Fox Meadow Elementary School Principal and Assistant Principal To Take Positions in Briarcliff Schools
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Fox Meadow parents learned this week that both the principal and assistant principal of Fox Meadow Elementary School will resign to move to Briarcliff Manor where Colleen Mangan will become Principal of the Todd Elementary School and Principal Duncan Wilson will be the next Director of Curriculum and Human Resources for the Briarcliff Schools. Parents received the news about Ms. Mangan last week, and only learned about Mr. Wilson’s plan in an email on Tuesday June 19.
As Drew Patrick notes in his email below, Wilson is leaving Scarsdale to fill a vacancy in Briarcliff Manor that was created when that district’s Director of Curriculum was hired away by Scarsdale to fill a similar position in Scarsdale due to the retirement of Lynne Shain.
As the Scarsdale administration will not have time to do a full scale search before September, Drew Patrick announced that the district will retain an interim principal who will be “drawn from the ranks of retired principals with experience in this region.”
The district already celebrated the retirements of tens of retiring faculty members and these departures came as a surprise. Both were very popular with kids and parents and the void will be felt.
The news makes one wonder if Wilson applied for Shain’s position? If so, we might have retained both Mr. Wilson and Ms. Mangan who might have served as Fox Meadow’s next principal.
Commenting on the departures, Fox Meadow parent Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez sent the following to the district administration:
Dear Messrs. Hagerman and Patrick,
….. I write to express my disappointment that Duncan Wilson is resigning. Of course, he deserves to pursue his career in whatever way that he chooses. No doubt he will excel wherever he goes. It is too bad that the Scarsdale school district could not have found a way to keep him.
I have had the opportunity to work with Duncan for three years on matters related to multiculturalism, since I have been a co-chair in that committee for that time period. I have found him to be incredibly global in his outlook of education matters. He is also very sensitive to the great differences in cultures and education traditions in our student body. He has also been so open-minded about changes that the Multicultural Committee has recommended on events that we run. His ideas on how we can improve multicultural events have also been very creative.
Even more important to me has been all the good guidance that he has given Brice and me on education matters related to our son and daughter. He has been very approachable on any matter related to our children, and he has also been very generous with his time.
I hope that if there is a committee to be convened to look for his replacement, that the committee really will include a diversity of parents both ethnically and professionally, who can help choose the next principal.
Below are the texts of emails from Drew Patrick and Thomas Hagerman as well as Duncan Wilson about the news:
(From Superintendent Hagerman and Assistant Superintendent Drew Patrick)
Dear Parents,
We are writing once again to share some bittersweet news about one of our Administrators. Duncan Wilson, Principal of Fox Meadow Elementary school for the past nine years, has been selected as the next Director of Curriculum and Human Resources in Briarcliff, NY. Duncan was appointed by the Briarcliff Board of Education last evening, June 18. You will recall that our own appointment of Edgar McIntosh as the successor to Lynne Shain in the position of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment is the reason for the vacancy in Briarcliff. We congratulate Duncan, thank him for fifteen years of service to the District, and look forward to seeing Duncan succeed in his new leadership role!
As we wrote last week with the news of Colleen’s departure, we want to assure you that we are already in the planning stages for a search process to select a one-year Interim Principal for Fox Meadow Elementary School, most likely drawn from the ranks of retired principals with experience in this region. The two most important reasons for the decision to appoint an interim are 1) it is very late in the school year to conduct the kind of search that would cultivate a candidate pool with the depth and breadth we desire, and 2) an Interim appointment allows us to recognize and thoughtfully plan for the possibility that there may be candidates within Scarsdale that warrant due consideration for a probationary appointment in 2019-20. We are confident that we will be successful in finding an individual to serve during the 2018-19 school as Fox Meadow transitions to a new leadership team.
Finally, we want to assure you that we will be supporting Debbie Vellozzi, Fox Meadow’s secretary, Michael DeSantis, Head Custodian, and the entire staff during this transition. We look forward to sharing more as June proceeds, and to introducing a new leadership team in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Hagerman
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Drew Patrick
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Leadership Development
(From Fox Meadow Elementary School Principal Duncan Wilson)
Dear Fox Meadow Families,
Last week, you heard that Mrs. Mangan will be leaving Fox Meadow for the opportunity to become the Principal of Todd Elementary Schools in Briarcliff Manor. It is with a tremendous mix of emotions that I share with you my plans to leave Fox Meadow to take on a District Office position as the Director of Curriculum and Human Resources coincidentally in Briarcliff Manor. On a professional level, I know it is time for me to pursue this new challenge. But on a personal level I am saddened to leave a community that I have served proudly and have truly grown to love.
