The Last of a Generation
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- Written by Lori Gertzog
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Maria Wanda Eysymontt died peacefully on May 18, 2015 at her home at 14 Reimer Road in Scarsdale, just three weeks short of her 101st birthday. She was born on June 8, 1914 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Before coming to America in 1945, Wanda first moved with her parents from Russia to Poland following the Russian Revolution. Wanda's formative years were spent in Warsaw, where she attended the University of Warsaw. She met and married George Anatol Eysymontt in 1934. They moved to London for his work, and then to Helsinki just before World War II. Their first child, son George, was born in Helsinki in 1939. As the Soviets invaded Finland, the Eysymontts relocated once again, this time to Stockholm, where they spent the war years.
The Eysymontts American life was one of welcome permanence. After settling in Scarsdale, New York in 1948, a daughter Olga was born in 1953. The Eysymontts remained in their home until their deaths. George Anatol passed away in 1991.
Wanda is survived by her children, George Eysymontt (Jocelyn) of St. Michaels, MD,
Olga Eysymontt of Altadena, CA, two grandchildren, Sasha (Liz) Eysymontt, and Nicholas Krogh, and two great- grand children, Owen and Naomi Eysymontt.
A family memorial was held at Holy Mount Cemetery in Tuckahoe, NY on May 21, 2015.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester. http://www.hospiceofwestchester.com
Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association and Scarsdale Police to Discuss Burglaries
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Due to recent burglaries in Scarsdale, particularly in the Fox Meadow area, the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association will host a meeting with the Scarsdale Police Department to inform the public about burglary procedures. The meeting will feature Scarsdale Police Detective Sherry Albano, who will discuss how to prevent potential home intrusions, offer tips for safeguarding your home and tell you what to do if you witness to or the victim of a burglary. Detective Albano is the Youth Officer in the Scarsdale Police Department and has extensive experience with the Scarsdale Police. At the meeting, Detective Albano will answer questions and address residents' concerns.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:30pm at the home of Janice and Ira Starr, 65 Church Lane, Scarsdale.
Refreshments and snacks will be served.
Reducing Stress at Scarsdale High School
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According to the experts, there has never been a more stressful time to be a high school student. Faced with a demanding workload, time pressure from extra curricular activities and sports and the ever-present need to excel at everything they do, many students feel like there are just not enough hours in the day or night. A 2014 study by the American Psychological Association found that teens stress levels surpass those of adults and that teens' stress levels exceed what they believe to be healthy. As a result of stress, the 1,018 teens in the study reported feeling overwhelmed, depressed, sad and fatigued.
In order to address this issue, Scarsdale High School is studying sources of stress and what can be done to alleviate it. Their initial findings were the subject of a meeting of the SHS PTA on the morning of Thursday May 7th.
The school has begun by identifying itself as one of a teen's many sources of stress and has asked the faculty to study institutional practices, teacher practices and students perspectives on stress. Three groups, each with about 50 teachers, studied the stressors and presented their findings. 
English teacher George Olivier identified the institutional practices of the school that cause stress. Based upon research that he and his group of teachers had done, and based on personal experiences that teachers had with other schools that their own children attend, they identified some practices that Scarsdale could improve. Mr. Olivier began by examining teen stress and why it is rapidly approaching, if not surpassing stress among adults. Unlike adults, teens don't have the same mechanisms to deal with stress, and sometimes suffer more than their parents. According to Olivier, one way to address the problem of stress would be to change the atmosphere in the high school. He said that Scarsdale is a competitive school, with a "business like" feel. Students may feel that rather than entering a school they are coming into an office complex. His group of teachers looked for small ways the school could change, reduce, or manage student stress. They recommended lengthening the lunch period, beginning the day later, implementing mandatory study periods and even mandating lighter or nonexistent homework on weekends and vacations. While at this point these are just ideas they are a good starting point.
Fellow English teachers Benjamin Sawyer and Rachel Warshowsky focused on what teachers can do to help students reduce or manage stress. They suggested that teachers make the classroom feel more like a community and recommended that teachers make an effort to relate to students and demonstrate that they "aren't just robots that disappear at the end of the day," as Warshowsky explained. In a humanized teaching environment with better student-teacher relations, students might feel less stress while doing their typical daily work. In order to improve relations, the teacher panel suggested that teachers attend students' sports and musical events and take an interest in their students' extracurricular activities.
The teachers examined the difference between stress reduction and stress management. Teachers believe that their students will face stress in the future, so that stress at school will help them develop good coping skills and stress management techniques. At the same time studies are showing that students have very high stress levels, and so the added stress put on them by teachers may actually be more of a hindrance than a help. Teachers are discussing how to teach stress management and determining whether this should be the subject of a new class or taught in every class. They felt that this deserved further inquiry as the school begins to fix the issue.
English teacher Seth Evans and Dean Oren Iosepovici presented the student's perspective on stress. Dean Iosipovici contended that this was the hardest topic, saying, "Our challenge as teachers and adults is to look at it the way students look at it." In order to meet this challenge, this group of teachers got students involved in the process early, having discussions and posing panel questions to student volunteers, to delve into the issue of what causes stress for the students, and how they react to and deal with that stress. The group found that some students were handling their stress using good techniques while others have a great deal of stress and lack the skills to deal with it.
