Antennas Installed, Student Stress, Sustainability, Special Education and more from the Board of Ed
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The new antennas were installed to address the cell phone gaps (in red) at the high school, fox meadow school and surrounding neighborhoods. Has your service improved?The December 18, 2023 Board of Education meeting included a report on Special Education but also touched on several issues that are top of mind for the community including cell service around the schools, student stress and sustainability. Here's what was discussed:
Cell Service
After his opening remarks, BOE president Ron Schulhof provided a brief overview of a recent meeting the District had with Village representatives. In addition to reviewing items such as the field study, Schulhof was happy to announce that both of the Verizon cell antennas are now up and operating. While operational, Schulhof explained that Verizon is currently working to optimize coverage and making sure the antennas are working together. He also explained that in their contract, the Village made it a requirement that Verizon reviews any remaining gaps at the high school or at Fox Meadow Elementary School. Once the final review is complete, the BOE will provide an update to the community.
Public Comments
Former Board of Education member Jonathan Lewis took to the podium and said:
“Climate change and the impacts of global warming cut across state and national boundaries, and municipal government jurisdictions. That is why global collaboration on combating the impacts of climate change, as witnessed at the recent UN meetings, are so important. Local collaboration on thinking through these issues is equally important.
That is why I would encourage the Scarsdale School District, and its leadership to engage the community and your village government partners vigorously in this important conversation - particularly the idea of a moratorium that is being discussed with heated debate in village hall.
First some perspective: The Scarsdale School District Sustainability Initiative was launched “as part of a worldwide effort to save the environment for future generations. It has three main objectives: student and adult education; environmentally aware behavior; and environmentally sound institutional practices.”
I would encourage the school district to think about how this initiative supports deeper engagement with the village on the subject of the moratorium and shared environmental threats and concerns.
For example, the village is currently undergoing an uncontrolled development boom. This boom has uncontrolled impacts on our local environment, water run-off, and flooding. It will also lead to a larger school population if the boom continues unabated. The time is right for the school district to engage in a conversation about this construction boom by educating our community about the key areas where development intersects with the value proposition of a Scarsdale education and its cost structure. The community needs to know the answers to the following questions to think through these issues:
What is the optimal student population of our school district with its current staffing and physical plant?
How does a rise above that optimal student population impact our longer-term cost structure?
How does it impact our human capital costs structure and the cost structure of our physical plant?
As the student population rises, what are the challenges to the highly personalized style of education we offer? What are the challenges to our physical plant? Importantly, what are the environmental impacts of a larger school district?
As the development boom reduces our tree canopy, and increases water run off and flooding, what are the environmental impacts of these developments on our school district grounds, playing fields, and the maintenance of our buildings?
In the scenarios where flooding worsens beyond current expectations, what are the impacts on our maintenance budgets and our ability to keep our schools open during adverse weather events? What are the impacts on safe school bus transportation on our roadways when they are flooded?
It should be clear that the school district (and its taxpayers) have important interests in the environmental policies that the village adopts, including policies that relate to development. It will be important for the school district and the village government to have joint public discussions on these topics to inform the current public debate.
The proposed moratorium, opposed by a vocal group of developers, is intended to provide our community with the breathing space to think through the best policies to ensure a Sustainable Scarsdale thrives and stands ready for the challenges of climate change. It would be interesting to think through how the Scarsdale School District Center for Innovation could engage students and the community in an important conversation on these matters. It would be in the spirit of Non Sibi, and consistent with the objectives of the Scarsdale School District Sustainability Initiative to move forward in this way. Thank you.”
Alissa Baum advocated for student well-being:
She said, “I want to start by thanking all of you - our school administrators, school board members, and teachers. I appreciate how much time and effort goes into supporting our children and helping them thrive.
I am here today, however, because I am becoming increasingly alarmed at what I perceive to be an overstatement of the effect of social media and technology on student wellness. I am concerned that the single focus on cell phone use is ignoring other major contributors to student stress. There is a good deal of research, especially looking at affluent schools like Scarsdale, that places blame on the excessive academic rigor expected of students, the lack of unstructured free time, and the lack of sleep.
So, I thought it would be helpful to pose some questions that I would like you--- as educators and policy makers--to think about, all based on real student experiences:
1. Core Classes: What is the purpose of homework in core classes? Should INITIAL learning of NOVELconcepts be learned at home? Or in the classroom?
2. Receiving and Turning in Homework Assignments: Is there any reason why students can’t get their assignments while in class? When an assignment is given after 4pm should the student be derided or penalized for completing the assignment a day late as supposedly permitted by school policy?
