Kudos for Thirteen Retiring Staffers from the Scarsdale Schools
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13 members of the Scarsdale School faculty with a collective total of over 300 years of service in the schools were recognized at a ceremony prior to the Board of Education meeting on June 10, 2024.
Superintendent Drew Patrick thanked the retiring staffers for all of their “distinctive contributions,” and wished them joy and happiness in their next chapters.
Megan Troy, in her first year as Assistant Superintendent, lauded each one,and, for the first year, rather than receiving a rose, they each received a copy of “Because I Had a Teacher,” by Kobi Yamada.
Troy shared this text from the book which she said, “puts into words the many impacts these impressive people have had on their students.”
Because I had a teacher, I love to learn.
I discovered that I can do much more than I thought I could.
I realized it’s okay when some things are harder than others.
I found that challenges can be fun.
Because I had a teacher, I discovered that there are lots of ways of being smart. And I know that mistakes are just part of getting something right.
I realized that some of the hardest things for me to do make me feel the proudest. Because I had a teacher, I know how good it feels when someone is happy to see me.
I know that I can always ask for help.
I feel like I have a friend on my side.
I see that some of the most important things are said without words.
Because I had a teacher, I have whole new worlds to explore.
I discovered that what I can imagine, I can make real.
And now I feel like I can do anything. Because I had you, I learned to believe in me.
She then recognized the following who are retiring at the end of this school year:
I see all of our retirees in the pages of this book. Heathcote music teacher, Katherine Bescherer, has taught our students to love learning through her creative and active-based approaches to instruction and learning. She encourages all of her students to embrace the musical and creative side of themselves.
For many students, Fox Meadow music teacher, Barbara Laman, has shown them that they can do more than they thought they could. Her skill in creating harmony among a crowd of 95 students shows that it can be done. Her skill in helping a student see themselves as a musician at a young age is a gift they will cherish.
In teaching math to our high school students, Shelia Chason has shown them that some problems will be harder to solve than others and that is ok. She challenges them with supports in place so that they find success. They know that the challenge is part of the learning journey.
Bob Draper has challenged his students in his high school physics class and even shown them that those challenges can be fun to solve. His approach to teaching the whole child supports them in these challenges along the way.
Elementary band teacher, Connie Leviatin, has shown our students that there are many different ways to be smart. Some of the students who struggled in learning math and reading, found success in her music class and realized they were smart in a different way.
Middle School English teacher, Lisa Bryan helped students realize that the mistakes they make in writing are just part of the pathway. Her instruction of the editing process helped them reach this understanding and grow as writers.
Middle school technology teacher, Andy Verboys, has shown students that sometimes successfully completing the hardest task makes a student the most proud. In his technology class, this could be using a screwdriver for the first time or as a football coach, taking on the toughest opponent with courage.
In the classroom and on the sideline of athletic fields, high school special education teacher and assistant athletic director, Joe De Crescenzo shared his happiness with each student who walked into his classroom or onto the field. For many of his students, school brought more challenges than others and he shared a warmth that gave them the support to tackle challenging work.
As an LRC teacher at SMS, Yury Buckler, has always been someone a student can go to for help or assistance. Her colleagues feel the same way as she has mentored and supported many teachers, both new and veteran.
Students know they have someone on their side in the caring and supportive role Jen Batterman has played as psychologist at Fox Meadow. Her student centered approach allows her students to seek her out and lean on her for assistance when needed.
Fox Meadow elementary teacher Beth Kaplan has proven that you can say so many important things without words and she usually uses her bright smile to communicate to students and colleagues that she is happy to be there and enjoys being in their presence.
As a social studies teacher at SMS, Adam Nichols has shown his students that there are worlds beyond Scarsdale to explore including the many ancient cultures that can still teach us something about the world we live in today.
And, finally, Peter McKenna has shown students that if they imagine it, it can become real. From the creation of makerspaces to the Fox Meadow news program to creative technology uses, students use their minds to consider what is next and what could be.
