A Day of Experiential Learning and Hands-on Service at SHS

Drawing upon the District’s motto of Non Sibi, “Not for one’s self alone,” on Friday May 24th Scarsdale High School celebrated its fourth annual “Non Sibi Day” where students organize and take part in a wide variety of sessions that promote generosity, responsibility, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the world around us.

With over fifty sessions to choose from, students had no trouble finding a variety of topics that piqued their interests and sparked their passions. Some of the sessions included activities like Bracelet Making for Kids with Cancer at Sunrise Israel, Bronx River Path Brook Cleanup, Making Sandwiches with Habitat for Humanity Club, Making Toiletry Bags for the Homeless, Narcan Awareness and Response Training, Origami Making for a Children’s Hospital, Solve the Conflict and Escape the Room, just to name a few.

Deepening the sense of responsibility, many of the classes and activities were designed, organized, and led by SHS students. While some sessions hosted a guest speaker, other lessons were taught by students themselves who shared information about their topics through thoughtfully prepared slideshows and presentations.

In one incredibly poignant session the SHS STAY (Students Take Action for Youth) Club invited Lauren Johnson, an addiction professional with Somers Partners in Prevention, who delivered a Narcan Training and taught students how to respond in a potential overdose situation. This valuable and potentially life-saving training (organized by STAY Club chairs Nell Rompala, Zoe Kofman and Jasleen Virk) helped to increase awareness and knowledge around overdose recognition and to empower students to act in emergencies.

Rompala explained that in addition to learning the life-saving steps to take in recognizing and responding to an opioid overdose, students learned about the Good Samaritan Law and received a free Narcan Kit.

In another productive session, president of the Breast Cancer Awareness Club Siri Polepalle, helped to organize a bracelet making activity for patients at White Plains Hospital. In addition to creating uplifting bracelets, Polepalle and her co-chairs Maya O'Doherty, Maya Kossakowski, Martin Cengotitabengoa, Nico Brenner also shared important information about breast cancer.

Freshman Mira Hole led a “Donut Decorating” activity where students learned about the important work of Scarsdale’s First Responders and decorated 120 donuts that were later delivered to the fire and police station. Hole explained that she has been researching this topic for another class and felt compelled to find a way to spread awareness and express her gratitude.

Sophomores Maya Glaser and Laela Belleu organized a “Cupcake Decorating for Sanctuary Families” activity. The cupcakes decorated by students in these sessions were then sold during the Community Hour with all proceeds donated to Sanctuary for Families, a non-profit organization. Belleu said, "We chose Sanctuary for Families because my mom worked there for many years and so through the years, I have been able to observe first hand the impact this organization has, and I wanted to contribute to their efforts".

At the “Inside 9/11: A Firefighter's Experience” session, SHS student Liam Maor invited Scarsdale Fire Chief Mytych and Firefighter Capobianco to help spread awareness and share personal stories about the impact of 9/11. Maor explained, "I was scrolling through 9/11 pictures and articles one day and was really reminded of the impact of 9/11. My peers and I weren't alive when it happened, and there can be a sense of detachment since we didn't live through it. I wanted to find a way to reignite my generation's connection with the event. So I decided to do something to honor the first responders and especially honor Mr. Capobianco’s extraordinary and inspirational story."

Gabriel Greene, one of the founders of the SHS Israel Culture Club, helped to organize, “The Empty Shabbat Table: An Art Installation Honoring the 59 Hostages and Taking Action” a session that aimed to raise awareness about the 59 people who are still hostages - 4 who are American. "We want to help bring these hostages home and also honor those who are not with us.” In an effort to support bringing the hostages home, Greene along with other members of the club including Sophia Kahan, Scarlett Dorr, Eli Zargari, Coby Cukierman, Max Gasthalter also sold student-made bracelets and other jewelry during Community Hour.

The co-chairs of the Mental Health Awareness Club, Ellie Greenspan, Emma Florence, and Stacey Liew organized a session where students made dog toys for the therapy dogs that regularly visit SHS to help with stress and mental health. The co-chairs related, “We love this activity and working with the therapy dogs because we feel like we are making a real difference in our community." Greenspan added, “Non-Sibi Day is a great day for our community to come together and connect in a way that isn’t stressful and just centered around academics, but rather on doing good and giving back to others.”

In the “Bracelets for Pediatric Cancer Patients,” sophomores Kaoruko Daito and Isabel Lin led two sessions of bracelet making for pediatric cancer patients at New York Proton Center.

As has been the tradition in years past, the common Community Hour allowed students to unwind and connect with friends while playing games like Chess, Apples to Apples, and even Ping Pong. Outside, students took part in rousing games of Can Jam, Spike Ball, and Corn Hole. In addition to these fun ways to connect with their peers, this year student clubs also sold snacks and goods in an effort to raise money in support of organizations like Pleasantville Cottages, The Weinberg Nature Center, Able Athletics and so many more.

While these are only a few of the highlights from the dozens of incredible sessions, the day also included activities like field trips to nearby elementary schools and sessions with topics such as Self Defense, Shaping Scarsdale's AI Policy, Seizure First Aid Training, Making Cards for Support Staff and many more.

It should be mentioned that this remarkable day of experiential learning and hands-on service, couldn’t have happened without the support and planning of the Non-Sibi Day Committee which included Ethan Paul, Kimberly Summerfield, Kevin Anton, Robin Bray, John Catania, Dina Dadabo, Amanda Rios-Thomas, Jessie Towle, and Danny Zeliger. This team of caring faculty members truly demonstrated the day’s theme of empathy, agency, and action.