Award-winning Filmmaker Shines Light on Academic Pressure
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On Wednesday, April 6th, the Scarsdale community will welcome education advocate and award-winning documentary film maker Vicki Abeles to speak about systemic stress, the obsession with achievement in America's schools, and the toll on our students' well-being. The event, jointly sponsored by the Scarsdale Parent Teacher Council, the Scarsdale PTAs, the Scarsdale High School Compact Committee and the Scarsdale Public Library, will take place at 7:30 pm at The Scarsdale Middle School.
Ms. Abeles is the creator of the 2010 ground-breaking education documentary Race to Nowhere, which called to challenge the current thinking about how we prepare children for success, featuring the heartbreaking stories of students across the country who have been pushed to the brink by over-scheduling, over-testing and the relentless pressure to achieve. On April 6th, Ms. Abeles will present the latest research and data on the highly charged topic of stress and will offer thought provoking solutions to reclaiming our children's education. Following her presentation, Ms. Abeles will answer questions and will be available to sign copies of her new book Beyond Measure.
"This program will continue to raise community awareness about the effects of stress on our students and dovetails with the in-depth work that has been going on at Scarsdale High School over the past two years regarding overall student wellness," says Scarsdale High School PTA President Margaret Smith. "The High School recently surveyed the entire student body on their experiences with stress. Discussions among faculty, parents, and students are underway to thoughtfully engage on addressing concerns about these topics."
Community members can view Ms. Abeles' 
award-winning film Race to Nowhere at The Scarsdale Public Library on Wednesday, March 30th. There will be 2 showings at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm. High school students are welcome to attend.
In addition, residents can learn more about these topics in advance of Ms. Abeles' presentation by visiting www.beyondmeasurefilm.com or by reading Ms. Abeles' new book Beyond Measure, which lays bare the striking evidence that America's obsessive achievement culture is making our children sicker, not smarter. With in-depth research, personal anecdotes, and a dose of common sense, it shows communities how to realize their collective power to change the system to better reflect our true values: health, happiness, and genuine learning for our children.
For more information about this event, please contact Scarsdale PT Council program coordinators Amy Cooper ([email protected]) or Jennifer Rossano ([email protected].)
Photographs of Marnie Gelfman On Display at LES Gallery
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The opening reception for an exhibit of the photographs of Greenacres resident Marnie Gelfman will be held on the lower east side of Manhattan on Friday night March 11 from 6- 9 pm. Titled, "The Ground I've Walked, A Year of Discovery" the exhibit chronicles a year in the life of the artist as she photographed her feet in their surroundings each day.
Discussing the work, Gelfman says, "The project started off as a random creative assignment and quickly became a daily obsession. Whether I was on the grass, sand, snow, water, pebbles, carpet, pavement, a yoga mat or in a garden, I found a way to record the day and where I landed. This exercise forced me to look hard and be present, to stop rushing and slow down. It enabled me to find the inner state that yogis hope to attain through relaxation."
She continued, "I focused and became aware of all the amazing details in my environment. Do we ever really look at the shape of a wave, the color of the grass, the texture of flowers, the pattern of a rug, the lighting on the floor, or the writing or markings on the pavement? In the process of recording th
ese details, I also became aware of how I spent my days. Documentation makes the invisible moments of our lives visible and creates a record for review. Before this project, I never focused on what shoes I wore in different environments. My photographs record it all. In some I am barefoot, in others I am in high heels or flip flops, colorful ballet flats, wedges, sneakers or tall boots. The ground supported and carried me from one destination to another, gently one step at a time. It was a year of discovery, a journey of looking hard, recording my steps and moving forward."
About the artist:
Gelfman earned her BFA in painting and photography from Cornell 1987. From there she went to the Macy's training program and then into Private Label Home Furnishings Design from 1987-1994. She started Marguerite's Garden a hand painted children's clothing company and sold to upscale boutiques in NYC, and taught at Young at Art for ten years. She has also taught art at lunch recess programs and after school at Greenacres and Fox Meadow Elementary school's and taught at the Scarsdale Adult School. She is currently launching a new business idea called smART box adventures which is an online open source art class for kids that coordinates with a subscription art box of supplies.
Gelfman thanks Sabrina Wirth for her help with graphic design, Scarsdale Art and Frame for matting and framing over 70 pieces and Zachys for the wine that will be served at the opening.
See the photographs of Marnie Gelfman on Eldridge Street
Opening reception: Friday March 11, 2016 6-9 pm
Ground Floor, 88 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002
Additional gallery hours: Tuesday March 15, 12-2pm
Dedicated Village Volunteers Win the Scarsdale Spelling Bee
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I found out that I had a lot to learn at the Scarsdale Spelling Bee on Friday 2-26. I am an avid reader and spend my days writing, so I assumed that I was a better than average speller. But it turned out that I was flattering myself. Sitting in the audience at the Sixth Annual Friends of the Library Spelling Bee I realized that the problem wasn't just my spelling; I didn't even know what many of the words meant. Who knew that a D-H-O-W was a sailboat, that L-Y-S-I-S refers to the breaking down of a cell membrane and that A-F-F-L-A-T-U-S isn't intestinal gas -- but divine inspiration!
After I realized what a tough contest this was, I was doubly pleased that I had not given into temptation and volunteered to be a contestant when the organizers asked for a few more volunteers. That would have been embarrassing.
Luckily many brave souls did agree to participate, 
but most were not on stage long. The contest began with four "swarms" of five teams each, but since one misspelling knocked you out, the rounds were over quickly. The contest was judged by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Scarsdale Mayor Jon Mark and Library Director Elizabeth Bermel –--who had to quickly look up the correct spelling of each word while the contestants worked.
