Wednesday, Dec 25th

sauerheadshotGreenacres resident Peter Sauer, age 35, died suddenly on Sunday night after he collapsed during a basketball game at Gardella Park in White Plains. An autopsy report released on Tuesday, July 10 by the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Sauer died of cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart. He also had a fractured skull as a result of his fall at the game.

According to the police report, Sauer was standing on the court waiting for a free throw when he fell backwards and hit his head on the ground. When police found him he was bleeding from the left ear, not breathing and a pulse could not be detected. Emergency workers did CPR and took Sauer to White Plains Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:36 pm. Cardiomegaly may be an inherited condition, the result of a virus of the heart (myocarditis) or other conditions.

Sauer, who was 6’7” tall, was the captain of the 1998 Final Four Basketball Team at Stanford University where he played on the team for four seasons. According to the Stanford University website, he played in the NCAA tournament for four consecutive years and won the Pac-10 title in 1999. He graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics in 1999.

Johnny Dawkins, Stanford's Director of Men’s Basketball said, "Peter was a tremendous individual and a devoted husband and father. He was very passionate about Stanford and our basketball program. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Amanda, and their three children."

Sauer was born in 1976 and grew up in Pittsburgh where he attended Shady Side Academy. After graduating from Stanford, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks and then moved to Greece to play for the B.C. Iraklis Thessaloniki professional team. Sauer recently left the Bank of America where he was a director in equity research sales since 2007. Sauer lived in Greenacres with his wife and three girls, ages 6 and under.

In an article that appeared in the Journal News, witnesses complained that emergency workers did not respond quickly enough after Sauer collapsed. They said that the 911 dispatcher was “rude” and emergency workers were slow.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

 

coopergrreen1We’ve gotten several inquiries about why so many trees are being taken down at Cooper Green across from the Public Safety Building on Fenimore Road. Could it be more houses? A new fire station or a parking lot? Fortunately, the answer is no -- there will be no new hardscape at Cooper Green. Instead, as part of the South Fox Meadow Stormwater Improvement project, Cooper Green will become one of the largest rain gardens in the Hudson Valley. The rain garden will retain water in times of big downfalls which will be released in a timely fashion into the watercourse that will extend down the Post Road. From there the water will flow into Harcourt Woods, south of the high school, and ultimately end up in the Bronx River.

The rain garden will be planted with native plants, shrubs and trees that can thrive in both

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Cooper Green
wet and dry conditions.

 

Among these plants are: 110 pye weed, 155 purple love grass, 130 blue flag iris’s, 250 switch grass, 270 verbena plus yarrow, cone flower, mallow, goldenrod, winterberry and even knock-out roses.

And further upstream, at George Field, a seven-acre detention pond will be created, capable of holding 2.3 million gallons of water at a depth of 1-3 inches. A bulldozer is already on site there to begin the work.

So tree lovers should not despair; beautiful landscaping is in the works for Scarsdale.

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Work on a seven acre detention pond at George Field will begin soon.

 

 

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Coneflowers are on the list of native plants to be installed at Cooper Green

 

 

brucelee_The Chin family of Greenacres Avenue is asking for your help to find their cat who has been missing since June 15th. Bruce Lee, shown here, is a Bengal cat and is golden brown with black stripes and spots. He is five years old. The family has sent out a pet amber alert and many in the area have already received phone calls about the missing cat.

If you have seen Bruce Lee, please call 914-723-7491.

 

 

farmersmarket1If you’re looking for the Farmers' Market in Scarsdale this weekend, you’ll find it on Woodlands Place in front of the Post Office from 10 am to 2 pm. After much discussion, the market has been relocated to Scarsdale Village. The market has been held in several locations since it began several years ago – first appearing in the lower parking lot of Village Hall – and then moving indoors to the Christie Place garage. In recent weeks the market has been set up in the Merchants Lot next to Scarsdale Train Station, but since this lot will be used as a staging area for equipment for renovation of the Bronx River Parkway, the market can no longer remain there.

Lewis Arlt, representing the Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce, made a plea to Village Trustees to move the market to Woodlands Place so that the vendors could benefit from downtown foot traffic and do business in a more central location. According to Arlt, business suffered last year when the market was at Village Hall, which is not a shopping destination.

Later in the Board of Trustees Meeting on Tuesday night, June 26, Trustee Brodsky introduced a resolution for an agreement with Carol DeLisa to operate the Farmers’ Market on Woodlands Place in front of Chase Park from June 30 through November 17, 2012.

Before voting, Trustee Harrison stated his objections to the proposal saying that he had great concern about blocking off Chase Road during business hours. He also read from a letter from a Woodlands Place resident who did not want the street “turned into a marketplace” and feared that the Farmers' Market would make Woodlands Place a “field day for mice and roaches.” Harrison suggested that the market be held at the train station or in the portion of the Merchants Lot that will not be used for construction equipment.

In response, Trustee Brodsky said that residents asked for a Farmers’ Market in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. Furthermore, she said that there has been “good success with clean up and cleanliness” and “there has been no evidence of mice or roaches.” Trustee Lee pointed out that the agreement is revocable so that the Trustees could make changes if problems arise. Trustee Eisenman read a letter in favor of the market and Trustee Mark said he visited Woodland Place on Sunday, the day after the market was held, and the site was clean.

