Scarsdale Bowl Chair Thanks the Community for Your Support
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Scarsdale Bowl Chair Nancy Michaels with 2021 Scarsdale Bowl Recipient Michelle LichtenbergThis letter was written by Nancy Michaels, Chair of the 2021 Scarsdale Bowl:
Dear Scarsdale Community,
On June 2nd, in the backyard of Scarsdale Foundation President Randy Guggenheimer and his wife Liz, the Scarsdale Bowl Committee and Foundation Board celebrated this year’s Scarsdale Bowl honoree, Michelle Lichtenberg.
Michelle has lived the mantra of a strong belief in public service, and has been an exemplary volunteer whom we are proud to have as a role model. Over the years, Michelle has given unselfishly of her time to a large variety of causes, bringing about positive change via her unique ability to promote cooperation, consensus, commitment, and connections, all with a generosity of spirit, inspiration, and diplomacy. She has constantly gone above and beyond what is asked of her, exemplifying the vibrant spirit and culture of volunteerism that permeates Scarsdale.
Philanthropic giving, leadership, and the generous donation of time and expertise by volunteers like Michelle combine to create the dynamic fuel that helps make Scarsdale a home and desirable community. I was privileged to have worked with the members of this year’s Bowl Committee, a terrific and knowledgeable group of volunteers who worked tirelessly on an event that didn’t happen in the usual manner, and who extended their tenure to ensure that this year’s Bowl celebration would be a memorable night for Michelle. Because of Covid and the need for meetings on Zoom, many on the Committee had never met in person until the evening of the celebration.
Along with this group, our Fundraising and Publicity Committees met weekly to strategize how to meet the formidable goal of raising $50,000 via the Scarsdale Foundation Honor Roll towards need-based college scholarships for Scarsdale students. Our webmaster and marketing and graphic design gurus also helped to guide us in the right direction. Special acknowledgement to Scarsdale Bowl Secretary/Treasurer Abby Sroka, who managed online sales, distributed and sent Evites and eblasts, and was always willing to help. Thank you all.
It was my incredible pleasure and distinct honor to present Michelle Lichtenberg with the 2021 Scarsdale Bowl Award for Outstanding Community Service. We look forward to honoring Michelle, along with last year’s recipients BK Munguia and Jon Mark, as well as the 2022 honoree to be selected by the next Bowl Committee, at a blow-out celebration on Thursday, April 28, 2022 with all their friends and the Scarsdale Community present.
Thank you to everyone in the Scarsdale community who has continued to support the Scarsdale Bowl and Foundation, especially during these past two very difficult seasons.
Nancy Michaels
Scarsdale Bowl Chair
Scarsdale Bowl Recipient Michelle Lichtenberg Calls On Community to "Work Together To Make Our Village Even Better For The Next Generation"
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Nancy Michaels and Michelle LichtenbergThis year’s Scarsdale Bowl winner, Michelle Lichtenberg, was honored on June 2, at a small backyard ceremony, hosted by Scarsdale Foundation President Randy Guggenheimer and his wife, Liz, an avid volunteer as well. A slice of Michelle’s many friends and fellow volunteers, along with her family, gathered to watch her accept the Scarsdale Bowl, a powerful symbol, now in its 78th year, of the high regard this community has long had for volunteer service.
Michelle, who has participated in an exhaustive list of civic organizations as well as perpetrating acts of kindness on a regular basis, was gently roasted by her two grown sons for not being available sometimes when they were kids due to all her commitments--and for sometimes being too present, as a chaperone at various dances and the like, but each of them thanked her setting a wonderful example of how to live a meaningful life. “She taught us to be curious about everyone’s story, to invest in long term relationships, and to give our best to bring out the best in others,” said Alec Lichtenberg, adding that it was a delight to have this opportunity to honor his mother, who is always lifting up others. “I’m grateful to you, Mom, for all you taught me.” His brother, Andrew, agreed, remembering the many dinners during which their mom had to leave the table to take calls, and crediting her with inspiring him to include pro bono work in his portfolio now that he is a lawyer at a big firm.
