Senior Transition Day at SHS
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After a prom weekend that was exhausting for some and relaxing for others, SHS seniors returned to school on Monday for Senior Transition Day. The day began with seniors, split up by dean, asking questions and listening to answers given by some of last year’s SHS graduates. Questions pertained to a variety of topics from academics to social advice and roommate fears. The graduates, from a range of different colleges, did their best to answer the questions. However, in the later meetings between the students and the deans, many students expressed dissatisfaction with the Q&A, noting that the range of schools was not large enough and that the answers didn’t necessarily apply to everyone. “While the students were full of 
energy and seemed intent on helping us with our future college experience, many of the questions asked seemed like they could be answered with common sense, and soon enough, answers became repetitive. While I appreciate students volunteering for such an event, I feel many aspects of college are best learned or discovered on your own,” noted senior Will Hunersen.
The meeting with deans after the Q&A seemed to be a more satisfying experience. Deans ran the students through some sentimental activities, some reading stories or discussing great moments from the SHS experience. Some deans even had their seniors write letters to their favorite teachers thanking them for the experience. Overall, the concept was to help ease seniors into transition to college. At least for senior Dustin Potter, it worked. “I thought it was a fine time. It was definitely less informative than it could have been but it was really reassuring in that I felt like everything was going to be easier than I originally thought regarding transitioning and next year in general.”
Perhaps the most entertaining part of Senior Transition Day, however, had nothing to do with the college transition at all. After all of the formalities were over, seniors met in the gyms to receive and sign yearbooks. The yearbook staff, headed by seniors Melissa Tucker and Jessica Schwartz, worked hard all year to make the yearbook a hit. “It was the hardest I worked for a solid year - so much emotion, stress and time. But seeing everyone looking and smiling at the pages made me so happy and proud. This book will last for years to come and that is so meaningful,” exclaimed Tucker. And the seniors certainly were excited. Some stayed for almost three hours signing each other’s yearbooks. Chowing down on catering from Buon Amici, seniors crowded the gym bleachers and floors, searching for friends they wanted to sign. The event was a huge success. 
As senior Alon Daks noted, “Senior Transition Day was a nice way to cap off our high school experience by seeing the entire class one last time before graduation. Signing yearbooks with friends made it especially memorable.”
Pictured at top: Yearbook Staff Photo: Top row from left: Cassie leach, Jenna Karp, Dana Freidkin, Jessica Schwartz (my co-editor in chief!) Melissa Tucker, Daniella Knafo, Julia Morris, Dana Salzman. Bottom from left: Sue Silver, Jordan Flanzer, Danielle Berger, Jamie Kaplan, Stacey Dawes.
Zach Edelman is a senior at Scarsdale High School. He will join the team at Scarsdale10583 during senior options this year.
Knock, Knock: The Assessor Is At Your Door
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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If you find a strange man or woman at your door in the next six months, don’t assume he or she is a solicitor or a scammer. Beginning in June, tax assessors will be combing the village and knocking on doors to ask permission from homeowners to enter their homes for an assessment.
The first step in the village-wide revaluation is a physical inspection of all properties, and the process will extend from June 2012 to December 2012. Assessors will stop by your house twice to see if they can find someone at home. Once inside, they will measure the interior and evaluate the quality and condition of the home. According to John J. Valente of Tyler Techonologies, the company that has been retained by the village to do the work, assessors are not concerned about your dog, whether or not the house is clean or beds are made. The visit should take 15-20 minutes. If the assessor cannot get in after two attempts, they will send you a letter to schedule an appointment.
After the physical data collection, Tyler Technologies will use additional data to assess the value of your home. They will look at digital images taken from the street, consider recent comparable sales, make an assessment of the neighborhood and develop a valuation model using mathematical techniques.
And what if you decide not to let the assessor in? Will that help or hurt your assessment? According to Valente, if the assessor is not given access, the company will evaluate the house based on the exterior appearance. If the home appears to be in good condition, they will assume it has a full finished basement and give it an “A” rating. So it probably would behoove you to let the company do their work. Assessors will be carrying identification, so if you are skeptical, ask to see their paperwork before letting them in.
