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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 02 February 2026

Created: 02 February 2026

Last Updated: 02 February 2026

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Warning signs or “red flags” of an unhealthy relationship exist and teaching teens how to identify them early is an important skill. Scarsdale eighth grade students participated in an interactive presentation titled “That’s A Red Flag” facilitated by Ashley Bendiksen, a youth motivational speaker and healthy relationship advocate. The presentation was held on January 15th and was jointly sponsored by the Scarsdale Middle School Health Department, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service and the Scarsdale SAFE Coalition.

Through personal stories and interactive discussion, Bendiksen educated students how to distinguish healthy relationships from harmful ones; recognize early warning signs of relationship violence and understand how respecting boundaries support mental health and personal growth. Students learned practical strategies for seeking help when needed and supporting friends who may be involved in an unhealthy friendship, all while learning to value the positive behaviors that foster strong, respectful relationships.

“Teaching older teens to have healthy romantic relationships begins with teaching them about healthy friendships” said Milagros “Millie” Chatelain, LMHC, Youth Outreach Worker on the Middle School level and the Safe Coalition Coordinator. “A fair number of students who seek services from Youth Outreach are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues stemming from unhealthy friendships.”

Bendiksen highlighted several practical “red flags” for students that may indicate a friendship is unhealthy. Examples included feeling as though you are “walking on eggshells” around the other person: being asked to share locker combinations, passwords or their location; feeling as if you cannot say “no”, to the person; or feeling a sense of dread or exhaustion after spending time with them. Bendiksen concluded her program by emphasizing a key takeaway for students that a healthy relationship should make an individual feel both safe and supported. “Our students were attentive and engaged throughout the presentation, and they asked great questions,” said Chatelain.

Parents are encouraged to continue conversations about healthy friendships at home, and in their parent support groups, reinforcing a culture of safety, respect, and healthy relationships in school and in the community.

The Scarsdale SAFE Coalition is a violence prevention coalition dedicated to promoting safe, and healthy relationships and preventing all forms of school, community and interpersonal violence through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service serves as the coalition’s lead agency. Funding for Ms. Bendiksen’s presentation was provided by the Scarsdale Safe Coalition.

For more information about the SAFE Coalition, or to become involved, please contact Millie Chatelain, LMHC at [email protected].

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 28 January 2026

Created: 28 January 2026

Last Updated: 28 January 2026

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The Pool Project is moving forward. At the 1/27/26 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, the board passed a resolution to declare themselves lead agency for a SQRA review of the municipal pool development project.

In opening comments, Mayor Justin Arest thanked the Department of Public Works for their “professionalism and dedication” as they cleared more than a foot of snow throughout the weekend, beginning on Sunday morning January 25, and doing several rounds of plowing.

The Mayor noted Holocaust Remembrance Day, saying, “We must never forget,” and offered comments on the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis that you can read here.

Arest paid tribute to former Scarsdale Mayor Ed Morgan who passed away, saying he served the community for five decades as Mayor, Village Trustee and on many committees. He noted his military career and respected legal career and said Morgan was “deeply committed to Scarsdale.” Read Morgan’s obituary here. The Board observed a moment of silence in Morgan’s memory.

Arest then announced a Flag Design Contest to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 325th anniversary of Scarsdale. He invited artists to submit their designs by March 20, 2026. See the full details here.

Village Manager Alex Marshall said that the Department of Public Works was out on the roads since Sunday morning clearing a foot of snow. She asked residents to refrain from pushing snow from their properties into the streets and advised them to clear snow off of their cars before driving.

Public Comments

Marian Green thanked the Mayor for addressing the state of affairs in which we live. She commended the DPW, saying, “it was amazing how quickly the roads were cleared. Thank you!” She asked about the material that was used to melt the snow and questioned if the brine could affect pets and asked for more information on what kind of chloride is used.

The Mayor told Green that the brine includes molasses and beet juice and that the formula is adjusted based on the temperature and reduces the need for the chloride/salt.

Resolutions

-The Board of Trustees accepted a gift of a storage shed from Scarsdale Travel Softball to be placed at Supply Field, valued at $4,000.00.

-They accepted the schedule of recreation fees and charges for this year. You can see the schedule here.

-They approved the annual 4 mile and 15K run, a 55-year tradition, to be held on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

-They scheduled a public hearing on February 10, 2026 to amend the code concerning swimming pool fence spacing. Zoning Board Chair Jeff Watiker explained that Scarsdale’s current law requires two inch spacing between vertical members of a pool fence and this would change it to four inch spacing, which conforms with state law.

