JCC Announces New Nursery School Interim Director
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Caryn Symons, the current Director of the JCC of Mid-Westchester's Camp Gadol, will assume the position of Interim Director of the JCC's nursery school effective August 31, 2015 replacing Julie Dorfman who is relocating to another state. This position is in addition to Caryn's leadership role as Director of camps. Caryn brings to this role 12 years as a teacher of all ages in the nursery school. In addition, she was a head counselor at Camp Gadol for four years, and became its director in 2010. Caryn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from SUNY Binghamton and a Master of Science Degree in Education from Queens College.
Karen Kolodny, Executive Director for the JCC stated, "We are proud of the JCC's nursery school with its history of a strong curriculum, nurturing teachers, and supportive community in a healthy and secure JCC. I am confident Caryn will continue to enhance the nursery school for the children and the families and will bring her own ideas as a professional educator to this role". She continues, "I invite people in this community to take this opportunity to meet with Caryn or contact me directly with any questions or to take a tour of our facility."
Alex Baranick Weds Tawnie Chandler in California
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Alexandra Baranick and Tawnie Chandler were married at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California on July 26, 2015. Alex is a 2006 graduate of Scarsdale High School and her parents David and Karen Baranick still live in town. She attended Dickinson College and now lives in New York City where she works as the Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives for the Union for Reform Judaism.
Tawnie grew up in Columbus, Ohio and her mother Kristie and stepfather Mike recently moved to Portland Oregon for a more outdoorsy lifestyle. Her father, Bryan, lives in Champagne County, Ohio where he grew up and where Tawnie was born. Tawnie holds a BA and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and is a Development Associate at the New York Foundling
The two met online.
Their wedding was officiated by Rabbi Jonathan Blake of 
Westchester Reform Temple who flew to California to perform the ceremony. Many Scarsdale friends of both the bride and her parents attended a joyous weekend celebration in Bel Air, where the Baranicks recently purchased a home. The wedding party included her sister and maid of honor Amanda Baranick, bridesmaid Carolyn Fisher, who was a teammate of Alex's on the Scarsdale soccer team, and ring bearer Jon Kurzner a close friend from Scarsdale.
Three Scarsdale Girls to Participate in SHS Australia Exchange
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- Written by Geoffrey Fitzgerald
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G'day Mate! Three Scarsdale students are heading off to Perth Australia to participate in an exchange program with St. Mary's Anglican School. The rising tenth grade girls will attend school in Australia from July 12 to August 24 and experience both the school environment and the world around, traveling in Australia as well. Two of the Scarsdale students will be living with host families, while the third will be at the boarding school with the St. Mary's student.
St. Mary's Anglican School is part of the Global Learning Alliance, a program started by the Teaching College at Columbia University and the Scarsdale Public Schools system. As a result of this relationship, the idea of an exchange program was developed between St Mary's Anglican School and Scarsdale High School. St. Mary's Anglican School has an active exchange program, partnering with many schools internationally.
Three students from the St. Mary's Anglican School will come to Scarsdale for six weeks during September and into October to live with the Scarsdale families. The students will also do some traveling around New York City and the area, similarly to the traveling the Scarsdale students will be doing.
The program is being organized by Assistant Principal Sue Peppers, who will travel to Australia and also hopes to set up a similar exchange program with a boys school.
Clara Enders, one of the three girls going on the trip said, "I'm so excited for the exchange program! I'm looking forward to exploring Australia, getting to know my host family, making new friends, and becoming more independent. I've already become friends with the girl whose house I'll be staying at. We've chatted on the web and Skyped, and we've swapped pictures of our families and houses, and even the views out our windows. I feel like I know her already!"
Greenacres Celebrates July 4th
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- Written by Barry Meiselman
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The sun may not have shined on Greenacres this July 4th, but everyone seemed to relish the comfortable, breezy mid 70's degree weather. A huge turnout of our neighbors celebrated our nation's birthday with watermelon, bagels, lemonade, coffee and donut holes as well as games, races, candy hunts and patriotic activities sponsored by the Greenacres Neighborhood Association. The celebration culminated in the ever popular water jets propelled by a Fire Department engine on an appreciative crowd of children and adults.