With that said, I am heartened to know that I leave behind a faculty as well as parents and children who have the strength of tradition and of community to move forward confidently. As a student and teacher of history, I want to remind everyone that this great school thrived for 81 years before I arrived, and on the eve of our 90th birthday, it is poised to do so for years to come. I am grateful for what you have taught me and for how you have allowed me to strive to be a better educator and a better leader. In truth, schools like ours thrive because they are lead not by one person but by many. Teachers, parents, support staff, and even students lead our school proudly everyday.
On a much more practical note, I want to assure you that I will work with Dr. Patrick and the new team to ensure a smooth transition for the new FM Team this summer.
Finally, a thought about saying goodbye. I have always said at graduation, "You never really leave the Meadow." I will hold onto that thought since I really hate goodbyes. Beside, I will still be your “friendly neighbor to the North” up on Ridgecrest West. I will still do laps at the pool (look for me in lane 4), and I will still stay in touch through my village work on sustainability. So just as Christopher Robin will always have “that enchanted place on top of the Forest,” I hope to see you around the Meadow in the weeks and years ahead.
Your Friend,
Duncan Wilson
Photo Opps: SHS Alum Named Presidential Scholar at Cornell, Scouts Honored
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Joshua Klein, Larry Brown and Allison Weiner Heinemann with Provost Michael Kotlikoff Scarsdale native, Joshua Klein, was recently honored as a Merrill Presidential Scholar - an outstanding graduating senior at Cornell in the top 1 percent of his class. Each Merrill scholar is selected by their college deans for their intellectual drive, leadership abilities and potential to contribute to society. Klein was one of only three students recognized from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Each scholar is also given an opportunity to recognize the high school teacher who most inspired his or her scholastic development and the Cornell faculty member who most significantly contributed to his or her college experience. Klein honored his high school teacher, Larry Brown and Allison Weiner Heinemann in the Department of Labor Relations, Law and History.
To further honor the high school teachers chosen by the Merrill Presidential Scholars, a one-time, $4,000 scholarship is awarded in the teachers’ names to incoming Cornell freshmen or current students with financial need from the teacher’s high school or geographic area.
Girl Scouts Gold and Silver Award Ceremony
Sydney Vleck, Grayson Rosenberg, Marykate Gorham, Katie Belbusti, Theresa Alarcon, Amy Paulin (NYS Assembly), Danielle Duffalo, Gillian Duffalo, Angelina Clark
The Scarsdale/Edgemont Girl Scouts (SEGS) held their 2018 Girl Scout Gold and Silver Award Ceremony on Sunday, June 10th. Nine Gold Award recipients as well as five Silver Award recipients were honored. Several local officials came to recognize the Scouts. Amy Paulin (NYS Assembly, Scarsdale), Benjamin Boykin II (Westchester County Legislator), Dan Hochvert (Scarsdale Mayor) and Kathie O’Connor (BPOE-Elks) were all in attendance. In addition, Erik Anderson, president of the Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson, came to present the girls with their Gold Award pins.
The Gold Award is the highest honor a girl can receive within Girl Scouts USA. In order to earn this distinction, the scout has to spend a minimum of 80 hours on her chosen project, including hours earmarked for leadership within the project.
The projects for 2018 were all very interesting and wide-ranging in scope:
- Theresa Alarcon, in her project Crestwood Library Connections, worked to increase awareness of the library’s offerings by promoting the use of press releases, articles, blogs and social media.
- Katie Belbusti, with her project Stay Healthy, Limit Screen-Time, focused on promoting individuality, healthy electronic habits, and awareness of cyber-bullying by holding a screening of a documentary regarding internet addiction.
- Marykate Gorham’s project was titled Good Food for Good Soil. She created a program at a local nursery school to teach young children about composting, reducing, reusing, and recycling to help eliminate what is going into landfills.