-They scheduled a public hearing on February 10 to consider a tax levy in excess of the NYS Tax Cap, should it be necessary.

-They approved a notice of intent for the Village Board to be the lead agency for a SEQRA review of the Scarsdale Pool Complex project.

The next meeting of the Village Board will be held on Tuesday February 10, 2026.

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Written by: Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 20 January 2026

Created: 20 January 2026

Last Updated: 20 January 2026

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(This is the opinion of Scarsdale10583 site founder Joanne Wallenstein.)

As taxpayers you will soon face a vote on a proposed $98.5mm school bond that has unanimous support from the seven members of the school board. The plan includes funds for air conditioning, infrastructure upgrades, and field improvements, but the lion’s share of the spending is for major additions to two elementary schools.

After watching the board discussions, reviewing their presentations and analyzing related reports, I think the decision to add six classrooms and five support rooms in a $21mm expansion of Edgewood School deserves further scrutiny.

Here’s why:

Though I am sure that the Edgewood Elementary School requires updating and perhaps more flexible learning spaces, I think there are valid questions about the plan to build a $21 mm addition, primarily to support a very small special education program.

There are currently just 21 Scarsdale students in the program, in three self-contained classrooms. Since each class has a teacher and two aids, the district has stated a goal of supporting the program by inviting out of district students to pay tuition to join these classes.

Special Ed Enrollment by Program and Grade

However, as taxpayers in Scarsdale, do we want to underwrite a $21mm expansion so that we can accommodate out of district students? Is it wise to incur a 20-year tax increase to build an addition for a small school population that varies in size year over year? It's a bridge too far.

Is there room to house the program in another school?

During bond discussions, the district proposed moving three sections of Fox Meadow students to Greenacres (redistricting) as Greenacres appears to have a lot of extra space. See the chart below of square footage per student by elementary school. Greenacres has 85,000 square feet of space with an enrollment of just 351 students. That’s 244 square feet per student, with more space per student than any other elementary school. The redistricting idea was shelved after pushback from the community.

Square footage per student in Scarsdale Schools

So why not move the SPED program to Greenacres? The district has not offered a convincing argument about why Special Education cannot be moved to Greenacres. They say they expect an enrollment increase at Greenacres, but the data is not convincing, given low home sales, lack of available land for subdivisions, declining birthrates etc. They say they don’t want to have to move the program year to year - but it appears that the program could move to and remain at Greenacres.

What is the alternative?

Greenacres EnrollmentRather than adding on so much square footage to our footprint, bond funds could be used to reconfigure some of the smaller classrooms at Greenacres to accommodate the SPED program. These rooms are in the original wing of the school that was not reconfigured during the renovation. This would allow three classrooms to be freed up at Edgewood where funds could be used to renovate and modify Edgewood to meet their current needs.

Given the strain on district reserves and health insurance costs, building more space at this time does not seem prudent. The $21mm spent to expand now will ultimately require hiring additional staff, health insurance and retirement costs, increasing custodial services and spending more on facilities upkeep for decades to come. 

The long-term financial picture for district finances is concerning. Let’s not expand when we already have ample space.

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Written by: Jeremy Gorrin

Published: 11 January 2026

Created: 11 January 2026

Last Updated: 11 January 2026

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Abby Nadborny driving past defender.Tuesday’s matchup between Scarsdale and Ursuline remained close throughout the game. Scarsdale came out cold going down 0-9 to open the first quarter. Scarsdale scored its first points with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter. Despite a cold start, Abby Nadborny brought Scarsdale back into the game with five points. Scarsdale ended the quarter only down five, with a score of 7-12. During the second quarter, Scarsdale was able to control the game, keeping Ursuline from scoring any points. Leah Brown led Scarsdale through the second quarter, scoring four points, putting Scarsdale up 16-12. But Scarsdale’s defense didn’t transfer over to the second half, giving up 11 points in the third quarter. Despite this, Scarsdale was able to stay in the game with a layup from Chloe Powell, tying the game at 23-23 at the end of the third quarter. Even though Scarsdale kept the game competitive, they could not pull out the win, losing 30-37. Abby Nadborny finished as Scarsdale’s leading scorer with 11 points in the close loss to Ursuline.

Abby Nadbony shoots a free throw.

Leah Brown driving through defense.

Alexa Shabsels shooting a free throw.

Tali Blumenfeld driving in for a layup.

Reese Newman shooting a 3.Leah Brown shooting a free throw.

Scarsdale Team during national anthem.