Is it fair, just because the technology allows, for students to have assignments due on midnight on Friday night? Or on Sunday night?
Should kids have significant homework on evenings they have afterschool AT and honors placement exams? Or the evening before college applications are due?
3. Use of email: If students are expected to respect certain norms, such as not emailing a teacher after a certain hour, shouldn’t teachers be subject to similar limitations? How many emails or google notifications should a student receive in one day?
4. Assemblies, such as for Non Sibi Day: Let me say I am grateful for these programs. This is one of the things that I believe is so special about our school, but when students miss classes for these events, should they be required to do that day’s classwork for homework? I do wonder if the students would be better served by having time to reflect on what they saw?
5. As we look at the evils of technology, can you consider how technology benefits some students, whether it is taking notes on a keyboard or taking a picture of a slide or homework assignment? There are all types of learners in our schools and, for some, their phones and computers can be an important part of their learning. Instead of focusing on phone caddies, it would be so much more productive to look at workload—an issue which you can actually control and which I believe you have the expertise to evaluate. Thank you for looking closely at what many of us believe is the real issue affecting our students’ well-being.”
Special Education Report
Another highlight of the meeting included the District’s second Education Report of the 2023-24 school year. The report, presented by Mr. Rauschenbach and Dr. McIntosh, aimed to
1. Look at special education in the context of our overall work
2. Review foundations of special education in public schools
3. Provide historical trends in our special education population and the programmatic work over the past 10 years
4. Identify the current continuum of services and administrative resources in place at each level
5. Reaffirm our guiding principles
6. Identify the work ahead and its place in our strategic plan.”
In addition to exploring these areas in depth, the presentation laid bare the very thoughtful, comprehensive and inclusive approach the District takes to providing special education for our students.
The report emphasized how a “philosophy of celebrating diverse learners and embracing all students, not only truly benefits all students and builds educator capacity,” but promotes our District’s mission to, “sponsor each student's full development, enabling our youth to be effective and independent contributors in a democratic society and an interdependent world.”
Also made clear in the presentation is the fact that our robust Special Education program has expanded and grown in the last several years. Not only has the District been able to keep more students who are in need of services here in their local schools, but it has also adjusted to meet the growing number of students who qualify for services. As the report describes, “Our programs are successfully widening the profile of students that can be educated in their community while individual students and the District continue to have outstanding educational outcomes.” For a detailed look at the numbers please see the presentation slides here:
And while,, this success is to be applauded, Mr. Rachenbach and Dr. McIntosh noted that, “Expansion of the continuum is philosophically responsible and fiscally prudent” and laid out a detailed plan for maintaining the sort of excellence in education that our district is known for. For more on this plan or to watch the full presentation, please click here.
The Board also voted to approve several policy updates including an update to: Policy 0115 - Student Harassment & Bullying Prevention & Intervention
Watch the BOE meeting in its entirety here.
SVAC and Students Honored for Administering 504 Vaccines
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Students from the Families Fighting Flu Club and many members of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps turned out at Village Hall on Tuesday night December 12 to receive proclamations for their work to fight flu and COVID. As a result of their collaboration, 504 influenza and COVID vaccines were administered at three clinics in October and November 2023. In addition, two SCARVAC volunteers were honored, each for over 40 years of service to the organization and the community.
SHS student Lexi Kanowitz started the Families Fighting Flu Club to honor the memory of her sister Amanda who passed away from the flu on March 1, 2004. The club was founded to raise awareness of the risks of influenza and to help prevent other families from experiencing the pain of the Kanowitz family. Lexi serves as Co-President of the club, along with fellow junior board member Brandon Cascade. The club now has 130 members, 30 of whom worked at the clinics. She said, "My yeaar old sister Amanda died suddenly from influenza on March 1, 2004. She was not vaccinated because back then the flu shot was not recommended for her age group."
Some of the students were present at Village Hall to receive a proclamation from Mayor Justin Arest. SVAC President David Raizen was in attendance to discuss the recent vaccine clinics, to honor Karen Sheer and Marvin Gross, two longtime volunteers who have served for over 40 years, and to ask for community support for the organization’s fund drive.
SHS Families Fighting Flu Club
Here are his comments:
"It takes a village to raise a child" is an African proverb telling us that it is the responsibility of the entire community to provide the safe and healthy environment for our children. In the case of COVID, our village response includes not only municipal services but also Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Today in what we hope is a post- covid world, we have taken on the role of continuing to test people for covid and are now vaccinating for both covid and flu.
