Recognizing Signs of Teen Dating Abuse
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The following was submitted by David Kronlein and Ann Cefola from the Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence: Domestic violence, unfortunately, isn’t limited to adults. The Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence has partnered with Scarsdale High School over the past decade to increase community awareness of teen dating abuse—a phenomenon that happens to one in three adolescents in the U.S. And yes, we know it’s happening in Scarsdale. October is National Domestic Violence month. What can you do to protect your own children, as well as other young people you know in our community? Make yourself aware of the warning signs . The teen who is being abused will have some of these signs:
• Falling or failing grades
• Increased instances of indecision, stops giving her/his own opinion
• Changes in mood or personality• Use of drugs/alcohol, not just experimentation
• Emotional outburst , not just mood swings
• Depression
• Will become isolated, insist on “more privacy”
• Physical signs of injury — cuts, bruises, etc.
• Makes excuses for the abuser’s behavior
• Begins to put herself/himself down
Although parents may not see many of these, here are the signs concerning the abuser:
• Is extremely jealous, hypersensitive and controlling
• Verbally abusive and threatens violence
• Has unpredictable mood swings, with instances of explosive anger
• Uses drugs and alcohol — not just experimentation
• Isolates his/her partner from friends and family
• Uses force during an argument, physical and emotional
• Believes in rigid sex roles , i.e., women are a possession
• Blames others for his/her problems or feelings
• Has a history of abusive relationships
Keep your eyes and ears open when your teen is dating. Stay involved and most importantly be there when your teen wants to talk. These things will help you see the signs of dating violence, should you need to. Parents can also receive confidential guidance from the Scarsdale High School staff, the Youth Outreach Workers, the Scarsdale-Edgemont Family Counseling Service (723-2381), My Sister’s Place (683-1333 or the hotline at 800-298-7233), or Hope’s Door ( 238-2800 or the hotline at 888-438-8700).
Look Out for Zombies in Scarsdale
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A Zombie Asylum will transform Supply Field for five terrifying evenings in October. This Halloween event, now in its second year of a growing tradition, is sponsored by The Center @ 862 and will be produced by Fright Room Productions. The Zombie Asylum will feature undead zombies anxious to escape their cages, so this haunt is definitely not for the younger set.
The undead are taking over Scarsdale just in time for Halloween! Get ready for the Zombie Asylum Haunted House at Supply Field on October 26, 27 from 7 – 11 pm, October 28 and 30, from 6 – 9pm and October 31, from 6 – 10 pm. Tickets are $10.00, and children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.
At The Haunt, those with strong stomachs can dine on Zombie Dawgs created by Dobbs Dawg House of Dobbs Ferry. And for those of you who can’t wait until Halloween to get your Zombie fix, head over to Lange’s Deli for their new “Zombie Asylum” sandwich and then finish it off at All Good Things with their “Zombie Asylum” sundae. Both treats come with a coupon for $2.00 off the Haunt ticket.
Supply Field is located at 244 Heathcote Road, Scarsdale. For more info: visit www.ScarsdaleTeenCenter.com or call 722-8358.
Community Car Wash and Supply Drive for the Children of Pine Ridge Reservation
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The Lakota Pine Ridge Children's Enrichment Project, a nonprofit corporation Founded by SHS Graduate Maggie Dunne, is running its annual Supply Drive for Lakota Children living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. SHS Pine Ridge Reservation Aid Club (headed by senior Katie Colella), the Scarsdale Congregational Church Youth Action Committee and SHS’s premier a cappella group, For Good Measure, will host a Community Car Wash and Awareness Benefit on October 14, 2012, from 1-3 PM on the grounds of the Scarsdale Congregational Church, to rally community support for the project. Community members are urged to bring items for Lakota children to the car wash, which will also have awareness tables, silent auction, bake sale, refreshments, volunteer opportunities and entertainment.
Through October 20, 2012, Lakota Children’s Enrichment is collecting new or barely used and clean:
- Children's Coats
- Children's Snow Boots
- Waterproof Gloves
- Warm Outerwear
- Books (especially any series of books)
- New or barely used toys (for Halloween and Holiday parties)
- New (or very barely used) running shoes of all sizes (for two schools that are trying to implement proper sports programs for their students grades K-8).
Donations may be dropped off (or brought to the October 14 car wash) at the Scarsdale Congregational Church Parish House, One Heathcote Road, lobby (Red brick building at intersection of Heathcote and Post Roads) by October 20, 2012
OR at Scarsdale High School Post Road entrance (boxes in hallway).