While everyone looks forward to holding a traditional Bowl dinner next April, honoring Michelle, along with last year’s recipients of the Bowl, Jon Mark and BK Munguia, as well as next year’s winner, it felt somehow appropriate to focus on Michelle, who is reluctant to be in the spotlight, in such a homespun and low-key way. “I am honored, grateful, a little embarrassed and thrilled” was how Michelle began her remarks after Nancy Michaels, the indefatigable Bowl Committee Chair, who has presided during Covid, presented the award, praising the honoree’s “calm diplomatic manner” and her “generosity of spirit” as she contributed her time and energy to nearly every organization in Scarsdale during the last 30 years. Michelle, in turn, remembered Terri Simon, another volunteer with tremendous bona fides who was present, first inviting her to join the PT Council Budget Study Committee, and immediately feeling as though she had joined “a family of volunteers.” She also recalled being PTA president on that terrible “first Tuesday of the school year” when 9/11 happened, and then the following September dealing with what she called “the self-inflicted wound” of the 2002 Homecoming debacle, when the New York Times ran a front-page story about students drinking and being sickened at the dance, and the consequences of that episode. A yearlong dialogue among students, parents and school administrators working to make prom possible, yielded the creative response of the now-popular Red Carpet event at the high school, where students gather to take photos and board buses that will take them to prom. Michelle expressed pride in the cultural shift that Scarsdale pulled off in that case, and hope that the Red Carpet, which was recently on hiatus due to Covid protocols, would return next year.
"Stuff happens,” she said, “but we are a resilient and caring community. I am humbled to my core, and want to emphasize that collaboration yields the best outcomes. Let’s work together to make our Village even better for the next generation.”
In addition to her years of service in the school PTAs at every level, Michelle served as Co-Chair of the Scarsdale Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Co-Chair of the Scarsdale Education Transfer Program, a member of the School Board Nominating Committee, the Citizens Nominating Committee, and Scarsdale Forum Education Program Committee, Chair of the Procedure Committee, a Director-at-Large of Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service, and President of the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale.
There’s more! Michelle has also been very engaged with the Scarsdale Public Library for the last ten years, serving as a Trustee from 2011 to 2016 and President from 2013 to 2015. During her presidency, she oversaw the finalization of the Library’s first Strategic Plan, the development of the Master Plan, hiring of the architectural firm responsible for the extensive renovation and expansion, and the formation of the Capital Campaign Committee. She’s very excited about the just-completed renovation, and is currently a member of the Friends of the Scarsdale Library.
Michelle is also a current board member of the Scarsdale Foundation, the Scarsdale Adult School, and a member of the Greenacres Neighborhood Association, as well as a District Leader and member of the Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee. And you can also find Michelle encouraging residents to run for the SBNC and CNC, as well as the School Board and the Village Board, gathering required signatures for petitions. No task is too large or too small. She intends to resume her volunteer work with critically ill patients at White Plains Hospital once visitor restrictions are lifted, and is working toward her accreditation in Healing Touch therapy. Whew! Scarsdale is clearly a better place thanks to Michelle!
Michelle hugs son Andrew.
Along those lines, the Scarsdale Foundation, which runs the Bowl event, has started a new initiative called the Scarsdale Volunteer Honor Roll where friends, colleagues, first-responders and teens can be honored for good works of all sorts, large and small. The money raised will be distributed to talented, hardworking Scarsdale students who need help paying college bills during their sophomore, junior and senior years. Please visit //bit.ly/3vQRHu5 to name honorees at just $25 apiece. The Honor Roll is about halfway to its goal of raising $50,000 to bolster the chances for academic success for all SHS alumni, regardless of their financial means, while also recognizing the unsung heroes of our town, particularly in light of the pandemic.
Alec Lichtenberg and Natasha Lee Vega-Colon play the African drums.
The Lichtenberg Family
Masks Off As COVID Rates Decline
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You no longer need an appointment for a vaccine at the Westchester County CenterCounty Executive George Latimer had an upbeat press conference on Monday May 17 when he reported a dramatic decline in active cases in Westchester, down from 4,363 a month ago to 922 on Monday. As of Wednesday May 19, cases had declined even further to 839.
There were corresponding declines in the number of hospitalizations and fatalities with 63 in the hospital with COVID and 4 deaths this past week.
Latimer credits the decline in infections to Westchester’s successful vaccination efforts. As of Monday May 17, 70% of the county’s population over the age of 18 had received at least one dose. Overall, 47% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. More are expected to be vaccinated in the coming weeks as Pfizer announced that anyone ages 12 and over can receive their vaccine as long as a parent or guardian allows them to do so.
There was also good news about the regulations and restrictions. As of Wednesday May 19 those who are fully vaccinated can remove their masks, however they still need to be worn in the following settings: mass transit, nursing homes, homeless shelters, correctional facilities (jail and state institutions), schools, and healthcare facilities. Private venues can provide rules as they see fit. Latimer expressed concern about people who may lie about their vaccination status and remove their masks but he was hopeful the state would provide some guidelines on how to deal with that situation.
For those not yet vaccinated the big news is that you no longer need an appointment to be vaccinated at the Westchester County Center where walk-ins are now permitted. In order to accommodate more residents new daily clinics are being set up around the county. Dobbs Ferry High School is offering vaccines on Wednesday May 19th, Fox Lane High School is offering vaccines on Thursday May 20th, and the Salvation Army in Port Chester is offering vaccines on Saturday May 22 and Monday May 24.