All of you have empowered students to feel like they can do anything and all of you have helped students to believe in themselves. Thank you for your years of service and the care you have provided to our students, their families and your colleagues. You will be missed by all who crossed your paths."
Superintendent Announces Leadership Changes for Athletics, Physical Education and Health
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(The following was sent to the school community by Superintendent Drew Patrick on Thursday June 6, 2024.)
Cindy Parrott will be the new Athletic Director at SHSDear Scarsdale Community,
I am writing to share some important information with you regarding the leadership and organization of our Athletics, Physical Education, and Health departments. As many of you know, the Athletics program has grown significantly in recent years with added programs and teams. This year, we added a second part time Assistant Athletic Director to better support this growth, and also tasked SHS Assistant Principal Chris Welsh with providing some additional administrative support. This gave us valuable insight into the needs of the program, but with the impending departures of both Joe DeCrescenzo (for a well-deserved retirement) and Chris Welsh (for an equally well-deserved move to Eastchester High School as Principal), we find ourselves at a crossroads. Thus, we have made the decision to narrow the scope of Ray Pappalardi’s position to focus exclusively on Physical Education and Health, and I am recommending Cindy Parrott to serve full time as Athletic Director, focused exclusively on that program. Jeff Weigel will serve as the sole High School Assistant Athletic Director for the coming year as well, with Kevin Roemer continuing in his role at SMS.
For those of you who don’t know Cindy, she has taught at Scarsdale Middle School since 2003, and has successfully led both the Middle School Math Department and the CHOICE program for much of that time. She has also been a coach, is an athlete herself, and is the parent of an NCAA athlete. Cindy is excited for the chance to lead the Athletics program and build upon the historic successes our student athletes have had during the 2023-24 school year. I ask that you join me in congratulating Cindy, who will be officially appointed to the role at the June 10, 2024, Board of Education meeting. I also extend my gratitude to Ray Pappalardi for his many contributions to the Athletic program over the past nine years, especially the advocacy and leadership that led to the expansion of teams and opportunities for our students. I know he will continue to lead the Physical Education and Health programs successfully, keeping students at the center.
Please note that the process is already underway to identify Cindy’s successors in CHOICE and the Math department, and we look forward to a successful conclusion of those searches with appointments and announcements in the very near future.
Finally, I want to remind our rising 9th graders, returning high school students, and families that the Fall Athletics Information meeting is scheduled to take place at 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 13, in the Scarsdale High School Auditorium. Both Ray and Cindy will be there, along with coaches, to provide important information about the Fall season. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone contemplating trying out for a Fall sport to meet the coaches and fellow athletes!
Sincerely,
Drew
Students Demonstrate Generosity, Responsibility and Empathy on Non Sibi Day at SHS
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Sophie Kushnick and Emma Kornfeld leaders of: A Refugee's Journey: Interactive Games and Making CardsWith the year winding down, the weather warming up, and students already looking forward to a long Memorial Day Weekend, Scarsdale High School kept their students attentive and engaged by letting them take the helm of teaching classes and leading activities for a special day of learning. In what has become a beloved tradition, SHS held its third annual Non Sibi Day on Friday May 24th, and the thoughtful activities, largely led by student volunteers, were nothing short of incredible. As Assistant Principal of Student Life Andrea O’ Gorman describes,
The Healing Tree“Non Sibi Day represents some of what I find most special about the Scarsdale High School community - faculty members seeking innovative ways to bring the spirit of our school motto to our students in tangible, meaningful ways. Students design and lead sessions around topics of importance to them, then engage with others to learn something new or give something back to the community around them. The workshops are thoughtful, creative and fun…A highlight of Non Sibi Day is that students choose their own workshops to attend. In this way, students are given the agency to spend the day learning about topics of interest or engaging in activities that move or inspire them.”
Drawing upon our District’s motto of Non Sibi, “Not for one’s self alone,” students organized and took part in a wide variety of sessions that promoted generosity, responsibility, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the world around us. With over eighty sessions to choose from, students had no trouble finding a topic that piqued their interests and sparked their passions. Some of the sessions included activities like packing backpacks for El Centro Hispano, making Operation Smile care bags, an introduction to American Sign Language, a brook clean up, and a class called Discovering Your Unique Passion: Adding Value to Your Community, just to name a few.
