Scarsdale Students Win Accolades
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The Scarsdale Schools announced achievements of middle and high school students in competitions in math, science and geography.
The Scarsdale Middle School Mathcounts team won first place in the state competition in Troy New York March 15-16. Math teachers Steve Weiss and Heidi Kaplan accompanied the team who emerged first out of 50 teams in the competition. Eighth grader Richard Xu and sixth grader Eric Wei will be part of the State's four-person team representing New York State in the Nationals May 8-11 at Disney World and Steve Weiss will coach of that team.
The team meets once a week and works through hundreds of problems supplied in the Mathcounts handbook that is distributed each year. The group is large and all students are welcome. From this group, top students are selected to attend the county-wide competition with an emphasis on a subgroup of 4 students plus an alternate who go to the states. Weiss attributes the team's success this year to the talent of the kids, their dedication and their love for math. They completed every practice problem he gave them and worked really well together. Weiss also sends kudos to the parents as well for their support.
Here are two sample problems of the type the team might be asked to solve: (see answers below)
Problem 1: Coin A is tossed three times and coin B is tossed two times. What is the probability that more heads are tossed using coin A than using coin B? Express your answer as a common fraction.
Problem 2: The giant earthmover used for open-air coal mining has rubber circular tires 11.5 feet in diameter. How many revolutions does each tire make during a six-mile trip? Express your answer to the nearest whole number.
Geography: Dermot Kantor (Popham 8) won the Geography Bee for the Scarsdale Middle School and then scored in the top 100 qualifiers in the New York National Geographic Geography Bee in January. He will compete again on April 4th in Albany at the NYS level of the Geography Bee. Hats off to Dermot and the Geography Bee coach, CHOICE Humanities teacher Rob Daly.
More accolades:
On Monday and Tuesday, March 10-11, thirteen Scarsdale High School research students attended the Upstate Junior Science and Humanities Symposium along with about 100 students from 30 schools in Westchester County and Upper New York State. Two Scarsdale students participated in the five Speaker Sessions, and two participated in the Competitive Poster Sessions. In the Speaker Sessions, Brian Beitler took third place in Biology and Cindy Du took 2nd place in the Competitive Poster Sessions.
On Saturday, March 15 nine Scarsdale seniors in the science research class participated in the 15th annual Westchester Science and Engineering Fair, hosted by Sleepy Hollow High School. This event was attended by approximately 400 students from over 30 area schools.
4th Place Awards were sponsored by Westchester Academy of Medicine. All Fourth Place winners received a medallion and $25. 4th Place winners included Phillip Liu for Computer Science and Zubin Koticha and Brett Pogostin for Behavior.
Claudia Laurie from Scarsdale received a medallion and $50 as a 3rd place winner in behavior. 
The award was sponsored by Psychogenics Pharmaceuticals.
2nd Place awards, sponsored by Acorda Theraputics were won by Archana Ram in Cell and Molecular Biology, Rachel Hurst in Earth and Space Science and Brian Beitler in Plant Science. Each received a medallion and $75.00.
Sam Huang was awarded a first place in Microbiology and Cindy Du was awarded first place in Medicine and Health. They were each given a gold medal and $100 sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
In addition, Cindy Du, was one of the ten top scoring projects and therefore was also awarded an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles in order to compete in the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair .
Answers:
Problem 1: 1/2
Problem 2: 877 revolutions
You Are Invited to the Scarsdale Bowl
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To the Editor of Scarsdale10583.com: As Chair of the 2014 Scarsdale Bowl Dinner, I cordially invite all Scarsdale residents and friends to celebrate Scarsdale volunteerism and to honor David Raizen, the president of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps on Wednesday evening, April 9th at our new venue, The Fountainhead in New Rochelle.
Our honoree has positively impacted the lives of many of our fellow citizens, from those stricken during Hurricane Sandy, to those affected by the heat at High School graduations, to those who have dialed 911 seeking emergency ambulance transportation to the hospital – David has been there for all of us. This is our chance to thank and honor him.
But the Scarsdale Bowl Dinner is more than just about one honoree – its is about all the volunteers -- the Trustees, School Board members, the PTA presidents and PTA members, the volunteer firemen, the Boy Scout and Girl Scout leaders, the sports teams' coaches, the Nominating Committee members, and the hundreds of other committee members – everyone who contributes her or his time to make our Village more liveable and more enjoyable – the Bowl Dinner is a celebration of all of us and all of our neighbors who volunteer. There are few events scheduled during the year that offer as enjoyable an opportunity to gather together with so many fellow Scarsdalians as the Bowl.
If you have misplaced your invitation accidentally, there's no problem: just go to the Scarsdale Foundation website, www.scarsdalefoundation.org and click on the link on the right-hand side of the page to purchase tickets for the Scarsdale Bowl dinner You can download the registration form, indicate with whom you would like to be seated, or sign up for a "get-acquainted" table, and mail it in to the address indicated.
I promise you will leave the dinner happy you made the effort to attend and proud that you are part of this special community.
See you on April 9th!
Cordially,
David M. Brodsky
Chair, Scarsdale Bowl Committee 2014
4 Burgess Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
davidmbrodsky1016@gmail.com
Scarsdale Village Election Tuesday March 18
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A reminder to Scarsdale residents that the Village Election will be held on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. All Election Districts will be voting at the Scarsdale Village Hall. Hours of the election are 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and noon to 9:00 p.m.
