SHS Sweethearts Marry -- Four Decades Later
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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?
Police Response to Bomb Threat at Quaker Ridge School
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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
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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)
Reader Survey: Complete this Short Survey on a Dog Park for Scarsdale
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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.
Girls Varsity A Soccer Poised to Overcome Challenging First Half of Season
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Junior forward Olivia Bryant is a prolific goal scorer whose speed is key to the Raiders’ offense.Heading into the 2018 season, the Scarsdale High School Girls Varsity A Soccer team had high expectations. Coming off an impressive 11-4-2 record in 2017 and with a number of key players returning, the Raiders seemed poised to repeat, if not exceed, last year’s success. With the first half of the season now complete, however, things have not turned out as planned. Faced with the most difficult early season schedule in memory, with six consecutive games against highly ranked non-League opponents, the team finds itself with a record of 2-6, seeking to find its footing as it faces eight consecutive home and home League games over the rest of the regular season. Notwithstanding the team’s disappointing record at mid-season, there is cause for optimism that the 2018 season will turn out to be a successful one for the Raiders.
Following an easy win in their first game against Port Chester, the Raiders faced Somers, North Rockland, Mahopac, Clarkstown South, Suffern and Arlington. Each of these teams is very strong and in all six of the games, the Raiders’ mettle was tested. The team generally rose to the challenge, maintaining possession for at least half the game in each instance, but the team’s difficulty in putting the ball in the net, combined with an occasional defensive breakdown and/or fouls that were called against them in the box in the waning minutes of two of the games, resulted in close losses.
Coach Mindy Genovese and Assistant Coach Keira Fox have used a variety of lineups and successfully rallied the troops heading into this past Monday’s first League game of the year against arch-rival Ursuline. The game was played at Ursuline, which is expected to be the Raiders’ primary obstacle to a League championship, and the Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The first goal was scored midway through the first half on a beautiful cross near the left sideline by senior co-captain Nayumi Parente-Ribeiro to fellow senior co-captain, Riley Edlitz, who one-touched the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal over a leaping Ursuline goalie. The Raiders had dominated play up until that point so the goal came as much as a relief as a cause for celebration by the Raiders’ fans. Then, early in the second half, senior co-captain and mid-fielder Allison Stafford, who has been a force this season in spite of being man-marked most games, beat the Ursuline defense with a quick touch down the right sideline and crossed the ball to sophomore JoJo Denion, who calmly placed the ball into the net beyond the reach of a diving Ursuline goalie. Denion and sophomore center defender Tory Von Redden, who was a force throughout the 
Forward and senior co-captain Riley Edlitz is the team’s leading scorer at mid-season.Ursuline game, have been two of the key additions to the team this year. With a 2-0 lead and 30 minutes left, the game seemed in hand for the Raiders, but a tenacious Ursuline team quickly took control and put two goals in the net, one on a free kick from 25 yards out, tying the score at 2-2 with ten minutes left. The game was played fairly evenly from that point on, with one scare coming as an Ursuline forward broke down the left side of the field with the ball, seemingly behind the Raiders’ defense, only to be stymied by a sprinting Stafford who came out of nowhere to cut off the angle and prevent a shot on goal. The game seemed headed towards overtime, but with 30 seconds on the clock, junior forward Olivia Bryant won the ball in the corner to the right of Ursuline’s goal and sent the ball cross-field to senior winger Elizabeth Elcik, who was uncovered and placed the ball into the net for a dramatic, game-winning goal. The team’s celebration of its much-needed 3-2 victory seemingly could be heard all the way to the Quaker Ridge shopping center.
The Raiders face traditional archrival New Rochelle on Saturday at SUNY Purchase, followed by three additional League games next week. So by next week at this time, we should know if the Raiders are back on track in their pursuit of a deep run in the Section 1 playoffs, as has been expected all along.