In one session led by the Habitat for Humanity Club’s officers Lily Gordon and Samuel Smith, students learned about homelessness and food insecurity in Westchester and helped to make sandwiches for Mt. Vernon Soup Kitchen. With 1 in 5 people in Westchester County facing food insecurity, Lily Gordan encourages students to get involved with clubs like Habitat for Humanity because, “It is important to give back to others and in the H4H Club, we do our best to give back, feed people, and build homes…we help in a variety of impactful ways.”
Samuel Smith, along with Zack Grossberg, is also one of this year’s presidents of the Hospital Club. The dynamic duo gave an inspiring presentation before teaching their peers how to make origami hearts to help lift the spirits of the White Plains Hospital Community. Smith said he is so involved with volunteer work because it feels important for him to give back to the community and to try to make an impact in meaningful and special ways.
Zack Grossberg and Sam Smith teaching a class and making origami hearts for the White Plains Hospital community.In another session, Hannah Khang and Lindsey Frank taught their peers about Gigi’s Playhouse, an organization that provides free educational, therapeutic-based, and career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and the community. Together with their peers, Khang and Frank made bracelets with uplifting words on them to help bring kindness and joy to the Gigi’s Playhouse Community. The young ladies were motivated to organize this class because they felt it is important to create more awareness about Down syndrome and to create something that would hopefully brighten someone’s day and bring a smile to their face.
Coach Synoweiz, Ali Greco, Ursula Paquin, Chloe Paquin and Ian DiLorenzo making bracelets for Able Athletics Ali Greco, Ursula Paquin, Ian DiLorenzo, and Chloe Paquin also made bracelets with their peers, but for an organization called Able Athletics which provides inclusive sports opportunities for children with different abilities. In addition to making bracelets with empowering words like, Strength, Power, and Love, the organizers of the session also volunteer their time with Able Athletics helping to run drills and practice at various clinics.
SHS Principal Ken Banamo explained that, “We usually have a half day on the Friday before Memorial Day, so we had to expand our programming to accommodate a full school day. In addition, we conducted a common period of community time in the morning for outdoor activities as well as a common lunch period for all students to maximize the impact of the community feeling for our students.” And the common periods seemed to achieve just that…a strong sense of community was felt as faculty and students alike gathered outside to enjoy the beautiful, spring weather. Some just mingled and chatted while others played frisbee on the lawn, but all seemed refreshed and ready to partake in more Non Sibi learning.
Sam Kofman Organizer of the Environmental Justice: How to Lobby and Postcard WritingAfter the break, and in an effort to raise awareness about the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice For All Act, Sam Kofman led a session where he educated his peers about the act, which among other things, seeks to expand Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to prohibit federally funded programs, practices, or activities from causing disparate impacts on the basis of race, color, or national origin. After detailing the importance of the act, Kofman led his peers in a postcard writing campaign imploring our state senators to support the bill.
It’s not often that we stop to think about how society and media shapes our ideas about gender, but in a session led by Gender in Politics teacher Patrick Healey, students were challenged to do just that. Students in this session moved through three different “stations” and at station one, students played a game from the 1980’s called “Heartthrob” to compare the gender norms from thirty years ago to what we know today. At another station students played a kahoot game to help them recognize just how recently many of the rights of LGBTQ+ have come into existence. At the third station students watched clips of different movies like Barbie to examine how television and movies help to shape gender expectations in our society.
When asked why she thought a class like Gender in Politics is important, Tessa Leroy said, “Half of the world is female and we need to talk about how women have shaped politics, and to teach young girls what women before us have done to promote our rights and what it took to get here.” Ava Feldman added that in the wake of “Roe V. Wade being overturned and multiple states banning trans rights, it is important that we continue to have respectful discussions about these issues.” She believes “It is good to have multiple perspectives and to understand the other side even if you don’t support them.” Ethan Im also chimed in and said that “classes that explore gender in society are important because it calls for responsible discussion about topics that are often made fun of and ridiculed especially for young men. But a class like this, makes it so a multitude of different ideas are reflected on.”