Here are the results of the races and games:
3 LEGGED RACE
Parent/Child
Round 1: 1st – David Jakubowicz/Hudson Jakubowicz
2nd –Brad Joyce/Mark Joyce
Round 2: 1st – David Jakubowicz/Hallie Jakubowicz
2nd – Andrea Lorenzo/Vanessa Thurman
3rd – Avi Masry/Benjamin Masry
2nd – 3rd Grade
1st – Blair Rudsenske/Alyssa Marvin
2nd – Leo Huynh/Ben Weiner
3rd – Allison Kahn/Kayla Jakubowicz
4th – 8th Grade
1st – Elena Amidor/Hallie Jakubowicz
2nd – Leon Rode/Damon Rode
3rd – Vanessa Thurman/Lisa Thurman
Adult – Teen
1st – May Cowan/Todd Cohen
2nd – Elya Lavi/Diana Naranpis
3rd – Mitchell Breakstone/
SPOON RACE
Pre-School
1st – Phoebe Schutzer
2nd – Mila Lundy
3rd – Julia Marvin
K – 1st Grade
Round 1 – 1st – Benjamin Roberts
2nd – Mark Joyce
3rd – Lauren Zoland
Round 2 – 1st – Nicholas Faraco
2nd – Matthew Weiner
3rd – Benjamin Masry/Maxwell Richardson (tie)
2nd – 3rd Grade
1st – Nicholas Faraco
2nd – Ben Weiner
3rd – Leo Huynh
4th – 8th Grade
Round 1 – 1st – Jacqueline Joyce
2nd – Lisa Thurman
3rd – Juliana Joyce
Round 2 – 1st – Nicole Zhou
2nd – Cecilia Wang
3rd – Leon Rode
Teen – Adults
1st – Jacqueline Joyce
3rd – Francisco Faraco
SACK RACE
Pre-School
1st – Phoebe Schutzer
2nd – Mark Joyce
3rd – Mila Lundy
K – 1st Grade
Round 1 - 1st – Michelle Meiselman
2nd – Neely Mannor
3rd – Nicholas Faraco
Round 2 -1st – Ozan Kopelman
2nd – Alyssa Marvin/Timothy DesChamps (tie)
3rd – Whitney Rudsenske
2nd -3rd Grade
1st Matthew Zoland
2nd Isabella/Juliana Appel (tie)
3rd Matthew Glassman
4th – 8th Grade
1st Lisa Thurman
2nd Hudson Jakubowicz/Isabelle Mezger (tie)
3rd Mitchell Breakstone/Elena Amidor (tie)
Teen – Adult
1st Julian Higgins 3rd Jacqueline Joyce
DASH
Pre-School 1st Julia Marvin
K – 1st Grade Round 1 – 1st Nicholas Faraco
2nd Michelle Meiselman
3rd Lauren Zoland
Round 2 - 2nd Andrew Marvin
3rd Benjamin Masry
2nd – 3rd Grade
1st Isabella Nwokeji
2nd Matthew Glassman
3rd Ben Weiner
4th – 8th Grade
1st Julian Higgins
2nd Cindy De Dianous
3rd Mitchell Breakstone
Teen – Adult
1st Avi Masry
2nd Julian Higgins
3rd Steven Greene
FOUL SHOTS
2nd – 3rd Grade 1st Leo Chavis
4th – 8th Grade 1st Vanessa/ Lisa Thurman (tie)
2nd Leon Rode
3rd Gabriel Lesser
Teen – Adult 1st Warren Breakstone
Photos and Text, Barry Meiselman, Race Results, Mona Longman
Students Concerned About SAT Timing Error
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- Written by Geoffrey Fitzgerald
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For many juniors around the country, the scariest and most difficult part of the school year is preparing for and taking standardized college admission tests. Most take the tests more than once, and prepare for months in advance and use their weekends to take full-length practice exams. Taking the practice exams can consume entire days and are dreaded by the students involved. Students have little control over the process, and are often anxious and stressed. That's why an error on the timing of the tests by the College Board on June 6 has caused so much anger.
The SAT is structured into 10 sections; three written sections that are divided into one essay and two multiple choice sections, three math sections, three reading sections, and one experimental section which does not factor into the student's grade. The first seven sections of this exam are 25 minutes each, and are comprised of two math sections, two reading sections, two writing sections (one multiple choice and the essay), and the experimental section. The final three sections are shorter; a math and reading section that are 20 minutes each, and a ten-minute writing section. During the exam on June 6, due to a misprint on the exam and confusion with the exam proctors, some students received 25 rather than 20 minutes to complete the last two reading sections. As a result, the College Board has decided not to score those two sections.
As can be expected, students, deans and parents are concerned. Two sections un-scored means that 22% of the true exam --that is the exam that goes towards a student's score -- would be lost. So in addition to losing the results of these two sections, the scored sections will be more heavily weighted. Some people are calling for the College Board to arrange a makeup exam, at their own expense. The College Board has said, "The SAT is designed to collect enough information to provide valid and reliable scores even with an additional unscored section." Even if this is true, the unscored section would still have the potential to change the student's score by some margin. Unfortunately, for most juniors, there won't be another opportunity to improve their scores, so the incorrect score they receive has even more potential to affect their futures.
This mishap could also affect future students, as sophomores begin to decide which standardized test they want to take in the future ... the SAT, or ACT? Since 2006, fewer high school students have taken the SAT each year, while at the same time more students have opted to take the ACT. From the students we sampled, more juniors in Scarsdale appear to take the ACT exam, and more sophomores seem to be considering the ACT.
We asked Scarsdale High School Dean Andrea O'Gorman for her advice for students who took the flawed test. She said, "My advice to students is not to panic. Testing is a process, not a one-shot endeavor. Students should wait to see their individual scores and compare them to their practice scores and ultimate test scoring goals. If the scores are in line with these measures, that's great. If not, they can look to future test dates for other opportunities. Regardless of their scores, the deans are available to help students fine tune their testing plan."
In other news on the event, a student from Long Island has filed a class-action lawsuit against the College Board for "breach of contract and negligence", arguing that the abbreviated test does not properly represent the SAT, calling it instead "SAT with an asterisk." Read more about the suit here.