- Emma Kornberg created a project called Art for the Heart. For this project, she wrote a guide containing various craft projects and helpful hints to aid new volunteers when working with the elderly in nursing homes.
- Gillian Duffalo, in her project Nutrition 101: Live to 101, concentrated on getting the message to all socioeconomic communities that affordable and nutritious meals could be easily prepared at home. To do this, she worked with boys from Children’s Village, both cooking and practicing de-stressing activities.
- Danielle Duffalo’s project was called Passport Around the World. The goal of the project was to create greater diversity acceptance by giving girls an opportunity to experience other countries by tasting international foods and working on crafts, activities and movements native to other countries.
- Paige Panessa, in her project Donating to the Humane Society, facilitated the donation process to the pet shelter. Paige built a donation bin enabling people to drop off goods at any time, as well as printing a Wish List to make it easy for donors to know what is needed at the shelter.
- Grayson Rosenberg’s project, Staging a Change, addressed many of the renovations that needed to be done to her high school auditorium. She raised money to purchase new carpeting, paint and supplies and repaired and painted the façade of the stage. Grayson also created an arts information pamphlet for new community members to use as a reference.
- Sydney Vleck created a project called Diabetes Education in Food Pantries. Sydney noticed a high rate of diabetes in the population that frequents food pantries. Consequently, she focused on teaching a nutrition class for 3-6 graders at Don Bosco Community Center as well as creating an indoor herb garden for the center and assembling and distributing a Diabetic cookbook utilizing food commonly found in pantries.
- Angelina Clark, the Silver Award recipient, worked on a project Molly Bochner and Laura Paternoter called Dance to Discover. This project involved creating a fun and educational dance program for the children staying at the Coachman Family Center.
- Julia Genin’s Silver project, Lend a Paw, involved providing Pet Therapy to nursing home patients
- Lindsey Kaufman’s Silver project was called Gardening at Home. This project educated people about gardening in small spaces.
Congratulations to all of the Silver and Gold Award recipients.
Scarsdale Procedure Committee Invites Scarsdale Voters to Submit Suggestions to Improve the Non-Partisan System
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The Scarsdale Procedure Committee (PC), whose members are representative of every elementary school neighborhood, is inviting Scarsdale voters to help improve the non-partisan election system’s governing document and the Citizens Nominating Committee processes. To accomplish these important tasks, the public is being invited to review and comment on proposed amendments to the document known as the Non-Partisan Resolution, which are available on the PC’s website today here, along with the current Non-Partisan Resolution, marked to show proposed changes.
According to PC Chair Madelaine Eppenstein and Vice Chair Eric Cheng, “The Scarsdale community’s non-partisan system of electing qualified candidates for village office is governed by the Non-Partisan Resolution – a living document that has been amended 41 times since its adoption, most recently in November 2012. The system administered by the PC establishes a method for selecting a slate of qualified candidates for Mayor (every two years), Trustees (every year, due to staggered terms), and Village Justice (every four years). Periodically, the community is asked to comment on proposed changes to the Resolution which are ultimately submitted to the electorate for a vote. Today’s announcement represents a pivotal, collaborative opportunity for Scarsdalians to make a positive difference in the civic affairs of Scarsdale.”
The non-partisan election system, which is managed by residents of Scarsdale, works like this: the PC administers the annual recruitment and election of voting members of the 30-member Citizen's Nominating Committee (CNC). CNC members – six residents from each of Scarsdale’s five elementary school districts – are elected by their neighbors to vet and select candidates for Village office. The CNC in turn nominates a slate of non-partisan candidates for the positions of Mayor, Trustee and Village Justice which may be open in any given year. By contributing input on potential revisions to the Non-Partisan Resolution, Scarsdale voters play an integral role in the process that selects Village government, another unique feature of Scarsdale’s non-partisan system in which partisan politics is avoided.
What are the proposed changes?
If approved, the proposed amendments would sever decades long, traditional ties between the Town and Village Civic Club (TVCC), (now known as the Scarsdale Forum) and both the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC) and the Procedure Committee.
The resolution now calls for neutral leadership of the CNC by the president and vice president of the Scarsdale Forum, as well as their appointment of another Forum member and an appointment by the Chair of the Scarsdale Neighborhood Association Presidents (SNAP). All four are currently non-voting members of the CNC.
