Scarsdale Celebrates the Year of the Snake
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Two lively celebrations for the Year of the Snake were held by the Scarsdale Chinese Association at Scarsdale Congregational Church on February 1, 2025. 350 people showed up at two sessions to enjoy traditional Chinese dancing, crafts and Chinese food in a wonderful display of community engagements.
Elaine Wang, President of the Scarsdale Chinese Association said, “As a tradition, authenticate Chinese food was served by a city restaurant; local talented dancers and singers gave a spectacular performance on stage and there were retail booths selling Chinese desserts, pearl jewelries, crafts, books and more.”
The Scarsdale Chinese Association Leadership Team
Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg attended the event and wished the Scarsdale Chinese Community a happy year of the Snake. The whole event was filled with joy and laughter for a happy start to the Chinese Lunar New Year.
SHS Junior Hosts Stop the Bleed Training Program
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Participants learning to use a tourniquet.Many adults in the Scarsdale community have taken a First Aid course or have been trained in the life saving skills of CPR, but how many are prepared to respond to an emergency bleeding situation? Like CPR, there are specific strategies responders can use to help stop bleeding and perhaps, save someone’s life. Unfortunately, few people outside of emergency personnel are taught the steps to take in an emergency bleeding situation. Recently, Scarsdale High School junior, Taryn Casey aimed to change that by hosting a Stop the Bleed training program designed to teach individuals how to act quickly in an emergency situation (and before medical professionals can get involved), where someone is severely bleeding.
Casey partnered with the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corp to provide a course that taught participants emergency bleeding protocol including the steps of applying pressure, packing wounds, and using a tourniquet in cases where pressure is not enough. The amazing trainers, paramedic Jim Gross and EMT Joanne Ornstein, were happy to volunteer their time for the class saying that they, “Feel passionate about teaching people the information and skills that could potentially help save a life.”
Casey believes that learning emergency bleeding protocol is important because bleeding is a leading cause of preventable death and having as many people as possible trained is vital in an emergency circumstance. In emergencies, not everyone will be able to assist, therefore it is essential that more people are trained because intervention can help save a life.
Participants learning how to apply pressure with a bandage.
What’s more Casey shared, “Emergency bleeding situations can occur in all facets of everyday life. Accidents happen. I think it is especially important for people that are involved in youth sports (coaches and parents) to have this sort of training because sports injuries can lead to emergency bleeding.”
When asked what inspired her to organize this sort of training, Casey related, “I have an interest in healthcare education, and I learned that Stop the Bleed training has been optionally provided to teachers in the Scarsdale Schools system. It would be wonderful if this training opportunity spread beyond teachers to other spaces where training would be useful. Also, my brother has played hockey for many years. There have been accidental deaths due to bleeding in the hockey community and I thought that providing training could be a valuable resource to help prevent this as best as possible.”
As a budding medical professional and the older sister to a young hockey player, Casey is passionate about, and personally invested in helping to disseminate this critical, life saving information. She hopes that participants in her “Stop the Bleed” program learned the skills necessary to control bleeding in an emergency situation and that people will feel confident that they can do something when every second counts.
Organizer of the training Taryn Casey with trainers paramedic Jim Gross and EMT Joanne Ornstein. Demonstrating that Casey’s training program did indeed make a lasting impact, one participant shared that she felt galvanized and motivated to create her own “Stop the Bleed” kits. Still others said that they feel empowered by their new knowledge and hope more people attend a training like this. Casey also hopes to host more trainings in the future and would especially like to bring the Stop the Bleed program to Scarsdale High School.
In addition to this incredible Stop the Bleed training, the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corp offers a wide variety of other classes including CPR and EMT training. Check out their website for more information https://www.scarsdalevac.com/
Summer Dreaming at the SHS Summer Activities Fair
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As many parents know, deciding how to keep your children active and engaged during the lazy days of summer can sometimes feel like an overwhelming task. Well PTA volunteer extraordinaires Melissa Eisenberg, Jocelyn Gibian, and Rachel Fingeroot helped to make that decision a whole lot easier when they hosted Scarsdale High School’s annual Summer Activities Fair on January 14th.