On the ballot will be three candidates nominated by the Citizen's Non-Partisan Party for Scarsdale Village Trustee: David Lee (running unopposed for a second term) and Deb Pekarek and Marc Samwick, both running opposed for a first term.
Friday, March 7, 2014 is the last day individuals may register with the County Board of Elections to be eligible to vote in the Village Election. March 11, 2014 is the last day to receive applications for absentee ballots to be mailed to qualified voters. After that date, personal applications can be accepted from registered voters at Village Hall until March 17, 2014.
Call the Village Clerk's office, Village Hall at 722-1175 for more details.
Greenacres Town Hall Meeting on Thursday March 13
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If you've got questions, they have the answers. The people who lead Scarsdale will be on hand to greet local residents at the 12th Annual Town Hall meeting of the Greenacres Neighborhood Association on Thursday, March 13th in the all-purpose room at Greenacres Elementary School.
All Greenacres residents are invited to hear the Mayor and other Village leaders discuss current issues and initiatives.
Topics of interest will include:
- Tax Revaluation Results
- Homestead Tax Option
- Future of the Greenacres School
- School District Budget & Strategic Plans
- New School Superintendent Search
- Plantings in George Field
Mayor Bob Steves, Police Chief John Brogan, Fire Chief Tom Cain, Village Manager Alfred Gatta, Greenacres Principal Gerry Young, Board of Education Vice President Sunil Subbakrishna Greenacres PTA President Dana Matsushita, Recreation Department Superintendent Jason Marra, SVAC David Raizen, and Ken Mazer of Volunteer Fire Co 2 will all attend.
A question and answer period will follow the panel presentations. Refreshments will be served starting at 7:15pm, with the meeting starting at 7:45pm.
HUD Denies Plea for Reallocation of CDBG Funds
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This just in from Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner: Due to the impasse between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Westchester County over the affordable housing settlement the county lost $7.4 million in HUD funding in Community Development Block Grants from fiscal year 2011. According to Feiner, some of these funds were earmarked to help low income neighborhoods in Greenburgh for sidewalks/safety enhancements in north Elmsford (where there was a pedestrian fatality in recent years) and street scaping enhancements on Manhattan Avenue, near Union Baptist Church.
In order to secure the funds, Feiner wrote to HUD and asked them to send the funds to the state, rather than the county – suggesting that the state could allocate the monies to the intended beneficiaries. However, in the letter below from HUD, they say that the $7.4 million in funds has already been "reallocated or otherwise expired."
Feiner says, "I am extremely disappointed that HUD will not provide the grants to any entity other than the county. I think communities like Greenburgh are being penalized for a dispute that is taking place between County Executive Astorino and the federal government – something that we have nothing to do with. The town of Greenburgh is not one of the communities that were ordered by the federal government to build more housing. We have been building affordable housing on our own –voluntarily for many decades. Because of the county government's actions, the Town of Greenburgh is losing significant grants that were earmarked to help low income neighborhoods. Among them: sidewalks/safety enhancements in north Elmsford (there was a pedestrian fatality in recent years) and street scaping enhancements on Manhattan Avenue, near Union Baptist Church.
Here is the text of the letter: (it's puzzling that it's stamped January 28, 2013 – not 2014!)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
WASHINGTON. DC 20410-l 000
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CONGRESSIONAL AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
JAN 2 8 2013 (stamp receipt)
Paul J. Feiner
Town Supervisor Town of Greenburgh
Office of the Supervisor
177 Hillside Avenue
Greenburgh, NY 10607
Dear Supervisor Feiner:
Thank you for your letters of November 12 and December 24, 2013, to Deputy Secretary Jones urging the Department to provide communities that are members of the Westchester Urban County Consortium with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. HUD appreciates the keen interest you have in this issue, and understands your concerns about the effect that the County's noncompliance has had on services to residents of the Town of Greenburgh.
Like you, HUD is anxious to gain resolution of outstanding issues regarding the County's Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, so that the County may move forward with its HUD funded housing, community development and homeless assistance programs. Regretfully, the County's refusal thus far to come into compliance has meant that $7.4 million in FY 2011 funds for housing and community development have already been reallocated or otherwise expired. Additionally, HUD has been unable to approve funding for the County for FY 2012 and 2013 and these funds will also be subject to expiration or reallocation without appropriate actions by the County to correct the noncompliance. Should the County resolve the issues, however, the Department will be able to release available funds to the County.
HUD has considered other alternatives-including whether HUD could grant the money to the State to administer within the County or to otherwise get money to serve intended beneficiaries within the County. In fact, HUD was able to reallocate FY 2011 Emergency Solutions Grant funds to the State to administer within the County. Unfortunately, for CDBG and HOME, statutory provisions prevent the Department from providing the grant to any entity other than the County to provide funds within the Urban County Consortium. HUD must ensure that the County's actions and documents comply with statutory and regulatory requirements as well as the terms of the Settlement Agreement before it can approve its action plans. Going forward, the Town of Greenburgh could qualify as an entitlement community and receive direct CDBG entitlement grants separate from the County once the current Urban County Cooperation Agreement period expires at the end of the County's 2014 program year on April 15,2015.
I hope the information provided is helpful. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Dominique M. McCoy
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