Under the new proposal, the new CNC Chair and Vice Chair, elected at the end of the annual CNC proceedings by and from among the CNC class of those who have served for three years and are now retiring, will serve as the non-voting leaders of the next year’s CNC proceedings. The new CNC Chair and Vice Chair will then appoint from among Scarsdale’s qualified voters two more non-voting members to assist with administration and procedural duties.
Similar changes in leadership selection would be made to the Procedure Committee that administers the process by which members of the CNC are elected by the voters to nominate candidates for mayor, trustees and village justice.
Currently ten members of the Procedure Committee are designated by the TVCC and two are designated by SNAP (which has declined to do so in recent years). The balance of the committee is made up of the retiring class of ten CNC members elected by the voters.
Under the proposed amendments, the leadership of the Procedure Committee, i.e. the Chair and Vice Chair, would be elected by the newly retired class of the CNC. Other members of the Procedure Committee will still be comprised of the retiring CNC class, in addition to twelve members who have been selected from volunteers and recommendations from all major civic and volunteer organizations, nominated by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Procedure Committee and ratified by a majority vote of the retiring class of the CNC.
Review the propsed amendments here:
Procedure Committee chairs Eppenstein and Cheng stated that “All comments received by the PC from Scarsdale voters and community organizations during the 90-day public comment period, from June 1 through August 31, 2018, will be reviewed by the PC. At the end of this public review, the Procedure Committee will propose amendments that, in the Committee’s judgment, should be presented to the electorate for a vote the second week of November 2018, at the same time that the voters go to the polls to vote in a new class of Citizens Nominating Committee members.”
The members of the 2018 Procedure Committee are: Charles Baltman; Sarah Bell; David Dembitzer; Eric Cheng; Madelaine Eppenstein; Timothy Foley; Jeff Goodwin; Mayra Kirkendall-Rodríguez; Eli Mattioli; David Peck; Richard Pinto; Pam Rubin; Gregory Soldatenko; Jill Spielberg; Nancy Steinberg; Michelle Sterling; and Bruce Wells.
The Procedure Committee invites the public to review and submit comments about the proposed amendments via email to [email protected]. Copies of the proposed amendments and a markup of the Non-Partisan Resolution are available on the Procedure Committee website, here
Seniors Say Goodbye to Trainer Tim, Nordic Edge Opens in the Village
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On May 7, 2018, Senior members of the Scarsdale High School Varsity Ice Hockey team presented long time trainer Tim Tyler with a custom hockey jersey to commemorate his final season with the team. Since 1999, Trainer Tim has been a Trainer, Mentor, and Coach to hundreds of Scarsdale high school varsity ice hockey players and has been a big reason for the program’s long time success.
When told about the presentation of the jersey to his long time team trainer and friend, Jim Mancuso, Scarsdale High School’s long time varsity ice hockey coach had this to say, “Tim was All In from day one. When he first stepped on the ice with us to his last day with me he was 100% contributing to the betterment of our players and our team. Tim has no halfway effort in him. He was a very passionate guy for our team and always gave his best for our players both for their athletic improvement and for their health issues. He was often times so involved his voice would jump up a few octaves when he yelled encouragement to our players from our bench.”
Seniors Sam Seltzer, Anthony D’Ambrosio, and Mike Schur representing the entire 2018 Scarsdale High School Varsity Ice Hockey team, presenting Tim Tyler with his custom jersey.This past season marked Mr. Tyler’s final season with the ice hockey program. He will be sorely missed.
Nordic Edge Grand Opening
A demonstration of Nordic Edge’s whole-body cryotherapy machineNordic Edge, a premier modern health and wellness center, celebrated its official grand opening in Scarsdale, NY (58A Christie Place) on Thursday, May 31, 2018, marking the third location for the growing company. Nordic Edge also has stores in Eastchester, NY and New Canaan, CT.
Nordic Edge offers a variety of cutting-edge health treatments, including whole-body and localized cryotherapy; infrared heat therapy; compression therapy; salt therapy; vibroacoustic therapy and the Nordic Facial. It offers the latest advances in cryotherapy and innovative solutions to help individuals achieve their wellness goals.
“Nordic Edge is thrilled to join the Scarsdale community,” said Dr. Marie O’Connor, President of Nordic Edge. “We are excited to provide our modern health and wellness treatments to help people look and feel their very best.”