Those Scarsdale Village children I just mentioned are already giving back to our community. In our latest round of COVID and flu vaccinations, we were assisted by Scarsdale High School's, Families Fighting Flu Club. They are learning to provide a safe and healthy environment for all.
During our last three vaccine clinics 30 student volunteers from the SHS Families Fighting Flu Club helped SVAC with 541 vaccinations. These students helped in many ways including at sign-in, as process expeditors and scribes for vaccinators. We are proud to say that it was no more than five minutes from walking in the door to leaving - fully vaccinated!
This is the first year we have been able to provide vaccines thanks to Amy Paulin who made sure we were an approved site for a Community Paramedicine pilot program. Given our success, next year SVAC will start earlier in vaccinating, with more clinics and ultimately plans to vaccinate more people.
SVAC and the Village BoardScarsdale VAC is obviously much more than a vaccination clinic. Just this year we have responded to 1,718 calls, responding to medical emergencies at any hour of the day or night. We also work closely with our home-bound residents, transporting them to medical appointments and bringing to their homes covid-testing and vaccinations as needed.
In 2023 our Scarsdale VAC training center taught five CPR courses at our headquarters, and a mass class at Scarsdale High School for 187 people, as well as four NYS DOH Certified EMT classes with 73 total participants, 24 of whom were Scarsdale High School students completing their Senior Options.
Our volunteers have given more than 5,500 hours of their own personal time this year.
Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps responds to medical emergencies, transports patients to and from doctor visits administers to the homebound, provides COVID and Flu testing and vaccinations, and offers EMT and CPR training with a budget that is under one million dollars a year.
Scarsdale VAC does all of this - emergency response, home-bound aide, vaccinations and training all with a budget of less than one million dollars a year and I think some context will help our community to understand just how extraordinary is our fiscal performance.
The Town of Pelham recently put out a bid for ambulance service and agreed to pay $1.7 million dollars annually to Eastchester VAC, for one advanced life support ambulance. This contract is ONLY for ambulance service. Eastchester VAC will not be providing any of the additional services I highlighted earlier to the residents of Pelham.
I am proud to say that Scarsdale VAC is amongst the best ambulance service in New York State, providing more services than almost any community in New York State. Our membership is, and should be, proud of what we have accomplished!
Our fund drive was mailed to 6,897 homes, so far 480 have responded. Right now, the fact is that we have vaccinated more people than those who donated. Our taxes do not pay for SVAC. We survive by donations and soft billing for ambulance responses. Note that although we bill through insurance for some of our services, the insurance reimbursement rate only covers a small fraction of our actual expenses.
To date we are lucky that we survive based on a few very generous residents. We hope we can count on a broader base of community support in the future. Chances are SVAC has made a positive impact in your life.
Please make your donation today to Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, P.O. Box 92, Scarsdale, NY. We need your support!
Karen Sheer, Justin Arest, David Raizen and Marvin Gross
The second part of my comments tonight have to do with our membership. During covid we were unable to celebrate SVAC 50th anniversary. Getting together and inviting the residents to help us celebrate, just wasn’t in the cards. Our efforts were in topics already discussed. Unfortunately, we missed honoring two of our members who have more than 40 years volunteering at SVAC. Karen Sheer-Carpenter and Marvin Gross. Karen started on Monday nights at SVAC in 1981 and quickly became a NYS certified EMT. In the mid- 80’s Karen became the recording secretary for SVAC, which is a position she still holds today. She has also taught a countless number of CPR classes at SVAC over the years. Karen’s night shifts have moved to Thursday, and she has rarely missed a shift. Karen is a valuable member of SVAC.
Marvin Gross joined the ambulance corps in 1982. The ambulance corps is in Marvin’s blood. Marvin has lived in town his entire ambulance career, and most people know him from his license plate SVAC EMT. Marvin also took the NYS EMT class in the early 80’s and has been driving and riding in the ambulance since then. During and post COVID, Marvin became SVAC’s official parking guru. Standing in the cold, making sure the traffic flowed as the cars were in and out of our lot for vaccinations. Marvin is constantly taking CME sessions and in doing so, has had almost every disease he learned about. Throughout and since COVID, Marvin has brought donuts to the building almost every morning keeping us all fat. During the pandemic Marvin contacted COVID and gave all of us a horrible scare. We were thrilled that Marvin pulled through and continues to be a proud member of SVAC and brings us donuts!
