Election Results: Westchester Wide and a Mock Vote at Scarsdale Middle School
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5006
Though Democrats in the national election did not score the resounding victory they hoped for, in New York the Dems had everything to celebrate. From the top of the ballot down, Democrats won big in every race.
Most exciting for Scarsdale is that our State Senator, Andrea Stewart Cousins is poised to become the majority leader of the NY State Senate which has flipped to the Democrats after decades of Republican control. She will make history as the first woman and the first African-American woman to serve in that role.
Here are the results from the Westchester County Board of elections:
Governor Cuomo/Lieutenant Governor Hochul 67%
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli 70%
Attorney General Letitia James 68%
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 70%
Congressman Eliot Engel 100%
Congresswoman Nita Lowey 100%
State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins 100%
State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin 100%
Mock Election at Scarsdale Middle School
On Monday November 5, the League of Women Voters and the Scarsdale Middle School Social Studies Department staged a mock election for the students. The League assisted the SMS Social Studies teachers in developing an election ballot based on the middle school street address. All students went to the Great Hall during their Social Studies class period to vote electronically. League volunteers “checked in” students based on their house and homeroom. After students confirmed their names they received an “I Voted Today” sticker and went to the actual polling booth where they logged onto a laptop to access the Google doc ballot and cast their vote.
How did the kids vote? Though the winners were the same, the kids appear to be less liberal than the voters of Westchester.
Here are the results as reported by the Scarsdale Middle School:
Governor Andrew Cuomo 57.5%
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli 62.2%
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul 53.5%
Attorney General Letitia James 61.9%
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand 80.8%
Elliot Engel 100%
Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins 100%
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin 100%
SHS Sweethearts Marry -- Four Decades Later
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 10030
They had to wait four decades to do it, but on October 21, 2018 Scarsdale High School sweethearts Nanette Koryn and Ricky Sobel, both from the SHS Class of 1977, tied the knot. The two went on a date in high school and then a second date 34 years later. They’ve been together ever since.
They were married at L’Escale Restaurant in Greenwich, CT where the welcome sign at their wedding showed their yearbook pictures and the words they wrote to each other back in 1977. The signature cocktail at the wedding was called Glass of ’77 and the happy couple walked down the aisle to the tune of Englebert Humperdinck’s classic “Quando Quando Quando,” because he had to wait so long to get a second date. The "first dance" was to the tune of "Second Time Around" by Shalamar.
Other fun details included the family dogs in bridal dresses and a gymnast in lace suspended upside down from a hoop who filled guests glasses with champagne. The biggest surprise of all was when the groom jumped out of the wedding cake!
Congrats to these two sporty lovebirds. May they enjoy many more zany years together.
Yearbook entries from 1977
Ricky jumped out of the cake!
Champagne anyone?
Reader Survey: Complete this Short Survey on a Dog Park for Scarsdale
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 5171
What do you think about the establishment of a dog park in Scarsdale? Would you like to see one here, and if so, where do you think it should go?
Please complete the short survey we have created by clicking here. The survey is open to Scarsdale residents only and we ask that you only complete it once.
When we have the results, we will share them with you.
The Village also invites you to provide feedback on a dog park at a meeting at Village Hall at 6 pm on Tuesday November 13.
Click here to take the survey.
Police Response to Bomb Threat at Quaker Ridge School
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 7095
Heathcote Principal Maria Stile and School Board VP Pam Fuehrer cut the ribbon at the new Heathcote Cafeteria.This Week from the Scarsdale Schools:
Bomb Threat
On the morning of October 24 a written threat was found at Quaker Ridge Elementary School. Although a determination was made that the threat was not credible, a decision to evacuate students and staff from the school was made in collaboration with our Chief of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management and the Scarsdale Police Department. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution and allowed law enforcement to conduct further inspection of the school.
The Scarsdale Police Department, in conjunction with the Westchester County Bomb Squad, conducted a detailed security sweep of the building, including the use of specially trained K-9's. Students were temporarily relocated to the Scarsdale Middle School in accordance with district emergency response procedures. NYS mandates that specific information related to emergency response procedures be kept confidential for security reasons. Additional information has been disseminated to Quaker Ridge parents through email and via phone. All students and staff are safe.
In response to further questions about police response to the incident, we received the following statement from Captain Thomas Altizio of the Scarsdale Police Department. He said, "The information that I will give you is based upon facts, derived from the GPS tracking of our patrol cars, the recording of our radio transmissions and telephone calls and the modem time stamps of data sent to and from the police car's mobile computers. You may find this factual information to be contrary to some of the misinformation that is spread on social media."