Alexandra Israel, Isabella Lu, Coby Cukierman with Guiding Eyes for the BlindIn another session, Isabella Lu, Coby Cukierman, and Alexandra Israel introduced students to Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss. Two dogs who were nurtured and trained from birth to age two, were on hand to show off their impressive guide skills. The student organizers felt it was important for their peers to learn about all the terrific work Guiding Eyes does in hopes that more people will want to get involved. Club Officers are Isabella Lu, Alexandra Israel, Alexa Litofsky, Jennifer Schwartz, Kara Chan, and Walker Lewis and members who presented throughout the day were Coby Cukierman, Jennifer Schwartz, Isabella Lu, Alexandra Israel, Alexa Litofsky, Krishaana Rajagopalan, Kara Chan, and Walker Lewis.
Junior Edie Chow described the Positive Psychology class she helped to lead as having different stations and each station taught characteristics that increase happiness and quality of life. Students rotated between stations and engaged in activities to learn about their personal character strengths (e.g resilience, growth mindset).
In addition to these highlighted sessions, there were dozens of other amazing classes thoughtfully organized by caring students and teachers. And as Mr. Bonamo explained, some activities even included , “field trips to the middle school and some of the elementary schools that allowed our students to partner with their younger peers to explore the idea of Non Sibi through different activities and perspectives, such as baking for Meals on Wheels and creating public-service announcements promoting community service.”
Scarsdale residents know what a terrific job our schools do preparing graduates to be thoughtful, productive citizens, but a day like Non Sibi Day at SHS is a shining example of just how exceptional our schools and students are. The day of student-led, experiential learning wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all the SHS teachers and especially the Non Sibi Day Committee Chairs Ethan Paul and Kimberly Summerfield, who did the vast majority of the planning, organizing, and communicating, working closely with Anie O'Gorman in her role as Assistant Principal for Student Life.
Scarsdale 2024-25 School Budget Passes With a 67.98% Approval Rate
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Administrators and Board Members gathered for the vote results on Tuesday night at Scarsdale Middle School.When the voting ended and the doors closed in the Scarsdale Middle School Gym at 9 pm on Tuesday May 21, no one was making any assumptions about the outcome of the 2024-25 school budget vote. Voter turnout had been strong, but it was hard to speculate whether the increase in turnout indicated strong support for the $184.9mm budget or opposition to it. The 4.45% increase from the 2023-24 budget exceeded the tax cap and would require a 60% approval rate to pass.
Leah Dembitzer and James Dugan were elected to serve on the Scarsdale School Board.
Gathered in the gym were the district administration, the current school board, two candidates for election, the district clerk and Diane Baylor who was appointed to oversee the election.
Though the number of voters was higher than usual, the process had gone smoothly. Poll workers were outfitted with IPads that allowed quick voter look-up and speeded the process along.
After about a half hour, District Clerk Honore Adams and Diane Baylor were ready to announce the results and it turned out to be a close call:
There were 1,185 yes votes, 558 no votes for a total of 1,743 votes and the budget passed with a 67.98% approval rate. It was a narrow victory for the district, exceeding the 60% threshold by just 140 yes votes. The number of voters this year far exceeded last year when only 646 voters turned out. The 558 “no” votes this year was close to the total vote count in prior years.
James Dugan, who was running for a second three-year term received 1,420 votes.
Leah Dembitzer, the current President of the PTC who was running for a first term on the board, received 1,441 votes.
There were 98 write-in votes.
See the historic counts below:
Commenting on the outcome, Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Drew Patrick said, “We are extremely grateful for the strong community support of our students through the adoption of this budget. Our goal from the beginning was to put forth a budget that meets the needs of our students while being mindful of the community’s ability to support the budget. We had to make hard choices, but in the end, this budget will help us to continue providing the exceptional educational experiences that are a hallmark of the Scarsdale Schools as we embark on our new strategic plan.”