Pine Ridge Reservation is home to the Oglala Lakota Nation and is one of the poorest regions in the USA. Today, mail is not delivered to residences, cell phones, Internet access and computers are not affordable for most, water access and mass transportation are limited, schools struggle to keep teachers, drop out rates are as high as 70%, and health care and housing are sub-standard. The tribe reports a population of between 28,000-35,000 with an average live span of 48 for men and 53 for women; infant mortality rates are as high as parts of the “developing world.”
On September 11 2012, United Nations Human Rights expert James Anaya issued a report on America’s indigenous communities and concluded that unless genuine movement is made toward reconciling misdealings and continuing harms, "the place of indigenous peoples within the US will continue to be an unstable, disadvantaged and inequitable one, and the country’s moral standing will suffer."
The following is an excerpt of a letter published in the UN’s report, which was sent from a child living on an adjacent Reservation.
“Life here is very hand to mouth. Out here, we don’t have the finer things. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. And I’m going to be honest with you, sometimes I don’t eat. I’ve never told anyone this before, not even my mom, but I don’t eat sometimes because I feel bad about making my mom buy food that I know is expensive. And you know what? Life is hard enough for my mom, so I will probably never tell her. My parents have enough to worry about. I do not know what you can do, but try your very best to help us. Please help us. We can do this. Yes we can!”
Last year the Scarsdale community sent 5000 pounds of donations of mostly new items to the children of Pine Ridge Reservation and the Fall drive supply provided clothing, boots and warm outerwear to thousands of children and families. Lakota Children’s Enrichment thanks the Scarsdale community for its continuing support.
You can follow Lakota Pine Ridge Children’s Enrichment’s efforts on Facebook, Twitter (@Lakota_Children) or its blog at http://lakotakids.blogspot.com/ .
New Security Measures Announced for SAT Test Takers
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Attention parents of high school students: getting into the SAT tests this Saturday may be more difficult that you think. After a 2011 scandal in Great Neck where students hired stand-ins to take their SAT tests, the College Board and the Educational Testing Service vowed to tighten up security and even hired former FBI Director Louis Freeh to review SAT security protocols.
As a result, changes have been implemented in Scarsdale that will impact all students taking exams this Saturday. Dean Michael Gibbs, the SAT Testing Supervisor, has advised parents and students of the following new regulations:
- First, no test taker will be admitted without a valid admission ticket for that morning's test at Scarsdale High School.
- Changes to test center, test date or test type (SAT to Subject Tests and vice-versa) will no longer be permitted. All students must have an admission ticket for a specific test/type of testing room.
- Students may no longer walk in as stand-by candidates. Only students with valid admission tickets for Scarsdale High School will be admitted.
- Students who register late and have specially marked admission tickets will only be seated once all registered test takers are admitted, and only if additional supplies and staff are available.
- As of March 2012, all admission tickets must have a photo on them, and that photo must be recognizable so that student images can be matched to the photo ID the student must bring on testing day. Prior to March, the admission ticket is not required to have a photo, but if it does, it must match the student's photo ID. No student may be seated without photo identification, even if that students is known to test center staff.
- Also new this year: Student's gender and date of birth will appear on the roster and on the admission ticket, and must match that information which will also be on the admission ticket.
- Finally, more stringent cell phone restrictions will be applied. Students are not to have cell phones out at any time during the testing day, even during breaks. If a student does bring a cell phone to the testing center, it should be turned off and kept out of sight until the student leaves the building at completion of testing. Failure to do so may result in the student's dismissal from the test center and cancellation of the morning's testing.
Halloween Happenings in Scarsdale
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The Scarsdale Parks and Recreation Department will be holding their Annual Halloween Window Painting Contest and Parent/Child Halloween Window Painting program on Sunday, October 21st from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. All students who live in or attend public or private schools in Scarsdale in grades 1 – 10 are eligible to participate in this event.
In addition to the window painting programs, there will be a Costume Parade held in the Village streets by Chase Park. The parade line up begins at 2:45 pm in front of Chase Park. The parade will start at 3:00 pm. Special entertainment and refreshments will be provided after the parade. All Pre-E and Elementary School children are welcome to participate in the costume parade.
The deadline to participate in the Halloween Window Painting programs is Wednesday, October 10th. Please register online at http://reconline.scarsdale.com .
For questions, call the Recreation Department at 722-1160.