As a result of the organizers' terrific effort, this year’s fair had 55 representatives from a wide variety of exciting summer programs including teen travel, pre-college enrichment, community service, internship programs, performing arts, sports, language immersion, outdoor adventure and other specialty camps, all there to discuss their offerings and answer questions from parents and students alike. New this year, the organizers made a concerted effort to invite students from surrounding districts making it a larger, community event.
No matter how old your children, or what kind of activities spark their joy, the Summer’s Activity Fair had something for everyone. A few of the various vendors included:
Adelphi’s Summer Pre-College Program is open to rising sophomores, juniors 
and seniors in high school. Our credit-bearing program allows students to explore an academic area of interest, participate in college preparedness workshops, and discover all that Adelphi University has to offer. Both residential and commuter options are available. Take an amazing class, make new friends, and earn college credits all in our summer program tailored just for you! Learn more
Some of the other Pre-College Programs on hand for the evening included Dartmouth, Purchase, Barnard, University of Michigan, Columbia, and Lehigh just to name a few.
There was no shortage of options for sports enthusiasts with everything from local day camps like Future Stars, to pre-college athlete programs at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. A former SHS alum has even co-founded and runs a speciality tennis program called Atlas Tennis.
Atlas Tennis offers teens the chance to travel through Europe playing tennis, experiencing new cultures, and seeing some of the world’s most iconic sights. Trips are 2-3 weeks, and are designed for all levels, with multiple opportunities to compete in European tournaments. Stops include London (with a day at Wimbledon and a chance to meet some of the pros), Barcelona, Paris, and more. Atlas is run by SHS alum Ben Shapiro and co-founded by four tennis industry leaders, all of whom are experts in college, junior, and professional tennis. Learn more
Athletes and adventurers could also learn more about summer programs like Sababa Beach Camp, Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) Teen Summer Camp, Summer Discovery & Discovery Internships, Sail Caribbean, and ActionQuest.
Considered one of the highlights of the evening, students from School of Rock performed several songs as if they were on stage at the Govenor’s Ball. If you think your kiddo is the next Chris Martin, you might want to check out this local camp and after school program.
School of Rock White Plains’ summer music camps are an excellent way for young musicians to get the revolutionary School of Rock experience. We offer performance camps, artist-themed camps, songwriting and more. There's a camp available for every interest and skill level. Utilizing "METHOD", our patented music education system, students practice in a band and are taught popular songs as a proven way of learning to play music. Our music camps end with an epic, live rock show where you'll see how much they have learned. Start your child's musical journey today! Learn more
Other programs for the creative types included the Music Conservatory of Westchester, University of Michigan, Stamps School of Art & Design, One River Art and so much more.
If global travel and a summer abroad seems intriguing to your teen, then Where There Be Dragons has everything you could be looking for.
Where There Be Dragons was founded in 1993 and runs immersive travel programs in Asia, Latin America and Africa for students aged 15-22. Our unparalleled 2,4 & 6-week summer abroad programs and 3-month Gap year semesters give students the opportunity to travel with intention & create meaningful connections with the people and places they visit. 
SHS student Sam Broff was on hand to answer questions and said that Where There Be Dragons “has the greatest programs he has ever taken part in” calling their excursion to China, “Out of this World.”
There were loads of other travel programs to choose from including Camp Sol Spain, The Road Less Traveled, Travel For Teens, Westcoast Connection, and Hudson Lab Ventures. But if sticking closer to home seems more appealing there were also a wide variety of day camps and job opportunities to learn about like Discover Camp, Oasis Day Camp, Camp Ramaquois, and Mohawk Day Camp. Several of these camps are both great for the younger campers and hiring teens as camp counselors!
What’s spotlighted in this article is truly only the tip of the iceberg! For a complete list of all the vendors at this year’s Summer Activities Fair, check out the webpage here.
At the Scarsdale Library: It's Getting Better All the Time
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To those who predicted the demise of public libraries due to e-books, the digitization of data and the explosive growth of information on the internet, an increase in the usage of Scarsdale’s state of the art library has proven you wrong.
By all indicators library usage is up – whether it be adult and children’s book borrowing, e-book loans, program attendance or use of the facilities including the maker space and room rentals.
At a work session of the Village Trustees on January 21, 2025, Library Director Beth Bermel revealed some stunning statistics. By all measure, the library is getting better and better.