Drew Patrick, Eric Rauschenbach, Meghan Troy, Edgar McIntosh and Andrew Lennon
School Board President Ron Schulhof said, “On behalf of the Board, thank you to the community for your support of our schools and our students. I would also like to thank District Clerk Honoré Adams, Chair Diane Baylor and all of the poll workers who volunteered their time. Congratulations to Jim on his re-election and Leah on her election to the School Board.”
Though there was no organized opposition to the budget this year, the focus on the tax cap may have driven “no” voters. Schulhof pointed out that about 20 districts in Westchester budgeted exactly to their cap, to the decimal, as an indication that there appears to be too much focus on an arbitrary state imposed number rather than focusing on educational priorities. He was grateful that the Scarsdale community chose to continue to underwrite the educational program rather than be handcuffed by an arbitrary budget number that would require the district to compromise on teaching, learning, student support or facilities. Rye and Harrison also passed budgets above their cap.
Diane Baylor and Honore Adams prepare to announce the vote.
Ron Schulhof and Leah Dembitzer
Assistant Superintendent Meghan Troy and Bob Klein
Jessica Resnick-Ault, Amber Yusuf and Colleen Brown
Scarsdale School Board Encourages You to Vote on Tuesday May 21
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(This letter was submitted by the Scarsdale Board of Education: Pictured above)
Dear Scarsdale School Community:
The Scarsdale Board of Education is pleased to present the proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year. The vote for the 2024-25 budget will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 AM - 9 PM. Parking is available throughout the day at the lower circle, reached from the school driveway on Kelwynne Road.
The proposed budget is the culmination of a thoughtful and collaborative process, led by the Administration and Board. Deliberations and decisions by the Board were guided by a focus on students and with thoughtful input from the school community, including principals, teachers, students, parents, residents, and community groups.
We believe this budget reflects prudent fiscal management while continuing our focus on providing an educational experience that reflects our community’s core values and prepares our students to succeed and thrive.
Budget Accomplishments
The proposed budget preserves our tradition of excellence in teaching and learning while expanding programming based on student and parent feedback and addressing important safety and capital needs:
● New STEAM Courses: Scarsdale High School will introduce two new STEAM courses - Financial Literacy and an advanced calculus course.
● Special Education: Continuum of Services & CSE Process Improvements: Expansion of integrated co-teaching (ICT) into 7th grade and an additional administrator position to improve CSE and related student and family functions.
● Addressing Flooding and Stormwater: Major rehabilitation of Brewster Road stream to address flooding.
● Safety and Security Improvements: Installation of door-ajar sensors for high-priority locations throughout the district and a new emergency communication platform.
● New Website and Communication System: The website and mass communication system will be fully replaced and upgraded to provide a better experience for our students, parents, faculty, and community.
Budget Process and Community Engagement
This year’s budget was especially challenging, given the desire to continue and expand our educational programming while managing many fiscal headwinds. The Board’s budget process began, as in past years, with a public listening session for the community to share their budget priorities for the upcoming school year. Details of the budget were presented and discussed at Board meetings throughout January, February, and March. Throughout these discussions, the community provided thoughtful feedback which helped inform items that were added to the budget as well as areas where reductions were made.
Public Vote on the Budget
The vote for the 2024-25 budget will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Scarsdale Middle School from 7 AM - 9 PM. The projected tax levy is 4.45%, which requires a 60% voter approval. This levy equates to a $1,060 increase for the median assessed home in Scarsdale, which is $187 more than the tax cap. For homes in Mamaroneck, the median assessed home would see a reduction of $2,355 in their tax levy, which is $203 more than the tax cap.
Whichever way you vote, participation is an important way to show your involvement in our schools.
Sincerely,
The Scarsdale Board of Education
Ron Schulhof, President
Suzie Hahn, Vice-President
Colleen Brown
James Dugan
Robert Klein
Jessica Resnick-Ault
Amber Yusuf
