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Written by: Peter Lin

Published: 19 May 2025

Created: 19 May 2025

Last Updated: 19 May 2025

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In recognition of the growing public health concern surrounding food allergies, the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale officially declared the week of May 11–17, 2025 as Food Allergy Awareness Week. This proclamation coincides with Food Allergy Awareness Month, observed nationwide each May, and aims to educate the community about the seriousness of food allergies, the importance of early recognition, and the need for prevention and preparedness.

Food allergies are a serious, potentially life-threatening, disease. Allergies occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless substance—such as foods—as a threat. This triggers a reaction that can cause symptoms like hives, itchiness, and, worse-case, anaphylaxis.

Busting Myths About Food Allergies
FARE, the leading research, education, and advocacy organization for food allergies, proclaimed that the theme for this year’s Food Allergy Awareness Month is “busting myths about food allergies.” One notable myth is that “food allergies only affect a limited number of people and are not that serious.” According to FARE, food allergies affect approximately 33 million Americans, including 1 in every 13 children. Of those children, over 40% have had a severe reaction. In the last 10 years, anaphylaxis reactions requiring an epipen increased by 377%. In the U.S., someone is sent to the emergency room due to an allergic reaction every 10 seconds.

Another myth is that food allergies only develop in infancy or early childhood. FARE reports that 25% of all severe reactions reported in schools were children who had no previous diagnosis of an allergy. Furthermore, almost 50% of all people with shellfish allergies were diagnosed as adults.

FARE also warns against myths about the recognition and treatment of food allergies. Many believe that antihistamines can stop an allergic reaction. In reality, antihistamines can only treat certain mild systems. FARE notes that “epinephrine is the only approved medication to stop anaphylaxis and should be given first and fast.” Another myth is that reactions always occur within the first 30 minutes. However, the initial reaction can actually take up to 2 hours to present. In many cases, patients may also experience a second, potentially more severe, reaction, called a biphasic reaction, up to 48 hours after initial exposure.

The underlying theme to all these “truths” about food allergies is that people with food allergies have to be diligent and prepared at all times.

How to Be a Food Allergy Ally
Because food allergies impact so many people, including many in Scarsdale, it is important to raise awareness and ask others to be Food Allergy Allies. FARE suggests the following:

Be kind to people with food allergies. Dr. Zoya Treyster, a local Scarsdale resident and the lead allergist at Latitude Food Allergy Care Clinic, emphasizes that, “Awareness goes such a long way. I know Scarsdale to be a community of empathy and respect. We can start by teaching our kids about food allergies so they can support their friends at school and in their daily lives. Children with food allergies are more likely to experience bullying, so please talk to your children about supporting their peers.”

Be allergen aware by reading food labels, labeling any containers in shared spaces, and having an allergen-free food preparation zone when entertaining friends with food allergies.

Know how to recognize a severe allergic reaction, such as wheezing, constriction of the throat, nausea, dizziness, swelling, and difficulty breathing, and be able to administer an epipen. FARE offers a brief useful online “Save a Life” training here. 

Food Allergies in the School District
As more students are diagnosed with food allergies, the Scarsdale School District has become increasingly food allergy aware and have developed “Guiding Principles for School-Based Allergy Protocols.”, which can be found here. Each school has their own protocols, but all are informed by these guiding principles. Links to each school’s protocols are provided on the District website. Every child with a food allergy is required to submit an allergy plan every year. Food allergy parents should be aware that nut products are permitted in the lunchrooms and should consult with the administration and nurses at their respective schools with questions. The District’s food services vendor, Chartwell, provides menus on Nutrislice which label the 9 major allergens (milk, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, & sesame). In addition, the District’s food service employees have all completed a FARECheck certified food allergen training program. Parents can contact the Director of Dining Services, Tara Cook to address allergy accommodations.

Future of Food Allergy Treatment
On a positive note, Dr. Treyster mentioned that the myth, “avoidance is the only option.", should be dispelled too because of recent advancements in treatment. She states that “There are life changing treatments now available for food allergies, and so much is changing in the food allergy world. I want to encourage families to come in and get updated testing. Food allergies can change over time, so it is important to get tested annually or every few years.” She further notes that oral immunotherapy or OIT, which gradually increases the amount of food a person is allergic to, has proven to be highly effective. Her clinic boasts a 97% success rate for children under the age of 4 and 92% for all ages. In addition to OIT, Dr. Treyster highlighted the recent approval of an injectable medication called Xolair, which can mitigate the response to allergens, as a treatment for food allergies. Families can go to the Latitude website to learn more.

