College Admission: the Myth, the Hype, and the Reality
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SHS Juniors and their parents gathered anxiously in the school auditorium on Thursday May 14 to hear a panel discussion with college admissions officers who offered advice on the process of selecting schools and getting into college. The College Admissions Presentation, hosted by the SHS Counseling Department and the PTA, featured a panel of nine college admission officers who each provided insight into the college process and told the group what their particular schools look for in prospective students.
Is it better to take the SAT or the ACT? Is it better to get a B in a top math class or an A in a second-tier class? Is it useful to join many clubs to demonstrate diverse interests, or to focus on grades instead? How much do legacy or connections help?
Those were the kinds of questions that parents and students raised—sometimes delicately—and that the college representatives addressed.
For the record, most colleges don't care whether students take the SAT or ACT. And this may not be helpful but the answer to the second question is: it's better to get an A—in the top math class. As for clubs, admissions officers advised students to find a balance between earning top grades and participating in extracurricular activities. Legacy and connections may help, but perhaps less than many believe.
The panel included Kathleen Torrey of Alfred University, Craig Broccoli of Binghamton University, Emily Lake representing Boston University, Peter Johnson of Columbia, Catherine McDonald Davenport representing Dickinson College, Jeanne Holzmann of Fordham University, April Hadnot of the University of Texas at Austin, Jan Deike representing Vanderbilt University, and finally JC Tesone of Vassar College.
The program began in the auditorium where the representatives each 
introduced themselves and the schools they represent. Shortly after, the auditorium was split into two smaller groups; half went into the cafeteria with five of the representatives and the other half stayed in the auditorium with the other four representatives. The college admissions officers then went on to explain further about what students should do to prepare to apply to college and answered questions from students.
Scarsdale High School's deans believe that this college admissions presentation is essential in helping students understand the college process. "I think a college presentation like this is important because...there are many truths and many rumors floating around out there and I think it is helpful to hear directly from the college representatives," said Dean Matthew Sweeney. Others said that end of junior year is the right time for students to begin focusing on college advice, because by now the students have a sense of their SAT scores and grades.
"Gathering more accurate information from a variety of different colleges is only a good thing," commented Dean Michael Hiller. "On the panel there's a large public school, there's a small private school, there's an Ivy League school, and it's just a great opportunity to hear from a cross section of schools about the admissions process and how they make their decisions."
The deans hoped that students walked away from the presentation much more knowledgeable and confident about the college process. "I hope students take away that this is not a mysterious or insane process," stated Dean Sweeney. "I also hope students gain an understanding that this is a human process. Real people are reading their applications--maybe even the same people who were speaking on the panel."
Dean Hiller added, "My hope is that the presentation helped students gain a little more of an understanding of the different pieces to the process--the college essay, the importance of senior year courses, and things that are still under the control of juniors at this point," he said.
Students agreed that hearing from admission counselors was beneficial. "It was cool to meet the actual people who are behind the process and as students we have to learn more about how the process works for specific colleges," said SHS junior Ali Bauersfeld. "I learned that even though there are distinct differences between each school, primarily the schools are looking for each student to do their best and show who they are in their applications...hearing from the counselors themselves goes beyond what a parent or friend can tell you."
However, despite all the information and comfort that the presentation provided, the upcoming months will still be stressful for the students. "I'm most nervous for the atmosphere and hype surrounding the college process," said Hayden Carey, a junior at SHS. "I feel that it will be impossible to avoid comparing yourself to others. Society, especially Scarsdale, puts so much weight on your college education that it is easy to get sucked in." Another SHS junior, Macie Wasserberger, is nervous about "falling in love with a school that I can't or won't get into."
Junior year and the first semester of senior year may feel like a Sisyphean task, yet students have suggestion about how to decrease the stress. Many juniors, including Wasserberger, believe that it would help for parents and teachers alike to not talk about college 24/7, as right now "it's all you hear about, which makes it even more stressful," she commented. Meanwhile, whenever Carey is feeling stressed he remembers what his brother always tells him: "It's just college." He thinks it's "always reassuring to hear that, that college isn't everything." Other students realize that "every year students go through the same process and deans, teachers, and parents are all amazing supporters," noted Bauersfeld.
Dean Sweeney advised students to "be organized and start applications in the summer, because starting early and being on top of things can be invaluable." He wants students to understand that "while the process can be stressful, it will work out in the end." Dean Hiller said, "try to really be reflective about who they are as learners and what they want to get out of their college experience, so that the schools they will ultimately apply to mesh with who they are and the goals they have." He also hopes that students "take the college process as a time to learn about themselves and to think about themselves in ways they hadn't before...they should just be honest with themselves and their parents so they find the right fit and have the potential of thriving both emotionally and academically to get the best out of their college experience."