As part of a group exercise, teachers attempted to return to their teenage selves and to experience stress as a teen would perceive it. Mr. Evans led the committee of teachers through a "memory chain," a technique to stimulate the recollection of past memories. He used the technique to "transport" the teachers back to their high school years, in order to better help them understand some of the typical teenage stress. According to Mr. Evans and Dean Iosepovici, the technique worked, and the teachers determined that the stress that they dealt with as teens was due to personal difficulties in their lives and seemed to be socially induced.
As a teen and a student at Scarsdale High School, I experience this stress firsthand. I juggle demands from many different sources, all at the same time. Though I want to do well at everything I do, I am forced to divide my time between studying and preparing for six classes, attending sports practice and participating in extracurricular activities. I also need to sleep in order to grow. I always feel as if I am sacrificing one activity for another and don't want to miss out on the fun of being in high school in order to meet all my obligations.
For most Scarsdale students the prospect of getting into college looms heavily over everything we do. We put pressure on ourselves to do our best, parents set goals that may not be attainable and each year we learn that it is harder and harder to get into the "right" school. That's why I was happy to learn that SHS is studying stress and looking for ways to make the school a happier, more productive learning environment.
Propane Leak and Gas Powered Leaf Blowers Prohibited Use
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Wednesday May 27: The Scarsdale Fire Department is investigating a leaking 500 gallon residential underground propane tank on Mayflower Road. They are being assisted by the Yonkers Fire Department Hazardous Materials team and several other area Fire Departments.
Traffic is restricted in the area of Colonial, Continental, Blackhawk and Mayflower Roads. Traffic on Mamaroneck Road in the vicinity of the Hutchinson River Parkway is heavier than normal. Electrical service in the immediate area of Colonial Acres has been shut down while the event is ongoing, and some neighboring homes have been evacuated.
Additional information regarding the event will be available from the Scarsdale Fire Department after the hazardous material situation has been resolved
Leaf Blower Ban:
The Village Of Scarsdale has ordered a ban of gas powered leaf blowers June 1 through September 30, due to noise restrictions. Village code 205-2 states, no person, firm, corporation or other entity shall use a gasoline-powered blower in the Village during this time period.
An Evening in Monte Carlo to Support SFCS
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- Written by Nan Berke
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Scarsdale & Edgemont Family Counseling Service celebrated An Evening in Monte Carlo at the Scarsdale Golf Club on Thursday May 7th. Attendees circulated throughout the club and had the chance to enjoy a spectacular May evening on the patio, socialize inside, or hit the gaming tables. The international cuisine was served buffet style for guests to enjoy.
Croupier's patiently explained the rules of gaming to novices and played skillfully with the card sharks. All winnings from the tables were redeemable for coupons to win a wide variety of enticing prizes.
Jay Genova, who is completing his first year as Director of Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling, crystallized the agency's mission down to "helping families" and spoke of how the evening's theme paralleled the new direction of the agency.
Kathy Steves, President of Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling acknowledged the hard working co-chairs for this event, Peter Strauss and Elise Flagg. Steves also gratefully accepted a generous check to SEFC from the Rotary Club. All in all a relaxing, fun evening was enjoyed by everyone in attendance.
The mission of Scarsdale § Edgemont Family Counseling Service is to strengthen family and community life by providing individual, family and group therapy; outreach to youth; services to older adults; and public programs relating to family life issues. SFCS works in cooperation with other organizations for this purpose.
Co-chair of the event Elise Flagg released this message after the event:
On behalf of my co chair, Peter Strauss and myself.I want to thank the hardest working fundraising committee I have ever had the pleasure to work with..Denise Koslowsky, Wendy Berk, Angela Manson, Emily Vallario, Nancy Steinberg, Sandie Badger, Bill and Stephanie Miller, Deena Rosenthal and our phenomenal Journal editors,JohnWerner and Ed Feinberg. And a very special THANK YOU to SFCS Office Manager Joan Caputo. This group of people lead the effort to ensure the success of this fabulous event.
And I would be remiss if I did not thank the entire Benefit Committee and Board of Directors:
Benefit Committee: Board of Directors:
Wendy Berk Kathy Steves,President
Lisa Bezos Susan Greenberg, Vice President
Sharon Charles Deena Rosenthal,Vice President
Ed Feinberg Dr. Ed Feinberg, Secretary
Beth Gelles Bill Miller, Treasurer
Jennifer Gruenberg Sandie Badger
Steven Kessner Nivedita Bajaj
Denise Koslowsky Wendy Berk
Tracey Lee Susan Friedman
Clarissa Lefkowitz Frances Galloway
Tracey Novick Marcia Helbling
Nina Ross Jacqueline Irwin
Janice Starr Denise Koslowsky
Emily Vallario Angela Manson
John Werner Jane Nussbaum
Harriet Sobol Nancy Steinberg
Carolyn Stevens Peter Strauss
Yanjing Wei-Lu John Werner
Thank you all and the entire Scarsdale and Edgemont communities for your time, your effort and the constant support of SFCS. We are constantly thankful and always grateful.
Photos and text by Nan Berke