Michelle Lichtenberg Receives the 2021 Scarsdale Bowl
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Michelle Lichtenberg, surrounded by her family here, was presented with the Scarsdale Bowl at a backyard ceremony on Wednesday, June 2nd. Liz and Randy Guggenheimer hosted this second (and hopefully last) Covid-era celebration. “I am humbled to my core by this honor,” said Lichtenberg. “Volunteerism is a team sport and I hope that we will all continue to collaborate to keep our community strong, and make it even better for the next generation.”
This was the second year that the traditional Scarsdale Bowl dinner was cancelled due to COVID.
Full story to follow next week.
Art Rublin Says Jim and Jessica Will Address the Need for Change
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To the Editor: With just a day before the important Board of Education election tomorrow (Tuesday), I’m writing in support of SBNC nominees James Dugan and Jessica Resnick-Ault. Informed by my BOE tenure, I believe the SBNC nominated very wisely. And I note that a current Board Member whom I respect a great deal, Ron Schulhof, also supports the SBNC slate.
Here are three reasons I support the SBNC slate:
1) Jim and Jessica are Exceptional Professionals and Volunteers.
Jim is a distinguished lawyer and father of three girls who will be at Fox Meadow, SMS and SHS next year. In 2011, Jim and I and others founded Coalition for Scarsdale Schools, dedicated to supporting quality education in Scarsdale schools. When the BOE explored bending elementary class-size caps, we mobilized to protect reasonable class-sizes. We selected Jim to be our lead speaker at the key BOE meeting. Jim’s presentation was excellent – strong, but not strident. We helped turned the BOE around, largely to Jim’s credit.
Jessica is an award-winning journalist and author. Jessica lost her husband in 2017; but continued to work and volunteer diligently. Jessica has been very active in the community, serving as class parent, PTA committee chair, and Young Writer’s Workshop instructor. Most recently Jessica founded Bake Back America’s local Grant a Wishlist initiative, working with Scarsdale families to meet the needs of surrounding communities with donations and educational programming. Jessica’s and her late husband’s daughter is an Edgewood fifth-grader.
Jim and Jessica distinguished themselves at the two candidate forums that have been held, including most recently at the “School Board Candidate Zoom Panel” held tonight, organized by Scarsdale High School students, at which Jim and Jessica appeared with one other candidate, Irin Israel.
2) Jim and Jessica Will Address the Need for Change.
Substantial change is needed in School District governance and management. This view of mine and many others was validated by a report last November of the Tri-State Consortium, an alliance of high-performing school districts, focused on the pandemic. The Report found distrust of the District by parents, a feeling on the part of teachers that their voices were not valued, and the need for a “more forward-looking vision.” On the very day the Tri-State Report was released, the BOE extended changes to limit public-comment time at BOE meetings – including a 90-minute limit on comments during the first comment period that left 21 community members without an opportunity to speak during that night’s first comment period. During the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale Candidates Forum earlier this month, Jim and Jessica made clear their readiness to engage constructively to address these issues. I urge all voters to view the recording of the LWVS Forum, which you can find at coalitionforscarsdaleschools.org (Candidates tab).
3) Jim and Jessica Have the Experience.
One of Jim and Jessica’s opponents, Alison Singer, argues she should be reelected because, she said in her opening statement at the forum, “In short, experience matters.” With the benefit of my BOE experience, I can state without reservation that Jim and Jessica have more than the requisite experience, based on their professional and community backgrounds. And I don’t consider it at all necessary for the BOE to have officers that are in their second terms. In fact, a number of times in recent years, at least one of the officers has been in his or her first term. In my first BOE year, both officers were in their first terms.
A note about process. An election in which the SBNC slate is challenged creates some surprising dynamics. As an example, Ms. Singer and supporters of hers posted a graphic on Facebook yesterday with a sample ballot in which only her name was checked. Given that this election is for two seats, the District’s sample ballot states, “Vote for a Total Two (2) Candidates.” But Ms. Singer, the Board’s Vice President this year, appears to be urging “bullet voting,” i.e. votes only for herself, which could be seen as increasing her chances. I should note: I am pleased to have always had a good personal relationship with Ms. Singer. But I am disappointed that Ms. Singer, who served on the SBNC, is openly advocating bullet voting only for herself in an election for 2 School Board seats. Everyone has a right to challenge the SBNC’s nominees. But I am saddened by this and other elements of the campaigning that we have seen on social media and in Village spaces this spring.
In sum, I believe the SBNC chose well. Jim and Jessica will bring substantial experience, along with a willingness to engage with the community and deliberate with respect to important issues. Please vote for our excellent SBNC nominees on Tuesday.
Arthur Rublin
Donellan Road