In order to inform everyone about the revaluation process, the company will be meeting with village organizations, issuing press releases and posting information online. From similar work in other towns, Tyler expects to gain entry to 75% of homes, though in Bronxville, 93% of homes were inspected.
Since the village sets the total tax levy, the reassessment will not change how much is collected in total. Rather, the reassessment will change the apportionment of the collection. Current thinking is that following the reassessment one third of homeowners will see their taxes go up, one third will have a decrease and one third will remain the same.
And, if a homeowner is unhappy with their reassessment, what is the process? There will be informal hearings and a grievance day where homeowners can come to Village Hall and state their case. Tyler also estimates that following the process, 10% of Scarsdale taxpayers will file formal tax grievances.
If all goes as planned, the new tax rates will go into effect for the 2014-15 tax roll.
For more information, visit http://www.reassessment.scarsdale.com or email Project Director John J. Valente at [email protected].
Carnival Fun at Scarsdale's Elementary Schools
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Saturday May 12 was the perfect day for a carnival, and all five elementary school events were a success. The warm, sunny day brought out the entire community to enjoy games, activities and good food.
At Edgewood there were rides, games, crafts, a bake sale, boutique, a flea market, a plant sale, face painting, and an amazing array of food.! In the slide show below see kids enjoying the fishing challenge, a girl buying a hand-made for her mom for Mother's Day at the boutique, parent volunteers cooking up a barbeque at the fair and fifth graders eating away at the annual pie eating contest.
At Greenacres, the theme was Candyland and there was plenty to go around. There was also a four-hour talent show and kids of all ages took the stage to perform. Check out photos of these young artists as well as a mom spinning cotton candy, large inflatables and the bake sale.
Fox Meadow held the Olympics. Take a look at the photo of their version of the “Olympic village.” We stopped by at just the right moment to witness Principal Duncan Wilson get dunked! See his photo as he comes up for air, as well as pictures of Fox Meadow PTA President Pam Rubin, an impressive climbing wall and large inflatables.
Camp Heathcote also featured a dunk tank and there were smiles all around with happy face balloons, a photo booth, handmade key chains and friendship bracelets, and slushies and s’mores to eat.
Congratulation to all the elementary school PTA parents who produced the carnivals on a job well done.
Photos contributed by Sunny Feinstein, Tracy McCarthy and Joanne Wallenstein
Art Festival in Scarsdale this Weekend
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The Westchester Festival of the Arts returns to Scarsdale for the third year, this weekend May 19th and May 20th. Painters, sculptors, photographers, jewelers, and other talented artisans will display and sell their work on Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. This year the work will be shown on Chase Road and admission is free. The Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce is hosting the show. For more information, visit www.Paragonartevents.com/scarsdale.
Carnival Time at Scarsdale Elementary Schools on Saturday
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It’s carnival time at all five elementary schools in Scarsdale this Saturday. Here is some information we received from a few of the schools about what to expect.
At Heathcote, the theme of the 2012 carnival is Camp Heathcote, and kids can enjoy a day at summer camp right in their own backyard from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Play spirit games, make and eat smores, drink slushies, and make keychains and friendship bracelets.There will be cool rides, a photo booth, amazing raffles and fun carnival games with prizes, and Heathcote’s very own phys. ed. teacher, Mark Goldberg will be rocking and karaoke-ing! Plus students are invited to dunk their favorite teachers in a real dunk tank.
Admission is $25 per child over three years old.
At Greenacres, the theme is Candy-Acres and kids will find rides, bounces, raffles, a talent show, arts and crafts, face painting, a bake sale, popcorn, cotton candy, games, prizes and lots of fun and of course candy! Hours are also 11 am to 3 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance and $24 on the day of the carnival.
At Fox Meadow this year’s theme is the Olympics and Quaker Ridge will feature Sports.
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and email photos of the day to [email protected] for posting.
Thank you to Heathcote's Debbie Singer for supplying the information above.