46 Scarsdale High School Students Recognized for Achievements at Awards Ceremony
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Scarsdale High School hosted their Academic Awards Ceremony on Wednesday May 13 to honor those students who attained academic and community service excellence over the past year at the High School, or over their four year High School careers. Parents, teachers, friends and community members gathered in the auditorium to honor 46 students, all juniors and seniors.
The night began with the science awards, the first was the New York Science Supervisors Association Awards presented to the top students in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The Biology award went to Senior Adina Estrin, a top student in the Advanced Topics Biology program. The Chemistry award went to Senior Henry Kline, who studied Advanced Topics Chemistry this year after doing very well in Chemistry as a sophomore. The Physics award went to Danielle Ezratty, who excelled in both Advanced Topics Physics and junior year Physics with teacher Michael Egan. Following the New York Science Supervisors Association awards, Science Teacher Joseph Vaughan presented the Bausch and Lomb award. This award went to junior Han(Cherie) Xu, who ended the night with three awards, including one in the English Department, and another for overall excellence. The next award given by Mr. Vaughan was the Science Achievement award for academic achievement in the sciences, which went to Senior Geoffrey Fitzgerald. Senior Samuel Koslowsky received the Science Department award, for his excellence in overall science and his Science Research project, his first of two awards on the night.
English Department Chair Ms. Ann Liptak presented the Harvard University, Brown University, and Princeton University Awards, followed by the Audrey McGinn Creative Writing award. Han (Cherie) Xu received the Harvard University award first, her second of the night. Juniors Elliot Klein and Samuel Goldman received the Yale and Brown University awards respectively for their writing skills and their appetite for books and novels. Senior Kara Schechtman was the recipient of the Princeton English Excellence award, for her superior writing skills. Fellow Senior Anil Sindhwani received the Audrey McGinn Creative Writing Award for his remarkable skills in poetry and creative writing, producing characters that are witty and deep. Following Ms. Liptak's presentation, Ms. Linda Leavitt, Editor of the Scarsdale Inquirer presented The Scarsdale Inquirer Award to co-winners Ali Bauersfeld and Jake Abrahams, for their coverage of various local sports teams over the past year.
The Social Studies awards were announced by Mr. John Harrison, 
Chair of the Social Studies Department. Junior Alexa Miller won the Social Studies Achievement Award for her excellence in the Social Studies department. Senior Yunchao Le took home the Social Studies Excellence award, cited for his exceptional work ethic and his leadership skills. The final Social Studies award, the Social Studies faculty award went to senior Rahul Gosain, for his extraordinary contributions to the social studies department, and his calm, thoughtful, and humble attitude.
Chair of the World Language Department Ms. Sylvie Corten presented the World Languages award, partially speaking about each winner in his or her chosen language of study. Senior Jonny Dorf won the faculty's Spanish Language award, for his exceptional Spanish language skills, both written and spoken. Koji Shiromoto won the French Language award, cited as being someone whose spoken French sounds like music. Koji also received the Eric Rothschild scholarship later on in the evening. The Latin award went to Aaron J. Hallac, for his four years of dedicated study of the language, and excellence studying it. Amy Saslekova won the Mandarin award for her excellence in the language, and also received an award later from the Counseling Department. Matthew Mandel won the World Languages Department award for his phenomenal language skills, and for his renowned status as a polyglot; one who can speak more than three languages, for his knowledge in Mandarin, French, Spanish, and of course English. Finally, Constance Lam won the Dartmouth College award for her excellent language skills.
The next category of awards was more miscellaneous, with the Scarsdale Rotary Club, MSG Varsity, Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce, and other community organizations presenting awards. The Scarsdale Rotary Community Service Recognition awards went to two students; seniors Robert Lee and Maggie O'Keefe, for their community service efforts. Jared Fischer, organizer of a biking club at Scarsdale High School won the MSG Varsity Award for his efforts with the biking program at Scarsdale. Samuel Koslowsky won his second award of the night, the Technical Service Award, for his commitment to the Scarsdale Audio and Video program, and his work with the community. Next was the Casey Ferrone Memorial award, given to a student who plans to study education. This year's winner was Carly Kahan, who has devoted many years of high school to babysitting and working with children. Mr. Jason Wilson of the Chamber of Commerce presented Connor McCarthy with the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce award, wishing him success in the future.
The Performing Arts awards were given to top musical and theater students. Will Ashman received the Band Award, for his dedication to the trumpet and the Scarsdale Band. Cailey Martin received the Chorus award for her dedication to the Scarsdale choir, despite her status as a world-renowned singer. Talia Schulman received the Orchestra award for her devotion to the cello and the Scarsdale Orchestra. The Sidney R. Case Memorial Scholarship went to Caroline Teicher for her musical skill, mastering several instruments, including the Piano and the Clarinet. India Stachyra won the Friends of Music and Art Drama award for her work with the Drama club and devotion to theater.