Continued science research is necessary to further develop treatment for food allergies. With the federal government’s recent reduction in research grants, the future of such science research is at risk. During this month of May, all donations to FARE will be doubled up to $50,000, thanks to an anonymous food allergy family, so please consider donating now to help fund research and advocacy for food allergies.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 08 May 2025

Created: 08 May 2025

Last Updated: 08 May 2025

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350 students watched 1,426 cereal boxes fall like dominos in the Greenacres Learning Commons on Thursday May 8, 2025.

The 1,426 boxes were collected by Greenacres kids and assembled in an enormous maze early Thursday morning, by teachers and staff who arrived as early as 6:45 am to set up the display. They centered the maze on a large pyramid of cereal boxes.

Kristen Mateja knocked down the first box, setting the sequence in motion.The entire school assembled to line the walls of the room and to watch the boxes topple sequentially at 9 am. After a countdown, the toppling began while students cheered. It went according to plan as everyone watched in awe.

The cereal will be donated to the Kol Ami Food Pantry. Parent volunteers worked with fourth and fifth graders to load the boxes into cars for delivery to the synagogue.

This was just one event in a celebration of Math Week from May 5th to 9th, highlighting the school-wide commitment to fostering a vibrant math community. Teachers participated in a professional development course through the Scarsdale Teachers Institute, focused on "Building a Math Community at Greenacres" led by Shoshana Cooper, fourth-grade teacher and Sharon De Lorenzo, Assistant Principal. The week kicked off with an all-school assembly where students shared the many ways their families use math in everyday life. Throughout the week, students engaged in a variety of math activities, including solving problems displayed around the building, making predictions at the Estimation Station, and tackling a daily math riddle.

The week will culminate in a school-wide Math Day on Friday, where each grade level takes part in a series of fun and challenging math activities.

Math Week is a favorite among students and staff and serves as a meaningful way to combine math, collaboration, and community service.

Students tracked the collection of boxes on a large thermometer.

Assistant Principal Sharon DeLorenzo led the event.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 29 April 2025

Created: 29 April 2025

Last Updated: 29 April 2025

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Emily Giovanni encourages food composting.Our environment is under attack in so many ways – climate change, flooding, the tree canopy, water pollution, gas emissions and the unsustainable use of plastic to name a few.

Here in Scarsdale, we’re taking steps to address these issues, though each of us can only make a tiny dent in stopping the damage. It takes a Village.

And lots is being done, as displayed at Scarsdale’s first Earth Day Expo at Scarsdale Library on Tuesday April 22, 2025. The event was organized by Richard Cantor who explained,  "The idea to form a new organization, the Environmental Coalition, grew out of my experiences as the Chairman of the Rotary Club's Environment Committee and as a member of the Forum's Sustainability Committee and my feeling that in light of the environmental challenges we face, we were not doing nearly enough. Moreover, as a resident, I realized that there were a number of other organizations in Scarsdale that were also focused on environmental issues, but they were not coordinating their efforts, they were not being nearly as effective as they could be, and that they were not substantially expanding their memberships due to a lack of marketing coupled with various restrictions on membership.

But since the earth is home to all of us, there should be an organization open to everyone without restrictions in order to coordinate and expand efforts to help protect life on our planet. That is why I founded the Environment Coalition. It welcomes everyone from the youngest to the oldest with the goals of educating everyone about environmental issues and teaching them what they can do individually and collectively to help protect it. It also welcomes participation of all environmentally focused organizations without them having to alter anything they are already doing.

It is out of this background that I decided to put together an Earth Day Expo whose message would be "Hope for the Future" and to invite as many exhibitors as possible within the capacity of the Library's Scott Room. The Expos purpose was to build bridges between organizations and between the private and public sectors, so citizens would work collectively and in partnership with their elected representatives. The intent was to be uplifting and empowering, inspiring and motivational, and welcoming to a far larger number of people who are not yet actively involved in environmental protection.

I was particularly pleased with how successful the event was with such little time to plan it. Of particular note was the wide range of exhibitors and attendees. There were 21 exhibitors and approximately 200 attendees of all ages. There were more than 20 high school students from four different high schools – Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, and Ursuline - all of whom had exhibits covering plastics, transportation, insects, electronic waste, electric vehicles, and legislation. And there were also many pre-school and elementary aged children who attended the Expo with their parents in tow.

Many political leaders and political action groups were there as well, including Congressman George Latimer, Mayor Justin Arest, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg, Assistant Village Manager Emily Giovanni, Fire Chief Christopher Mytych, members of various Boards, and members of groups that have political engagement, such as the Citizens Climate Lobby, the Forum, the FOSP, the Vine Cutters, and the Weinberg Nature Center - not to mention State Senator Shelley Mayer, Assemblyperson Amy Paulin and Assemblyman Steve Otis would have attended the Expo had they not been called back to Albany on Tuesday to finish budget negotiations.