"The Police Desk received the call at 10:29 am. After the approximately one minute phone call from the school, the Patrol Supervisor and responding units were immediately notified of the incident over the radio and began responding to the school at approximately 10:31 am. All of the cars that responded to the school were already on other calls (aided case, DOA, prisoner court transport), and immediately redirected to the Quaker Ridge school. The entire administrative staff of HQ either responded directly to the school to assist or picked up the assignments that other patrol officers redirected from, such as the prisoner transport and DOA. The Westchester County Bomb Squad was requested by the Police Desk, and advised of a 30 minute response time. Once Scarsdale units were in route via radio dispatch, the Computer Aided Dispatch was entered and transmitted at 10:34. The first units were on scene at 10:37am. From the time they were notified and redirected from the other calls, Scarsdale units were on scene in 5 to 6 minutes. The response of the Westchester County Bomb Squad and Special Operations Bomb detecting dogs was longer, due to their activity and the distance they respond from. The children and faculty had already been moved from the area in question to a different part of the school, then placed on buses for relocation to the Middle School. During the entire event the police department worked closely with the School District's new Safety Liaison. After the school was evacuated, it was swept by explosive detecting canines, bomb technicians, police officers and school staff and it was determined that there was no threat. The scene was turned back over to the school staff at 12:35 pm.
The investigation into the source of the threat is being handled by the Scarsdale Police Department Investigations Section and is ongoing."
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
Also this week, ceremonies were held to mark the official opening of new facilities at Edgewood and Heathcote Schools. Students at Edgewood are now enjoying a large, multi-room library and media center which opened in September, and students at Heathcote are making good use of a new cafeteria and individual instruction rooms along with a spacious new entry.
SSEF Celebrates Design Lab and Fitness Center at SHS
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 9516
Lisa Yokana and Brian McDonald in the new Design LabBack in 2010, when the concept of an education foundation for the Scarsdale Schools was under discussion, I doubt that anyone could have imagined the positive impact such a foundation could have on the district in such a short time.
Visitors were greeted in the new Learning CommonsFortunately the School Board, a committee of passionate residents and the school administration were able to agree on terms and permit an ambitious fundraising campaign to begin.
After funding $90,000 in grants for initiatives at all grade levels in 2013, the foundation turned to fundraising for an extensive upgrade for Scarsdale High School. They sought to raise $2.25 million to build a Design Lab and a new Fitness Center at SHS, The old fitness room was cramped, dark and uninviting and a new fitness facility was required for physical education classes and team training. The school board was under economic pressure to keep tax increases to a minimum and could not fund these new spaces without raising taxes. They turned to the foundation to provide supplemental funding beyond those available from the 2014 school bond.
The Fitness CenterTo provide an optimal environment and new equipment for the district’s seven course STEAM curriculum, funds from SSEF were used to build a stunning, state of the art Design Lab. This large space is now used to teach problem solving, design thinking, computer aided design, engineering and entrepreneurship. The space includes 3-D printers and laser cutters that allow students to design and build new products. The three-room suite can accommodate two classes at a time, and all the courses offered are fully subscribed.
Similarly funds from the foundation were used to build a 6,200 square foot space underneath the gym for strength and cardio training as well as stretching, floor exercises and group instruction. Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi happily reports that the facility is now scheduled for use for 32 out of 34 available school periods. Classes are scheduled all day and teams use it to work out in groups. The center is also heavily used by students after school.
On Thursday night September 27, the foundation held a reception to
State of the art bikes at the SHS Fitness Center. celebrate the opening of the Design Lab, Fitness Center and a paver garden in a courtyard outside the D-Lab. The courtyard is lined with brick pavers inscribed with the names of foundation donors. The garden has been transformed from an unused, neglected outdoor area to an inviting space where students can congregate and collaborate. Pam Rubin, who is coordinating paver sales for the Education Foundation, responded to a request from 10583 by noting that additional pavers are currently available for $250 and $1,000 and can be ordered online on the foundation's website.
Donor Recognition Plaques outside the Design Lab.SSEF Executive Director Steve Seward described the evening as "a terrific opportunity to show our supporters the results of their generosity. We were especially pleased to have teachers, students and administrators here to demonstrate the creative uses for these new resources." And Seward added, "we initially used videos to explain the goals of these projects, and then photos to illustrate the progress the district was making toward their completion. But there is no substitute for seeing them completed and in use. This was a very upbeat event for all of us and a proud moment for the Scarsdale schools."
School Superintendent Thomas Hagerman welcomed the group saying that when he arrived in 
The Paver Garden in the courtyard.Scarsdale five years ago the district was at a crossroads. Designed in another era, SHS had physical challenges that needed to be addressed. The Board sought to maintain the best of the past while building facilities for the future. He thanked the “terrific group of dedicated people” for making it possible for the district to build facilities that “delight and inspire.”
School Board member and liaison to the Foundation Nina Cannon thanked the foundation for their vital funding and Pam Rubin, a member of the Board of SSEF, thanked her fellow board members, Executive Director Steve Seward and everyone who helped to build the foundation, including the SSEF's first president, Ellen Miller-Wachtel. Rubin said she was “happy that the campaign is finished” and said the foundation looks forward to making more grants for innovation in the future. Steve Seward elaborated on the foundation's current planning by noting that the Grants Committee of the Education Foundation is working with the district to develop an ongoing program of support for innovative educational projects. "After spending nearly three years focused on the high school in this campaign," Seward said, "we look forward to supporting equally vital projects at the Middle School and in all five of Scarsdale's elementary schools."
Attendees toured the new spaces and marveled at the 21st century facilities ensconced in a one hundred year old school. The Education Foundation plans to schedule additional tours this fall, in the daytime and evening, for all community residents to visit the new spaces.
(Photos by Michael Chayes)