Art program awards went to Eliot Sernau, who won the Friends of Music and Art Permanent Collection Award, for his transformation of music into artwork, and will have his art forever on display at the school. Elizabeth Goldstein won the Excellence in Visual Art 2D award for her work with Visual 2D art, creating spectacular drawings for all of her four years. Yunchao Le won his second award, the Excellence in Visual Art 3D for his work with sculptures, some of which were on display in a show in Katonah, New York. Two seniors, Elizabeth Hansen and Bridget Horwood were awarded the Media Award, for their fantastic photos of their friends and other visual masterpieces. Sabrian Kaune won the Elisa Draper Art History Award, for her quick development into an excellent student of art history.
The penultimate group of awards was for the Mathematics department, and began with the Rensselaer Mathematics and Science Award, given to Harry Chalfin for his work in both the math and science fields. The Math Faculty award followed, given to Rebbecca Agustin, for her work at the highest math levels in the school, as both a student and Teacher's Assistant.
The final awards were those of supreme excellence and merit, given for the overall quality of work of the student, or the overall quality of the student. The Wellesley Book Award went to Junior Stephanie Strek, for her top quality work in the school. Amy Saslekova won her second award of thenight: the Counseling Department award, for her complete immersion in the Scarsdale community. The Junior Scholarship/Service award went to Charles Musoff, for his work in community service as a junior. Han (Cherie) Xu won her third award, the Junior Academic Excellence award, for her superior academic work over her junior year. The Halliday Clark Sr. Memorial Award went to senior Adrienne Travis, for her work in and out of school as a star student and tennis player. The Scarsdale Alumni Eric Rothschild Scholarship became Koji Shiromoto's second award of the evening, which he received for his total excellence in everything he does. The Michael V. McGill Book award is given to a student who represents the school motto "Non Sibi", or "Not for Self." This year, the award was a book, The Boys in the Boat picked out by Mr. McGill, and given to Nakul Garg, whose work with the Edward Williams Club tutoring young students in Mount Vernon defined Non Sibi. The Billy Safian Humanitarian Award given in honor of former Scarsdale student Billy Safian was awarded to Kate Schnitzer, for her work with various clubs and organizations helping those less fortunate, especially the homeless. Lindsay Kim won the Scarsdale Foundation Award, for her excellence in Scarsdale. The final award of the night was given to former SHS President Amanda Shuster, for her dedication to Scarsdale and her role as a model Scarsdale Student.
Full Video of the event can be found here.
Note: Scarsdale10583 would have liked to include more photos of the award winners, but the Scarsdale Inquirer prevented us from taking photos at the event.
Mayor Says "Bonding for Road Repair is a Pothole, if not a Sinkhole"
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Does the Village need more than the annual budget allocation of $1.3 million to repair roadways and should they issue bonds to finance the work? Mayor Jon Mark addressed this question at the Village Board meeting on Tuesday night April 28, prompted by Bob Harrison's call to replace 15-20 miles of Scarsdale's 79 miles of roads using debt financing.
Mark explained that $525,000 of the $1.3 million for road repairs in the 2014-15 budget has yet to be spent and will be used to patch and replace roads in the next few months. Another $925,000 will be available in the 2015-16 budget, and if that's not sufficient he said that the Board would analyze priorities and find ways to make additional funds available.
He said that "bonding for road repairs is not considered prudent fiscal management" and argued that if the Village borrowed money they would need to budget to repay the borrowed funds over many years, affecting their ability to keep the budget under the tax cap. Saying, "don't borrow long to solve a short term problem" he called road repair "a hardy perennial that is bound to reappear."
To those who suggested that each resident be levied a $100 fee to fund road repairs he answered that the NYS Taxing Authority does not permit the Village to impose this tax.
He answered critics who wanted to know why the Village would borrow for the library improvement project and not to repair the roads... saying, "Because a building remains for years." To others who asked him why he was "comfortable spending money for the revaluation and not road repair," he said, "The reval will pay dividends in the years to come with an updated database. This is a long term benefit in contrast to the short term benefit of road repair."
He explained that road repair is a seasonal business that has to be done when the temperature was above 40 degrees. Asphalt plants close in the winter so the Village has to wait to purchase asphalt until the spring. The Department of Public Works has already filled 1,800 potholes and it will take another month to fill another 1,800. In addition, contractors have been hired by the Village to do more extensive roadwork. In the meantime, he urged drivers to drive sensibly.
He concluded by saying that "Bonding for road repair is a pothole if not a sinkhole."
