Superintendent Announces Leadership Changes for Athletics, Physical Education and Health

(The following was sent to the school community by Superintendent Drew Patrick on Thursday June 6, 2024.)

Cindy Parrott will be the new Athletic Director at SHSDear Scarsdale Community,

I am writing to share some important information with you regarding the leadership and organization of our Athletics, Physical Education, and Health departments. As many of you know, the Athletics program has grown significantly in recent years with added programs and teams. This year, we added a second part time Assistant Athletic Director to better support this growth, and also tasked SHS Assistant Principal Chris Welsh with providing some additional administrative support. This gave us valuable insight into the needs of the program, but with the impending departures of both Joe DeCrescenzo (for a well-deserved retirement) and Chris Welsh (for an equally well-deserved move to Eastchester High School as Principal), we find ourselves at a crossroads. Thus, we have made the decision to narrow the scope of Ray Pappalardi’s position to focus exclusively on Physical Education and Health, and I am recommending Cindy Parrott to serve full time as Athletic Director, focused exclusively on that program. Jeff Weigel will serve as the sole High School Assistant Athletic Director for the coming year as well, with Kevin Roemer continuing in his role at SMS.

For those of you who don’t know Cindy, she has taught at Scarsdale Middle School since 2003, and has successfully led both the Middle School Math Department and the CHOICE program for much of that time. She has also been a coach, is an athlete herself, and is the parent of an NCAA athlete. Cindy is excited for the chance to lead the Athletics program and build upon the historic successes our student athletes have had during the 2023-24 school year. I ask that you join me in congratulating Cindy, who will be officially appointed to the role at the June 10, 2024, Board of Education meeting. I also extend my gratitude to Ray Pappalardi for his many contributions to the Athletic program over the past nine years, especially the advocacy and leadership that led to the expansion of teams and opportunities for our students. I know he will continue to lead the Physical Education and Health programs successfully, keeping students at the center.

Please note that the process is already underway to identify Cindy’s successors in CHOICE and the Math department, and we look forward to a successful conclusion of those searches with appointments and announcements in the very near future.

Finally, I want to remind our rising 9th graders, returning high school students, and families that the Fall Athletics Information meeting is scheduled to take place at 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 13, in the Scarsdale High School Auditorium. Both Ray and Cindy will be there, along with coaches, to provide important information about the Fall season. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone contemplating trying out for a Fall sport to meet the coaches and fellow athletes!

Sincerely,
Drew