There were twenty exhibitors from around the county, all with valuable messaging. Here are just a few of them:

We chatted with Sam Weinstock from the Weinberg Nature Center who was giving out kale seeds and potting soil to sprout some kale in your garden.

A group of students from Mamaroneck High School was formed to analyze the economics of EV transportation. Though they contend that EV’s are better for the environment then gas powered vehicles, they argue that the disposal of batteries is problematic and have found that the best transportation solution is mass EV transit, or simpler means such as walking or riding a bike.Sam from the Weinberg Nature Center

Scarsdale Assistant Village Manager Emily Giovanni was on hand, to promote the Scarsdale food scrap program and to encourage people to get their own green pail and start collecting and composting food scraps.

Don't always believe food expiration dates.Lisa Owen set up a display about reducing food waste. She contends that the expiration dates on many food products do not reflect the products full shelf life and cause disposal of edible food. She encouraged people to look and smell food before throwing it away due to the expiration date.

Cynthia Roberts from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks displayed the benefits of trees for air quality and water absorption. She highlighted the risks of spotted lantern flies that infest trees and invasive vines that choke trees.

The Girl Scouts advocated to minimize e-waste from products and batteries.

They suggest we do the following:
-Repair, don’t replace
-Take used electronics to a trustworthy recycler
-implement mindful spending habits
-Advocate for e-waste management legislation that take public health into consideration.
-Educate others.The spotted lantern fly and invasive vines pose risks to trees.

Darlene LeFrancois Haber highlighted a report from the Scarsdale Forum about the environmental and health risks of artificial turf.

Courtney Williams, founder of Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions was on hand to discuss their mission to move Westchester to Zero Waste and to close Peekskill’s Wheelabrator plant, a 37- year-old incinerator that spews toxins into the air.

Courtney Williams of WASSAlso on hand was County Executive George Latimer who remembered the first Earth Day in 1970 when he was a senior in high school. He said, “We have to change if we want to help the earth over the long haul.”

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 17 April 2025

Created: 17 April 2025

Last Updated: 17 April 2025

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The Scarsdale SAFE Coalition and its partners invite you to join us for our spring program entitled It Ends With Us: A Film Discussion. Led by SFCS’s own Youth Outreach Workers, this program will explore the film’s depiction of domestic violence and examine whether it gives the audience an accurate illustration of the complexities surrounding this topic. The program will be held at the Scarsdale Public Library on Wednesday, April 30th at 7pm and will be live streamed for community members who are unable to attend in person. Information regarding registration is included below.

As an anti-violence coalition, we are committed to educating our community about the various forms of violence, both overt and covert. Through our annual fall and spring programming, we strive to foster awareness and promote a deeper understanding of these critical issues. We take great pride in addressing these topics with integrity and respect, recognizing the responsibility we hold in representing such sensitive matters. This sense of duty is the driving force behind our current program.

The film It Ends with Us, based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel brings the sensitive issue of domestic violence into the spotlight, reaching audiences well beyond the movie screen and resonating particularly with teenage viewers. Given the film's widespread popularity, our coalition feels it is imperative to not only highlight the accurate portrayals of domestic violence but also to critically examine the aspects of the film that may have been sensationalized or romanticized for dramatic effect. Through this discussion, we aim to encourage a more informed and nuanced understanding of this important issue.

Our program facilitators, who are trained mental health professionals, will focus primarily on five key elements present in the movie - the abuse cycle, generational abuse, toxic masculinity, ending abusive relationships, the lasting psychological effects associated with these issues. Through carefully selected film clips, the presentation will offer concrete examples of how each theme is represented. Although watching the film is not required, we highly encourage community members to view it beforehand to gain a deeper understanding and develop their own insights.

All Scarsdale community residents ages 13 and up are invited to attend. Community members who cannot attend the program in person are also invited to join us virtually and will have the opportunity to be a part of the conversation through the Q&A function of the webinar. Click here to register.

We hope you will join us for this exciting and interactive program. Joining us will be Sushi, the Scarsdale Police Department facility dog. Sushi, a white Labrador Retriever, is 18 months old and proudly serves as the newest member of the police force. We extend our sincere appreciation to the Scarsdale Police Department for their partnership and collaboration in this important event. We would also like to express our gratitude to our partners at the Scarsdale Public Library and the Junior League of Central Westchester (JCLW) for their continued support and collaboration in bringing this event to fruition.

For more information, please contact SAFE Coalition Coordinator Milagros “Millie” Chatelain, LMHC at [email protected].