Story Project Celebration at Scarsdale Library
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The Scarsdale Library hosted a celebration of their Story Project on Thursday April 30, and a diverse group of residents turned out to view their neighbors' stories of how the library has impacted their lives. The framed presentations include a description of the individual experiences of current and former residents as well as a photo of each writer. The exhibits are now on view in the Scott Room of the library and the public is encouraged to stop by and take a look.
The project was inspired by a similar undertaking at the Rye Y where their "Voices from the Community" project has become an annual event. The program began there in the fall of 2012, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Rye Y members, staff and volunteers shared personal stories that brought them to the Y including the successes and challenges encountered on the road to healthy living. The program proved to build a sense of community at the Y and has continued for three years. Scarsdale's Lisa Tidball works at the Rye Y and was on hand at the Scarsdale Library to view the exhibit.
The reception in Scarsdale kicked off a major initiative for a $12 million renovation to the Scarsdale library that will bring advances in its technological capacity, provide meeting spaces for community gatherings and update the library to meet the future needs of Scarsdale.
Meet Acting Village Justice Jack Alemany
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Scarsdale's Jack Alemany was recently named Acting Village Justice in Scarsdale, replacing Arlene Katz who was elected to Family Court. Alemany, his wife Ellen and their children have lived in town on and off for 25 years. Here's an interview with the new justice who you may meet in Village Court.
Tell us about your professional background
I started my career as an attorney in 1983 as a Prosecutor with the Bronx District Attorney's Office. I then went to the Securities and Exchange Commission (NY Regional Office), where I worked in the Division of Enforcement (1987-1989). In 1989 left the SEC and started a firm with a couple of former colleagues from the Bronx District Attorney's office. We had an office on Brook Street, Scarsdale. During that time I was appointed to be the Acting Village Justice of Sleepy Hollow (1997-1999), and as an Administrative Law Judge with the Westchester County Taxi and Limousine Commission. In 1999, Ellen was transferred to London, and in 2000 the children and I joined her. We all returned to Scarsdale in 2001, and I rejoined one of my former partners. We moved our office to Bronx County, where we've been ever since. I also served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Westchester County Human Rights Commission (2006-2010).
Why did you decide to become a judge?
I have always wanted to be a judge. I have always had a sense and appreciation for justice, fairness and due process.
What's the process for applying to be a judge in Scarsdale?
I'm not really certain what the exact process is; I can only relate what I went through. The Mayor and/or the Village Attorney would know the exact process.
I read a notice posted in the newspaper. I sent my resume to the "Judicial Qualifications Advisory Committee, as per the notice. The Committee reviewed the resumes, interviewed and rated candidates and reported to the Mayor. The Mayor then interviewed candidates. I then interviewed with the Mayor and the Board. (I interviewed with the Committee, then the Mayor and a Trustee, then the Mayor and the Board).
How long is your term?
The term for Acting Village Justice in Scarsdale is 1 year. I was appointed to complete Judge Arlene Katz's term. Judge Katz was elected (in November 2014) to Family Court, commencing January 1, 2015. The Village Board of Trustees has re-appointed me as Acting Village Justice until April 4, 2016.
How many justices are there?
There are 2, the Village Justice and the Acting Village Justice.
What did you have to do to prepare for the position?
Courtroom and trial experience are extremely important along with a knowledge of the law and the rules of evidence. I have spent almost all of my career in a court room, before many different judges, dealing with many different types of criminal and civil matters, in trials, hearings and motion practice. Valuable knowledge, perspective and comfort comes from this experience. Also, having prosecuted cases, defended cases and adjudicated cases gives me insight on how all parties in an action may approach a case.
What are the hours? How many times a week on average do you expect to be called in at night?
Court is in session every Wednesday. Traffic and parking summonses are answerable at 9:00 A.M., the Criminal Calendar is called beginning at 9:30 A.M. and traffic trials are held from 1:00 until 5:00 P.M.
Small Claims trials are generally scheduled for the second Thursday of each month. Extra criminal, civil and traffic trial days are scheduled as needed.
Why do justices have to go in at night? Why can't the cases be dealt with during usual business hours?
When someone is arrested there is a legal requirement to have the individual arraigned as soon as possible. At the arraignment, among other things, the person is formally charged, given legal notices, informed of their rights, and they are either released on their own recognizance, remanded without bail, or bail is set.
Do you have any suggestions for residents to help them avoid a court appearance? i.e. Common mistakes/misunderstandings that lead to trouble?
Generally, Scarsdalians are a law abiding people. So far, most of the serious cases I see in court concern non-residents.
How long have you lived in Scarsdale?
Ellen and I have lived in Scarsdale approximately 25 years.
What do you like about living here?
I love living in Scarsdale. It is a great community where people are concerned with family, education, public service and being good citizens. We are all very fortunate to live in Scarsdale.
