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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 13 August 2025

Created: 13 August 2025

Last Updated: 14 August 2025

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Oliver BandsmaWhen most people think of picnic tables, they don’t consider the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into building them, especially when they’re part of a community Eagle Scout project. But for Oliver Bandsma from Troop 2 Scarsdale, the tables represented much more than places to sit and eat. They became a symbol of perseverance, teamwork, and service.

The project began with a clear goal: to build three large cedar picnic tables to install at the Greenburgh Nature Center. The initial plan depended on a generous lumber donation from a nearby lumberyard, which had previously expressed interest in supporting the endeavor. “We had almost enough for three tables,” Bandsma explained, “but we were still short on wood, and we needed more cedar to complete the job.” He and his family made repeated attempts to contact the lumberyard’s CEO and other representatives, but communication fell silent. “They had been incredibly generous already, so we didn’t want to push too hard or risk offending them,” he said.

Ian Rozens, Oran Bandsma, Adelia Bandsma, Moira Crouch, Woody Crouch, Connor Cassidy, Michael Cassidy
With the project’s timeline tightening and assembly day approaching, the family made the decision to purchase the remaining cedar from another lumberyard using funds raised by the Scout himself. It turned out to be a smart call. The original supplier never responded again, and the purchased wood allowed the project to move forward on schedule. “My dad went out and brought back the rest of the cedar, and we got to work preparing all of it for the build.”

On November 23, 2024, work began at the Bandsma home. Measurements were taken, and adults assisted with cutting and drilling holes. A last-minute discovery that the bolts purchased were too short nearly delayed the effort—but the team quickly returned them and sourced the correct hardware.

The main assembly day took place on November 30. A small team of volunteers tackled the job with only two drills and a lot of determination. “It was tough because only two people could screw in deck screws at once.” But it was worth it. Despite the setbacks, the group completed all three tables—with an hour to spare.

Matteo Buccellato, Connor Cassidy, Oran Bandsma, Simon Bandsma, Paulo Sorensen
Challenges didn’t stop at limited tools. The team faced difficulty aligning holes, and natural knots in the cedar added complexity to the build. But the imperfections only added to the tables’ character. Oliver sums it up, “There were a few minor errors, but they made the tables look handmade. You’d only notice if you were really inspecting them.”

Matthew Jakaitis, Manager of Facilities and Grounds at Greenburgh Nature Center said, ”The Nature Center is always looking for ways to become more accessible for everyone. With the accessible benches Oliver and his troop provided, we are now able to accommodate more visitors comfortably. Thank you to Oliver, Troop 2 Scarsdale, and everyone else who contributed to this project!”

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Written by: Bill Doescher

Published: 28 July 2025

Created: 28 July 2025

Last Updated: 28 July 2025

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It was HOT, HOT, HOT, somewhere near the 90-plus-to-100-degrees with a burning sunshine overhead.

But that didn’t deter the highly dedicated adult-and-young-children swimmers with different family backgrounds, vocations and swimming capabilities from energetically swimming to help fight cancer, and raise money for cancer research, prevention and treatment.

The Swim Across America fund-raising event, “Making Waves to Fight Cancer” took place at Scarsdale Golf Club (SGC) on Thursday afternoon, July 24th. Participants swam one mile, a half mile or formed relay teams for longer distances that consisted of family and friends.

Every swimmer who participated received a T-shirt and a towel, a unique participation medal, and other promotional items. Individual donations started at $500 and increased upward from there.

While there were no specific prizes for the longest swims of the day, except a big thanks for their swims and donations, time and a job well done, adult swimmers Sue Miles and Peter Mehlich did indeed register three-and-two miles respectively for their swims. With those outstanding swims, it was noted that they were seemingly never out of the pool for the whole event.

Swimmers All-In to Fight Cancer
It was obvious from watching the event that everybody involved was all in to fight cancer. Overall, it also was indeed a star-studded swimming fund-raiser for the benefit of the Long Island Sound chapter of Swim Across America.

Those included in the very successful fund-raiser were a bunch of adult swimmers, such as Tania Weiss, executive director of Cancer Support Team (CST); Bonnie Gould, former board chair of CST, SGC member and a long-time Scarsdale resident; and CST Advisory Board Member Sabrina Fiddelman. Many other CST officials and supporters were also on hand to work the event.

