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Written by Justin Cooper

Published: 01 June 2016

Created: 01 June 2016

Last Updated: 01 June 2016

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The college process has finally ended for this year's high school seniors, and one thing is now on everyone's minds – the college process for next year's seniors. On Wednesday May 25, 120 Scarsdale High School juniors came to the school at night to participate in "Student-to-Student Night," where 65 Scarsdale alumni currently attending 43 different colleges chatted with the juniors about their college experience. The event is meant to give juniors a perspective on what college is generally like as a Scarsdale High School graduate, and how well Scarsdale has prepared them for college-level academics. Most college students seemed to agree that Scarsdale's rigorous academic program has made them perfectly equipped for college. No college students felt that they went away to school unprepared academically. They explained that they learned how to study, how to research and write a scholarly paper in high school; all skills they have put to use in their higher level studies.

Additionally, each college student spoke specifically about the university they are attending. They discussed the social life at their college and answered juniors' questions about their specific institution. The high schoolers in attendance were better able to figure out what kind of school that would like socially, whether it's one with a big Greek life or one with a more mellow environment. Moreover, juniors could sign up for specific colleges they are considering and talk with college students from those institutions to either confirm or reverse their interest in that school. Many juniors felt that this night solidified which colleges they were considering applying to while many others felt that some schools they were originally interested in weren't actually for them. Most of all, the juniors became more cognizant of what they actually wanted in a college. This night cleared up much of the fog created by admissions hype and parental influence, and students could better figure out which schools they truly want to attend.

Generally, "Student-to-Student Night" exists to make current high schoolers more comfortable heading into the college process. The college process is a notoriously stressful time for students, and this event gives them more direct insight about it so they don't feel like their choosing colleges blindly. The most common piece of advice given by the college students there was, "Take a deep breath and remember that whichever college you choose, you will have a great time." Most college students admitted that the school they ended up at was not their first choice. However, every college student agreed that they love the school they're attending and are having an amazing time. Overall, "Student-to-Student Night" was a success. One junior attending the event said, "This was really helpful in giving me stronger insight on which colleges I would like to apply to. I must admit I was freaking out a lot beforehand. Now I'm only freaking out a little bit."

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Written by Zoe Frishberg and Kara Elcik

Published: 07 June 2016

Created: 07 June 2016

Last Updated: 07 June 2016

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On Monday, June 6, the class of 2016 had the chance to look back at their high school experience and forward to what is to come at Senior Transition Day, the last class-wide activity before graduation. The day started when seniors met n the High School auditorium for "The College Freshman Experience," a question and answer session with SHS alumni who are college freshmen. The experience was an opportunity for students to gain first hand insights into what it's really like to enter college from Scarsdale High School. The alumni discussed college workload, relationships with professors, and sexual assault on college campuses among other relevant topics. "The presentation gave me a clearer idea of what to expect next year. I'm a little more confident about dealing with all of the new, potentially scary aspects of being a college freshman now" explained senior Madeline Frankel.

After the college freshman presentation, seniors moved to separate classrooms for discussions with their high school deans. Each dean has a group of seniors that they've counseled and consulted with through high school. "It was nice to be in a room with the same group of students that we started our high school experiences with on our first day again" said senior Madeline Frankel. At the separate meetings each dean spoke personally to their small group of students, reiterating the messages in the first presentation. The students also shared memories they had with their deans and the other students. "We're kind of ending high school the same way we started it with the same people," said Jack Dolgin. After conversing about entering college next year, deans prompted everyone to recount and share a fond memory they have from their four years at Scarsdale. Finally, students were given paper and instructed to write an anonymous letter to the teachers that have influenced them the most over the course of their four years at SHS. Those letters were then delivered to the teachers' mailboxes by the deans. The dean meetings were a way for the small groups that have bonded to have a final afternoon together.

Following the dean meetings the students all gathered in the gyms for a lunch and the yearbook ceremony. Parents arranged sandwiches from Giannoni's and assorted baked goods and snacks for students. After students ate the lunch, a stand was set up to pass out everyone's yearbooks. Students sat on the bleachers and signed notes in the yearbooks. "I loved being able to sit with the entire grade and reminisce about our memories together," said Sara Shah. The day was enjoyable for the class of 2016 as they recalled old memories and bonded before graduation.

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Published: 26 May 2016

Created: 26 May 2016

Last Updated: 04 June 2016

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When the sun came out on Thursday, May 19th, Juniors at Scarsdale High School anxiously awaited the announcement ... would today be the day? In order to avoid trouble the night before the event, the administration now keeps the date of Junior Olympics a carefully guarded secret. Though the event is planned in advance, no one know when the fun will begin. Once the call was made and announced on the loudspeaker one could hear cheers from miles away as the Juniors excitedly got ready for Junior Olympics.

Every year the SHS administration hosts Junior Olympics where juniors compete on their elementary school teams in various games. One of the most interesting aspects of Junior Olympics is that the date is a surprise. This builds up suspense among the students and creates a fun and exciting atmosphere when the event is announced.

The Junior Olympic games take place on all the fields and inside too -- and include dodge ball, capture the flag, a jeopardy game about the school, whiffle ball, a pie eating contest and more. Along with these games the school sponsors a lunch for the juniors. Whichever team wins the most games wins Junior Olympics.

Even though it is a surprise the event it is well planned out. Students from each team designate two captains for the team who lead them in cheer and organize who will participate in the various games. Here are the captains that were elected for each team this year.

Quaker Ridge: Shannon Regan and Bradley Tatz
Edgewood: Hayley Meisel and Christian Waterhouse
Greenacres: Julia Klayman and Miles Boxer
Fox Meadow: Lena Proctor and Sol Thompson
Heathcote: Carolina Stainfeld and Adam Schwall

Along with electing captains, online within their teams students sign up for which activities they want to take part in and what nickname they want written on the back of their jerseys which are printed on t-shirts in the elementary school colors. This organization online is especially fun because teams decide who should participate in which activities based on their skill set.

The camaraderie that exists among the teams roots back to elementary school days and creates a fun and loving environment. Junior Sydney Lambert spoke about Junior Olympics saying "I actually thought it was really fun and it was really exciting to be with all my elementary school friends again". Sydney's friend Jenna Marcus commented "it was just like a really fun experience to reconnect with old friends and be on a team with people that I've known for 11 years and just like spend time with people that I don't necessarily have classes with or see on a regular basis. Oh and competing against friends from other schools was fun".

The school administration announces if the event will be held after second period. Right after the announcement took place students sprang into action and immediately met with their teams to get dressed in their gear. After everyone was ready all teams gathered outside of the Brewster Road entrance of school where each team displayed their cheer and then are sent off to the various olympic games! This year, after a brutal contest, the Edgewood Elementary School team took home the prize, winning Junior Olympics.

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