Bermel told the trustees that in addition to general increase in foot traffic and usage, there are more room rentals and higher usage of the technology room and business center, the maker space and teen programs – with students “coming in droves.”
Here are a few numbers to illustrate the trends.
Year Book Circulation Libby (ebooks and audio) Only
2024 331,883 81,359
2023 293,787 67,352
2022 265,317 67,911
The numbers show that Scarsdale Library usage ranks among the top in Westchester, falling just behind far larger towns and villages.
-Scarsdale is fourth in Westchester in terms of visits, after New Rochelle, Yonkers and White Plains.
-In terms of total circulation, Scarsdale is fifth in the county, after Yonkers, White Plains, Yorktown and Greenburgh.
-Also impressive are the programming numbers. Bermel reported that in 2024 the library hosted 1,124 programs attended by 44,244 users. This is up from 2022 when 627 programs were attended by 23,220 users.
-Scarsdale serves a high percentage of cardholders. 70% of those using the library have a Scarsdale Library card as compared to the Westchester average of 50%. Explaining the usage by non-residents, Bermel said, “We are a public library, which means we are open to all. Just as Scarsdale residents freely use other libraries, we allow non-residents to use ours. We are part of the Westchester Library System, and therefore required to abide by their NYS-mandated Free Direct Access Plan, which codifies this philosophy of open access."
-Bermal was happy to report collaborations with a wide array of community organizations and the schools. She concluded, “We are leaders in Westchester,” and “The appetite for services and programs is growing exponentially.”
Commenting on the stats, Bermel said, "It is gratifying to see that all of our hard work to improve the Scarsdale Public Library is coming to fruition. We have created spaces that our community enjoys, but, more importantly, we have dedicated, knowledgeable and responsive employees who provide excellent programs and services. The library is bustling no matter the time of day--babies, kids, teens, adults and seniors all love coming here to choose books, attend programs and meetings, work remotely, or just hang out. We're thrilled to be a destination for all."
Ken Jenkins Appointed Westchester County Executive Until a Special Election on February 11, 2025
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On Monday January 6, 2025, the Westchester County Board of Legislators voted unanimously to appoint Deputy County Executive Kenneth W. Jenkins Westchester County Executive until a Special Election, which the Board has set for February 11, 2025.
The public will vote to elect a County Executive to serve the remainder of Congressman George Latimer’s original term through December 2025.. Jenkins succeeds Acting County Executive Richard G. Wishnie, who was designated to the transitional role by Board Chairman Vedat Gashi immediately after Latimer officially stepped down on January 2, 2025 after he was elected to represent Congressional District 16 in the US House of Representatives.
This afternoon he was sworn into office by New York State Supreme Court Justice Anne E. Minihan, 9th Judicial District, in a ceremony at the Michaelian Office Building.
Jenkins said: “I am deeply honored to have been named Westchester County Executive, a challenge I am braced to take on with integrity, respect and vision. As Deputy County Executive for the past seven years, I have fought hard to uphold the principals we all share – democracy, safety, education, technology and community engagement. We have made tremendous progress and have much we can feel proud of, seeing the completion of key infrastructure projects, environmental upgrades and social justice issues. I am confident that in this new role as County Executive, we will continue to make great strides for Westchester, together.”
According to a press release from Westchester County, “Jenkins built an extensive career in telecommunications and technology, holding key roles at leading companies such as Apple, AT&T, Bell Atlantic, New York Telephone (Verizon), NYNEX and Seer Technologies. He also gained valuable sales experience, as an owner and broker, during his tenure at ERA Gem Realty, further enhancing his expertise in the real estate sector.
Jenkins’ extensive public and community involvement includes board service with the Greyston Foundation, United Way, Westchester County District Attorney's Community Advisory Committee, Westchester County Crime Stoppers and the Community Planning Council of Yonkers. He served as President of the Yonkers Branch of the NAACP and the Yonkers Community Action Program.
A longstanding member of the Democratic Party, Jenkins has held various leadership positions, including: Treasurer of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Yonkers Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Black Democrats of Westchester and Secretary of the Westchester County Democratic Committee, in addition to serving on its Executive Committee. He has also shared his political insights as a frequent analyst on News 12 Westchester.”