Scouts Earn Merit Badges and Travel to the U.N.
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Scarsdale Troop 4 held a Court of Honor on Sunday to recognize Scouts’ advancement in rank and earning merit badges. The Troop also honored Eagle Scout Zachary Weitzman for earning the Eagle Bronze Palm Award and Delfina Kirkendall-Rodríguez for earning the Shoot! Nova Award. The Bronze Palm is awarded to Eagle Scouts who have earned five additional merit badges beyond the 21 required for the Eagle Scout rank; Weitzman earned 30 merit badges in 4 years. Shoot! is the Scouts BSA Nova Award for investigating astronomy and projectile science. Kirkendall-Rodríguez attended a Scout camp where she researched and conducted experiments related to astronomy, space exploration and robotics. She also earned a merit badge in Space Exploration.
Twenty- seven Scouts earned a total of over 110 merit badges and awards in such diverse areas as the arts, citizenship, life skills, outdoor activities, sports, and STEM, The badges are American Cultures, Archery, Architecture, Art, Canoeing, Chess, Citizenship in the Nation Citizenship in Society, Citizenship in the World, Communication, Cooking, Disabilities Awareness, Emergency Preparedness, Engineering, Family Life, Fire Safety, First Aid, Fishing, Geocaching, Inventing, Kayaking, Leatherwork, Mammal Study, Mining in Society, Music, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Robotics, Rifle Shooting, Search and Rescue, Safety, Space Exploration, Textile, Signs, Signals, and Codes, Swimming, Weather, and Wood Carving. Many scouts also earned the Totin’ Chip, a certification that grants a Scout the right to carry and use wood tools after scouts demonstrate that they can properly handle, care for, and use a pocket knife, ax, and saw.
The recipients of the various badges and awards were:
ZacharyFinkel and HeatherKolb
Stella Bowman
Aidan Copeland
Tian Dong
Michelle Fenyves
Zachary Finkel
Anthony Ge
Lucas Houpt
Kent Mazza
Delfina Kirkendall-Rodríguez
Christian Kirkendall-Rodríguez
Robert Kolb
Janghee Lee
Ibrahim Mansouri
Charles Morris
Henry Morris
Aarush Nagpal
Aidan Ostermiller
Dylan Ostermiller
Jason Ren
Kenneth Ren
Steven Ren
Tiago Rodríguez
Julia Ruiz Fraile
Matthew Teitscheid
Zachary Weitzman
Troy Wong
Harry Zheng
Julia Ruiz FraileLast week, eleven Scouts went on a tour of the United Nations to complete requirements for the Architecture, Art, Citizenship in Society, and Sustainability merit badges. The Scouts learned about the history and mission of the United Nations and were fortunate to see the General Assembly Hall and Security Council Chamber. In the art gallery, they viewed “Responsibility for Memory: The Role of Art in Holocaust Remembrance,” an exhibit featuring the works of Holocaust survivor and educator, Yehuda Bacon. They also viewed the historical timeline exhibit “The Question of Palestine- Timeline of Events” and a tapestry by Belarusian artist Alexander Kishchenko, which commemorates the Chernobyl tragedy of 1986. Afterward, the scouts had two enlightening sessions with Senior French Interpreter and Scarsdale resident Laurence Viguier and Cecilia Naddeo, Chief of the Human Rights and Gender Section, United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism. The Scouts were able to ask questions about these two professionals’ roles at the United Nations.
Troop 4 is a non-denominational troop that meets every Sunday at 6:00pm. Troop 4’s Scouts develop character, civic mindedness, and physical fitness. The troop achieves these aims through camping, outdoor activities, and community service, all while having a lot of fun. Middle and high school-aged Scouts, with support from volunteer adult leaders, create and lead activities such as hikes, outdoor games, community service, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities. Troop 4 embodies the values of inclusion, tolerance, and mutual respect for all people. Interested 11 - 17 year-olds may contact Scoutmasters Ted Mazza and Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez at [email protected].
Middle Schoolers Encouraged to "Think Kindness," Dance and Give Back at Human Rights Day
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Brian Williams from Think Kindness“What is the one thing you can do to make today, better than yesterday?” These were only a few of the inspirational words that Brian Williams from “Think Kindness” shared with the eighth grade class at Scarsdale Middle School during their 20th Annual Human Rights Conference on Friday November 17th. Williams was just one of the keynote speakers for the conference that encouraged SMS students to, “Stand Up and Be the Change.” In addition to keynote speakers, throughout the motivational day of learning students also took part in a variety of thought-provoking activities with teachers and guest speakers alike.