The event is usually emceed by the voice of the Mets, Ed Coleman. But since the spelling bee was postponed due to snow, Ed is at spring training and was not available. Stepping in for Ed was last year's spelling bee winner and Library Board President Terri Simon.
In Swarm A, one team was knocked out with the first word, when they left the first H out of the word E-I-G-H-T-H. The remaining four teams all spelled Counsel, Vigilante, Eczema, Innuendo and Complementary correctly, but two groups fell with D-H-O-W, the last misspelled C-O-I-R, leaving the Bee Bee Kings, including Chris Morin, Seth Ross and Sunil Subbakrishna as the swarm victors.
In Swarm B, two teams were knocked out with the word Humerus – which refers to the large bone of the upper arm -– not the class comedian. The remaining three teams all misspelled Afflatus so they all stayed in the context. Jodphur tripped up one team and Embouchure another, putting the Library Trust Bees – Marc Greenwald, John Harris and Frank Lichtenberg into the final round.
Swarm C was short-lived. All five team misspelled Googol – which is 10 to the 100th power – not the popular search engine. Another lost on Zori and three teams faltered on the word Muumuu. I remembered owning one when I was about four – but the spelling of it evaded me too. The Pres-Bee-Terians, Heather and Stephan Meili, won that swarm and were finalists as they have been many times before.
In the last round, which was intended for high school students, the Friends had trouble getting volunteers. However they did manage to get three teams to volunteer from the audience. This round was the quickest of all. It started with B-I-E-R – which is a stand for a corpse rather than a drink you'll find on tap. Three teams were knocked out on the first word. Next came A-B-H-O-R-R-E-N-T. One of the teams neglected the double "R", putting Josie and Louisa Blatt and Laura Clapp into the finals.
After a break for snacks and a trivia contest, the four teams returned to stage for the final round. Though the teams could use white eraser boards to write their words for the initial rounds, for this final stage it was an oral contest with each team given a word to stand up and spell. One team was knocked out quickly by the word Quiddity, another inserted the letter A instead of Y in Anaphylactic. That left the teens sparring against the Bee Bee Kings. It was very impressive for the teens to spell I-S-O-S-C-E-L-E-S correctly but ultimately they were flummoxed by the word T-E-S-S-E-L-L-A-T-E – which they spelled with a C rather than the double S.
The winners emerged. They included School Board member Chris Morin, past School Board member Sunil Subbakrishna and current candidate for Village Trustee Seth Ross, who scored a repeat victory. You can draw your own conclusions about what this says about the non-partisan system!
There were gifts for the contestants, prizes for the winners and lots of great raffle give-aways for the attendees. The event was well-attended – especially by kids, and it was a good time for all.
Photo Credit © Nadide Goksun
Spelling Bee this Friday Night February 26
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Join friends and neighbors at the sixth annual Friends of the Scarsdale Library Adult and Teen Spelling Bee, to take place, Friday, February 26, 2016 at 7:30pm in the Scarsdale High School Auditorium. Teens challenge adults, families challenge friends and neighbors go neck and neck in an evening filled with excitement, prizes and rewards. The event was rescheduled due to snow.
The evening, emceed by Ed Coleman, voice of the NY Mets, will include a raffle, silent auction, and a trivia contest between rounds. Admission to the Spelling Bee is $5, and refreshments will be on sale. Ticket holders need not be present to win.
Grand Prize: Bose Headphones; Silent Auction Items include Test Takers; Raffle Items* include Yoga Classes, Spinning & Golf Lessons!
For more information, contact Spelling Bee Chairs Renu Lalwani at 917-584-8834 ([email protected]) or Carolyn Mehta at 914-584-5903 ([email protected]).
*Enticing raffle prizes include, Baskets of Children's Games & Toys, 5 sessions of I Train with Juan, Fly Wheel, 4 Classes at Scarsdale Ballet Studio, 5 Classes at Yoga Station, Fit Walk, Rose Day Spa Gift Basket, and a Lesson with the Head Pro at Scarsdale Golf Club.
Join the swarm this Friday February 26 at 7:30pm at Scarsdale High School for the sixth annual spelling bee.
Elevated Levels of Radioactivity Reported in Groundwater at Indian Point Power Plant
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Last week we alerted you to concerns about cryptosporidium and giardia in surface water in the Kensico Reservoir. This week, another threat to the Westchester water supply has surfaced. Entergy, the owner and operator of the Indian Point Power Plant in Buchanan New York issued a report showing elevated levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen in 3 of 40 testing sites of the groundwater at the site.
Entergy claims that the tritium did not affect any sources of drinking water, on or offsite, and says they are putting remediation plans in place.
Both Governor Cuomo, who lives in New Castle, and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino issued statements on the news. The two have been rivals since the 2014 race for Governor when Astorino challenged Cuomo.
Cuomo issued his statement on Saturday 2-6, and called for a full investigation. He said, "This latest failure at Indian Point is unacceptable and I have directed Department of Environmental Conservation Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos and Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker to fully investigate this incident and employ all available measures, including working with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, cause and potential impacts to the environment and public health."
Astorino said he met with Entergy and that "these elevated levels are more than one thousand times below federal permissible limits." He pledged that, "The county will continue to verify and monitor the situation. Getting the facts and understanding them are critically important to serving the public interest. False hysteria is not. "
This is just the latest issue at the aging power plant where one unit is now 40 years old. The plant was closed twice in December due to mechanical malfunctions – and for 19 days in May and July of 2015.