The Mayor said she liked farmers' markets but “would prefer a location that does not impact residents.”

The resolution to move to the market to Woodlands Place passed by a vote of five to two with Trustee Harrison and Mayor Flisser voting no.

 

aschoolhunerson

For those of you who don’t know me, it’s nice to sort of meet you. For those who do know me, hi!... Hey mom (as he motions to cameras on either side) I’m on T.V., began Senior M.C. Lucas Calderon as he kicked off the 2012 A-school (Alternative School) graduation. The sense of warmth, community, and friendship which characterize the A-school were immediately apparent in Calderon’s opening speech. Dropping all formalities that one might associate with “graduation”, the witty M.C. opted for a more conversational style to address the collected group of parents, teachers, and friends who proudly and excitedly looking on as their loved ones said one last goodbye to the A-school. This year’s A-school graduation took place on a fittingly beautiful, sunny day--a welcome departure from last year’s rainy indoor event. A-school teacher-in-charge Howard Rodstein was second on the podium, and spoke of the importance of the A-school’s 3 cornerstone values, “Ownership, Caring, and Courage”. Towards the end of his speech, Rodstein started tearing up, saying that this graduation was particularly special because “ I am not
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Celeste DiLauro, Kate Howard and Ally Gross
just a teacher
this time around, but a parent as well. One of my two sons is graduating from the A-school this year”. Though the Rodsteins might be the only biologically related members of the A-school, graduating seniors describe the collective group of students and teachers as one “big loving family”. Perhaps this rare, loving community can exist at the A-school because of the way the class is created each year. A place in the A-school class is difficult to attain, with over 150 applicants each year vying for only 26 student slots. In a way, the A-school admissions process is a bit like a miniature college admissions process, complete with an admission, rejection, and waitlist system. Those who are enrolled in the A-school feel that it is a real privilege to be a part of the intimate class, and thus respect and uphold the community values that the A-school supports.

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The Liebermans
In the words of graduating senior Andrew Feyer, “The A-school is sort of a small ‘liberal-artsy’ kind of place, while the high school feels more like a bigger university. At the A-school, you really make that special connection with each one of your classmates and each one of your teachers that’s near impossible to develop at a bigger place like SHS.”

Feyer explained that before joining the A-school, he felt a bit uncomfortable in the high school. His teachers seemed a bit too removed from him, and his class of over 300 was so big that he felt that he didn’t really know anyone.

Looking back, Feyer says, “The A-school taught me how to really understand people--to consider their perspectives in any discussion or argument rather than just sticking firm to my own beliefs. I feel like the smaller community built my interpersonal skills a lot”. He continued by saying “The school also taught me that teachers can be more than just professional educators, and that they can be your friends too”, citing an instance where a teacher helped him resolve a personal issue that he was uncomfortable discussing with his parents or friends. “I’m really going to miss the place”.

Christine Souchack, an A-school mother, also believed that the program had a profoundly positive impact on her

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The Radov Family
daughter, Holly, allowing her to freely explore her passions through the internship program that students engage in each year. Describing her daughter’s internship experiences, Mrs. Souchack said “The internships were diverse and challenging. Holly helped write and edit plays, worked in a marketing department of an established theater organization in Times Square and in her senior project, she interviewed residents of an assisted living community and performed a dramatic monologue of their life experience.”

But perhaps the most moving evidence of the A-school’s impact on the graduating senior class was the closing statement by graduating senior Will Hunnersen, the senior speaker chosen by the class. He started by saying he had no idea how he could show his love for the A-school in just one speech. Inspired by discussions during senior reflection week (a time when seniors got together to talk about how the A-school changed their way of thinking), Hunnerson spoke about about the way the A-school changed his way of thinking and closed by reading a poem which he wrote that encapsulated how he felt about the A-school.

Lesson Learned

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Nina Wollberg and Claire D'Silva
by William Hunnerson

Time is relative.
For everyone it chooses

its own speed, and refuses
to listen to our complaints.

A lonesome student stares at the clock,
forcing the minute hand forward with his mind.
A squirrel obliviously nibbles his acorn
as a dog freezes for a lifetime.

The moon and sun exchange briefly,
asking how the past millions of hearts had faired.

A teen slowly rests his eyelids,
then wonders why an afternoon abandoned him.

But as I sit here,
flipping through the pages of my past
a failed math quiz, a fifth grade yearbook
brimming with toothless smiles.

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I wonder why three years had to pass
so quickly, and I realize
the lessons learned in a place like this,
time cannot even touch.

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Contributor Will Heffner is a senior at Scarsdale High School and has been a lifelong resident of Scarsdale. In his free time, he enjoys acting, and playing music. If you would like to contact Will for any questions or comments, he can be reached at [email protected].

Photos by Caroline Rodman - a junior at the A-school

(Pictured at top: Will Hunerson and his mom, Pictured above: Niels Mariager, Eli Nobler and Eric Berman)

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