Young Swimmers Stole the Show
If you were there on site for the event, you know first-hand that it was the amazing kids, not the most caring adults, who stole the show, and literally in most dynamic kid-like fashion, with their smashing smiles and over-the-top energy, led the swimming parade for fighting cancer.

They were supported by grandparents and parents who were there to cheer them on in very much a family affair. Penny Bowman of Scarsdale, one of those grandparents and a SGC member, even swam with her granddaughter, Brooklyn Bowman, 12, and her friend, Elizabeth Abramov, 10, also from Scarsdale. Grandpa Mattias Bowman was on the sidelines the whole time to cheer all three on.

The LaSalle family of Scarsdale also made themselves known at the event as daughter Elenora LaSalle, 13, swam 216 laps and son Raphael LaSalle, 11, did 130 laps. Emera LaSalle, mother, chauffer for the day, Upper School English Teacher at Friends Academy in New York City and an outstanding soprano singer with Scarsdale’s New Choral Society, also swam in the event.

As usual, Gould headed the CST committee that provided a watchful and careful supervisory eye for the event, and coordinated exceptionally well with Laeh Yang-DiPietro, new SGC aquatics director and photographer for the event, to ensure everything went according to plan, as well as, above all, safely. Lifeguards aplenty were on hand to make sure.

No questions were needed to be asked of the spectators/donors in attendance about who were the rising stars of the event. It was obvious from the very beginning that they knew full-well who brought out the smiles for the day. Answer: It was those wonderful kids.

Ranging in ages from 5-to-13, there they were swimming happily and smoothly in a variety of swim positions, such as freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke, while actively helping fight cancer, more often than not, for a personal family reason. Several youngsters in attendance said they were swimming for an important and close relative.

The donations definitely were coming in methodically last Thursday afternoon from the well-organized 3-to-5-pm swim and the benefit for the previously mentioned Swim Across America (SAA), a national organization that has acknowledged local roots with plenty of supporters in Scarsdale, Eastchester, Larchmont and other Westchester towns and villages. SAA for years has religiously spread its funding to a number of worthwhile and local cancer-related organizations.

For example, the Cancer Support Team of Purchase, NY, with its numerous cancer patient services and a cadre of fully trained nurses, is one of those most deserving non-profits.

Swim Event Reached its Goal
Prior to the event, $3,017 had already been raised. After the two-hour swim and donations collected during, before and after, the final tally, according to CST’s Weiss, was $10,000, a record for the three-year event at SGC. More is expected from other donors who were expected to mail-in their donations to SAA, P.O. Box 217, Larchmont, NY 10538.

Proceeds from all the local Westchester swims support immunotherapy research at the Swim Across America research laboratories of Dr. Luis Diaz and the MSK Kids Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; immunotherapy research and clinical trials at the Swim Across America Laboratory at Weill Cornell Cancer Center; pediatric oncology research at Morgan Columbia University Medical Center, and the previously mentioned patient services from the Cancer Support Team.

Congratulations to one and all for a most worthwhile and well-organized local fund-raising swim event for a very good cause. Some of the attendees and supervisors and those good-looking kids from the event are still smiling about the success of this most important local charitable event.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 23 July 2025

Created: 23 July 2025

Last Updated: 25 July 2025

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On Saturday, July 26, 2025, a remarkable group of Scarsdale swimmers will once again enter the waters of the Long Island Sound with purpose, passion, and one unifying goal: to raise money and awareness for cancer research through Swim Across America. Known today as Team John, the group has become one of the most successful community-led fundraising teams in the country, recently surpassing a stunning milestone—over $2 million raised cumulatively for cancer research over the past 20 years.

Team John’s journey has been deeply personal from the start. Each summer, friends and families from Scarsdale and beyond have come together to swim in honor or memory of loved ones affected by cancer. Over the years, the team has swum under different names, each one a tribute: Team Hannah, Leslie, Cantor Merkel, Max, Sandie, Walt, Strong as Steele, Swimming for Susan, Paulie Strong, Cheryl, Valerie, Bruce, Dase, Stanley, and most recently, Team John.

This year, the team has chosen to permanently swim as Team John, in memory of longtime teammate, Scarsdale resident and dear friend John Needham, whose spirit continues to inspire every stroke.