Through his masterful storytelling, Brian Williams managed to capture the attention of an auditorium full of eighth graders (and even a few administrators like Dr. Patrick and Dr. McIntosh!) as he described the experiences of volunteering around the world that lead him to create, “Think Kindness. Think Kindness is a foundation that, “believe(s) that each act of Kindness, no matter how small, has an unforeseeable ripple effect that makes the world a better place. Every person on this planet can think of at least one Kind act that made your day a little brighter.” Think Kindness states that it is their” mission to inspire these Kind acts. To gather thousands of people to perform seemingly simple acts of Kindness in solidarity and that will result in a wave of good, that will make a difference in the world.” Before they filed out of the auditorium, Williams challenged each student to “Be brave. Be kind. And to take action.”
Another keynote speaker literally had kids out of their seats and dancing in the aisles. Danny Batimana, aka “Cousin Danny,” is a Filipino-American-born former dance choreographer for the Los Angeles Lakers, former math teacher, and the creator of, “Happiness is NOW. The mission of Happiness Now “is to inspire kids to improve their physical and mental health, which, in turn, enhances their academic performance.” Through his high energy and engaging presentation, Cousin Danny not only had his audience (including teachers and faculty!) moving and laughing, but he also managed to teach them about brain chemistry and how physical movement activates chemicals like Dopamine and Endorphins which can help us feel happier, kinder, and more motivated and focused. With the auditorium vibrating with excitement and energy, Cousin Danny also talked about the importance of taking time to recharge your batteries and surrounding yourself with a positive group of friends because, “we can’t take care of the world, unless we take care of ourselves.”
Cousin Danny with organizer Cara Forray
Dan Zauderer was also on hand to talk about Grassroots Grocery and his mission to drive out hunger in some areas of the Bronx and right here in Westchester. As a former middle school teacher, Zauderer easily captivated his audience’s attention as he described how Grassroots Grocery works to rescue good, healthy food from being wasted and then distributes it to neighborhoods in need. Zauderer went on to explain that Grassroots Grocery relies heavily on volunteers and that students can easily get involved to help sort and distribute food every Saturday morning. Two student ambassadors, Logan Meschewski and Jack Levin, joined Zauderer to discuss their experiences with Grassroots Grocery and how others can join the Student Task Force or take part in the “Student Change-maker Award."
Throughout the day, students also took part in creative and thought-provoking activities and lessons like:
- Amnesty International: Wage Gap Presentation led by SHS students
-Creative HeARTS: Art project for White Plains Hospital
-When Wonder is Real: Bullying and Facial Deformities with My Face
-Creating dog toys for Paws Crossed an animal rescue in Elmsford, NY
-Creating Healthy Snack Bags for Grassroots Grocery
-STEM Flood Barrier Project led by teachers Brittany Vella and Laurie Ciccone. In this activity students used supplied materials to plan and build flood barriers. Students practiced teamwork as they worked in groups to share ideas and complete the projects.
-Discussing accessibility for all with Melanie Millard
-And much, much more!
Alison Crowther from the Red Bandanna ProjectSome lucky students also got to hear from Alison Crowther who helped to establish the Red Bandana Project in honor of her late son, a 9/11 civilian hero, Welles Remy Crowther. Welles Crowther is, “Known around the world as the “Man in the Red Bandanna” for his selfless, heroic actions during his final hour at the World Trade Center.” Today, Crowther’s parents carry on his legacy with lessons that can inspire and encourage youth to embody the same heroic traits as their son. The lessons cover aspects like “Leadership, Caring for Others, TEAM, The Power of One, Bridging Divides, Forgiveness and Carpe Diem.”
Whether dancing in the aisles, building flood barriers, or creating healthy snack bags for Grassroots Grocery, students enthusiastically helped to celebrate the 20th annual “Human Rights Day” Conference at SMS. Coordinators of the incredible day, teachers Cara Forray and Tayla Holtzer, believe that, “the service learning opportunities serve the purpose of a deeply meaningful experience and resulting impact that one person can have on the lives of others,” and that the day, “is an opportunity for all different types of thinkers and learners to come together with one purpose.” They couldn’t have been more pleased when one student shared, “that they felt great pride in connecting their work in school to a truly authentic outcome for others in their community.”
Dan Zauderer of Grassroots Groceries and student ambassadors Jack Levin, Logan Mechewski
Send Letters to Santa
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