful Creatures is about a girl named Lena Duchannes, who moves to a small town called Gatlin in South Carolina. Some girls in her class accuse her of worshipping Satan, and when they start to recite a Catholic prayer, Lena makes the windows in the classroom explode. When the town hears about this, everyone avoids her, except for one person- Evan Wate. When her car breaks down, he offers her a ride home. She hesitates, but lets him give her a ride anyway. He sees her creepy house, and this intrigues him more. When he goes to her house the next day, he meets her uncle who also possesses such powers. Evan learns that Lena is a witch- or "caster" the term she prefers. Lena has a marking of numbers on her hand, which tells her how many days until she turns sixteen. On her sixteenth birthday she will have her "claiming" and find out if she will be a dark or light caster. Because her late-ish mother is a dark witch, everyone expects her to be a dark caster. She doesn't want to be dark and learns that her family became dark-casters due to a curse that was caste in the late 1800's. She must find a way to reverse this curse, or she will be claimed as a dark caster.
I thought this was a very good movie. Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich both did fantastic jobs acting, and I could really feel the emotions in the sad scenes. Emmy Rossum, who is in one of my favorite movies, "The Day After Tomorrow," also did a good job as Lena's evil cousin, Ridley Duchannes. Ridley has two different sides, and Rossum was able to portray both sides very well. The special effects in this film were really believable, like when a member of the Duchannes family used their powers. Because Beautiful Creatures is part of a three book series, I think if other movies are made, this could become the new "Twilight." Both series include supernatural characters, romance, and eccentric families. I thought this was an awesome movie, and would recommend it to anyone who likes supernatural movies, especially "Twilight.
Registration Now Open for the Scarsdale Young Writers' Workshop
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Adam Gidwitz, the award-winning author of A Tale Dark & Grimm and In a Glass Grimmly will give the keynote address at the 18th Annual Scarsdale Young Writers' Workshop. The event is for third to fifth graders and is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at Scarsdale Middle School.
Gidwitz's first novel, A Tale Dark and Grimm, is a New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best children's books of the year by School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. His second book, In a Glass Grimmly, was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library and School Library Journal, which wrote, "Gidwitz is back with a second book that, if possible, outshines A Tale Dark & Grimm." Mr. Gidwitz, a sought-after visiting author to schools, also will be conducting two interactive "Master Workshops" for students.
In addition, more than 40 top creative professionals from the New York area will be on hand to share their talents. This year, workshop leaders will include an Emmy Award-winning producer, a Grammy-nominated composer, a presidential speechwriter, a congressional advisor, and numerous Scarsdale journalists, authors, educators and entrepreneurs. These experts will help students develop skills in a wide range of media, from writing for radio and television, song composition and public speaking, to criticism, story and character development and the art of the interview.
The Young Writers' Workshop also welcomes cultural partners Writopia Lab (Hartsdale, NY) and Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY). Both will provide teaching artists to 
participate in the event.
As in past years, students will have the opportunity to give back to local communities by donating gently used books at the workshop. Our goal is to collect 2013 books, which will be donated to elementary school libraries in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Registration is now open online at www.youngwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com through February 14. Those who register after February 14 will be charged a $10 late fee and are subject to workshop availability. (Registrations will not be accepted after February 26.)