“Crossing the $2 million mark is an extraordinary accomplishment, but even more meaningful is the community we’ve built through these swims,” said Joe Kaufman, one of this year’s team co-captains along with Josh Glantz. “Each name we’ve carried over the years represents a real person, a real story, and a reminder of why this effort matters.” For Team John, it’s also a day of remembrance, camaraderie, and hope.

Team John will be represented by an over 30-person roster this year, including returning swimmers and new faces who have all rallied to support the mission of Swim Across America: funding innovative cancer research, clinical trials, and patient programs at beneficiaries like the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, and the Cancer Support Team of Westchester.

This year’s team includes:
Patrick Bates, Ben Blaustein, Eldad Blaustein, Ilai Blaustein, Tal Blaustein, Diane Calderon, Jack Callahan, TJ Callahan, Peter Doyle, Elissa Elkowitz, Alan Fishman, Josh Glantz, Julian Glantz, Noah Glantz, Robert Goodman, Razy Hirschberg, Joe Kaufman, Jonathan Lenchner, Teresa Maldonado, Hudson Malsch, Jeffrey Malsch, Dan Needham, Jeannine Palermo, Douglas Rachlin, Chip Rich, James Roth, Miles Rubin, Justine Smith, Joel Talish, Howard Weinberg, and Michael Zeller.

The Swim Across America Long Island Sound Swim is a beloved summer tradition, with swimmers choosing to complete distances 2k, 5k, and even 10k from Glen Cove to Larchmont.

To support Team John or learn more about the swim, visit this year’s Team John page on the Swim Across America website.

As they dive in once again this weekend, Team John carries with them the memory of those they’ve lost, the strength of those still fighting, and the determination to help find a cure—one swim at a time.

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Written by: Wendy MacMillan

Published: 24 June 2025

Created: 24 June 2025

Last Updated: 24 June 2025

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In a heartfelt ceremony that exemplified the strong values of its community, the Scarsdale Alternative School celebrated its 28 graduating seniors on the evening of Wednesday, June 18th. The intimate commencement was organized by junior students and Graduation Heads, Jacob Dallal, Sam Weston, and Tessa Leroy. In a true display of the “A” School spirit of cooperation, the heads also had support from the other sophomores and juniors who pitched in to buy flowers, decorate, and to help set-up for the meaningful event.

In addition to being organized by students, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening was senior Amey Jha who kept his classmates and their families laughing and nodding in recognition as he made personal and touching introductions, and kept the event moving smoothly along.

The first faculty member to take the podium was A-School Director, Fallon Plunkett. In her opening remarks, Plunkett shared, “Thank you to my A-School colleagues: Amanda Filley, Mike Giordano, Ava Laera, Chris Paulison and Haley Rauch. Without your tireless commitment to making our program into a school of ownership, accountability and trust, it would not be the same. To our senior English teacher Pamela Kroll, your dedication and heart are seen in every minute of your teaching. To Maria Atkinson the A-School Secretary, for without your attention to detail who knows where we would be!”

The teacher’s tireless commitment was made abundantly clear as they took turns delivering heartwarming, individualized speeches that honored each of the graduating seniors. Their detailed remarks demonstrated just how well they get to know each of the graduates not only as students, but as people with differing talents, passions, and dreams.

Listening to the teacher’s memories of each student and their carefully crafted words of advice, it also became clear that the A School faculty does so much more than teach…they inspire, they listen, they support, and they create a remarkable sense of connection and belonging for all of their students and staff.

Though every senior was recognized for their contributions to the SAS community, three students were further acknowledged with a distinctive A-School award. The first award, the Jeanne Award, recognized a senior who best embodies the A-School values of integrity, empathy and service. This year that award was given to Ava Feldman.

The Jen Award which celebrates the student who works behind the scenes to better the community, was awarded to Amelia Grossi-Romano.

And the last award of the evening, the Senior Project Award which honors the best senior project, was bestowed upon Charlotte Stebich.

Closing the ceremony, Ava Feldman, a senior who was elected to speak on behalf of the class, gracefully delivered a poignant speech that reminded her peers of the power of community.

In her opening remarks Plunkett also added, “And finally seniors! While the road to get here wasn’t always easy, it was definitely entertaining. Filled with a constant rotation of seating charts, photo booth pictures during class, a little crashing out over reading quizzes, and a broken bouncy ball. But here we are! Tonight we celebrate you. As the Director of this Community, I now pronounce you ready to graduate.