Dr. Marie O’Connor provides a Nordic Facial“One of our treatments is cryotherapy, a rapidly growing and advanced therapy that’s become very popular with top athletes and celebrities. We are now making it more accessible for everyone to enjoy its many benefits – such as reducing pain and inflammation, improved blood circulation, boosting metabolism and energy, reducing stress and anxiety, tightening skin tone and much more,” added O’Connor.
Nordic Edge offers its signature “Freeze Parties” – which includes services for groups to reserve and enjoy together. It also provides “On The Go” wellness programs for businesses seeking to have a healthier, happier and more productive workforce.
For additional information about Nordic Edge, please visit: www.thenordicedge.com.
Students Find Creative Ways to Ask Their Dates to Prom
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The Scarsdale Senior Prom is just days away. The big night is Thursday May 31 at the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle. Continuing a Scarsdale tradition, students are coming up with elaborate promposals or ways to ask their dates to go to prom with them. While some use balloons, cupcakes, and flowers, others plan scavenger hunts or elaborate surprises for promposals.
Sam Seltzer asked his date Aerin Cantor by surprising her at her house on her birthday. He hid inside a large box wrapped like a gift on her front door and rang her doorbell. She opened the box to find her date with a bouquet of flowers and a pint of s’mores ice cream, her favorite flavor, while his friends held a sign that said “no one loves their birthday s’more than you.” All her friends were there for the surprise.
Katie Iver was asked to prom by Johnny Cohen after her Model UN meeting. She walked outside of the classroom to be surprised by her friends holding up flags of different countries and Johnny holding a sign that said “I couldn’t think of a good pun but will you still be MUN (Model UN, rather than MINE) at prom?” Her friends then handed her foods from different countries as she walked down the hall to greet her date.
Boys are not the only ones to do the asking. Anna DeNelsky asked her boyfriend Michael Spiro by surprising him in the airport on his way home from college. She stood by baggage claim with balloons and a sign that said “It would be fly if I landed you as my prom date.” Not only was he surprised to see Anna at the airport but the promposal definitely caught him off guard.
Another popular way kids ask their dates is by sending them on a scavenger hunt. Courtney Swift was sent to several different stores in the Westchester mall, including Sephora, Godiva, and Justice, where she was greeted by friends wearing tutus who gave her a clue to the next location. The scavenger hunt ended at Hai Street Kitchen in the mall’s food court where she frequently orders poke bowls and where she found her boyfriend, Tom Fanning, wearing a tutu and a sign saying “if it’s not tutu much to ask, will you dance with me at prom?”
Jacob Brief surprised his date Carly Rubin by dressing her two dogs in tuxedos. When she walked into her house, she was welcomed by her friends, the dogs, balloons that spelled out “PROM?” and a sign that said “Prom wouldn’t be pawsible without you.”
David Ostow asked Merritt Shelton to prom at Rye Playland beach. Her friends lined the boardwalk and as she walked down it she was greeted by her friends who each gave her a bucket. Each bucket had a letter that spelled out “PROM”. The last bucket she received had a question mark drawn on it and was given to her by David who also held a sign that said “I sea us at prom.” She said yes and all their friends cheered.
Abigail Suzman was surprised at her senior options by her date Steven Wetchler. Abigail, who is interning at Heathcote Elementary School, walked into her classroom to find her students each holding up a letter which spelled out “Why don’t we paint the town at prom,” and her date with a bouquet of flowers.
Abby Rosenstein came home to find all her friends in her backyard surrounding her younger brother and his friends with “PROM?” painted on their bare chests. She approached her date who had two check boxes painted on his chest, one that said “yes” and one that said “no” and was given a paint brush. She checked the box that said yes and all her friends rejoiced.
Camila Grisanti was surprised at a capella practice for her promposal. Her friends interrupted the practice to give her a “sing-a-gram”. They then surrounded her and sung “Love is an Open Door” from the Disney movie Frozen as everyone watched. After the first verse, her date, Andrew Bernstein surprised her with flowers and a decorated sign that said “PROM?”.
See these students and many more walk the red carpet to the prom bus on Thursday May 31 at 4 pm outside Scarsdale High School!
Have a good promposal you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
