Shout it Out

Details: Written by: Wendy MacMillan; Published: 27 June 2019; Created: 27 June 2019; Last Updated: 19 December 2019; Hits: 5381

cloudwatch The warm days of summer are finally here! And for many Scarsdalians this means the kids are off to camp, barbeques with friends, and maybe even some adventurous travel. For others though, summer means entertaining kids that are home from school and hot days with steamy commutes to the city. Whatever summer has in store for you, there is a great way to help “keep your cool” ...practicing mindfulness!

Jon Kabat Zinn defines mindfulness as: “Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” With time, people who practice mindfulness learn to slow down or stop brain chatter and automatic or habitual reactions, experiencing the present moment as it really is.

According to Mindfulschools.org, when we consistently practice mindfulness we can “strengthen the parts of the brain that help us improve attention, regulate our emotions including a better ability to engage in tasks even when emotions are activated, demonstrate greater compassion both for self and for others, reduce feelings of stress and improve anxiety and distress when placed in a stressful social situation.”

Ready to give it a try? Here are three easy exercises perfect for summertime that you can do on your own or practice with the whole family:

Mindful Breathing:

First, sit down in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Next, take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth. Turn all of your attention to your breath. How does your breath feels as you draw it into yourself, and then as it leaves. Place a hand on your belly and feel the rise and fall of your breath. Your mind may start to wander while you are breathing and that’s OK! Let the thoughts go and bring your attention back to your breathing. Do this about five times – five inhales, five exhales. Try to take notice of how your body feels after you have completed your five breaths. And for a more enhanced experience, find a beautiful spot outside and breath in the fresh summer air!

Mindful Walking:

Whether you are walking to catch the train or you’ve found a beautiful spot to walk in nature, we can easily practice mindful walking in any environment. As you begin your walk, first start with some mindful breathing and focus on your inhales and exhales. Then turn your attention to anything else your senses tune into in the moment – How does the air feel moving against you? What sounds do you hear around you? How does your body feel as you move? Give your complete attention to the sensations you are experiencing. Again, if your mind begins to wander and you begin thinking about what you need to get from the grocery store, gently let the thoughts pass and bring your attention back to the experiences of your walk.

Mindful Watching:

This is a perfect exercise for the whole family to try on a warm summer's day. Find a comfortable spot to lay down outside where you can turn your attention to the clouds in the sky. After laying down, take a few deep, mindful breaths and feel your body relax against the ground. Next pick a cloud in the sky and give it your full attention. Continue watching the cloud as it floats through the sky and try to keep your focus on the cloud. If other thoughts start to enter your mind, gently let the thoughts go as you bring your attention back to your floating cloud. Try this for a few minutes and when you're done, take notice of how your body feels. Do you feel more relaxed? Do you feel more grounded?

So whether you are an empty-nester or you're chasing your preschooler around the Scarsdale pool, remember to stay cool with mindfulness!

Wendy MacMillan is a former teacher and a proud mom of two children. While her background is in psychology and education, Wendy was recently trained in mindfulness at Mindfulschools.org. She has long been passionate about wellness, and as an active member of the Scarsdale PTA, Wendy helped to bring mindfulness to her children's elementary school. In addition, Wendy helped establish and is an acting member of the school's Wellness Committee. For more information about mindfulness check out this site: mindfulschools.org or Watch the video of Jon Kabat-Zinn explaining what mindfulness is ... or contact Wendy MacMillan at wendymacmillan@gmail.com.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 19 June 2019; Created: 19 June 2019; Last Updated: 26 June 2019; Hits: 7068

Stanley An early morning call from a Dunham Road woman lead to the arrest of a man for larceny and criminal mischief for entering parked cars and stealing the contents.

At about 7 am on Wednesday, June 19th police received from a call from a resident reporting suspicious activity in the area of Dunham Road. She said she saw a man wearing blue shorts and a dark jacket entering a vehicle and taking property.

Scarsdale Patrol Officers arrived in the area shortly after the call was received and located a suspect that matched the caller’s description.

The suspect, who was identified as 26 year-old Stanley Dejesuscruz, was found to be in possession of stolen property taken from numerous vehicles in Scarsdale. Further investigation revealed that the suspect also damaged a vehicle while attempting to enter it.

The suspect was arrested, charged with Larceny and Criminal Mischief, arraigned in Scarsdale Village Court and remanded to Westchester County Jail.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 11 June 2019; Created: 11 June 2019; Last Updated: 12 June 2019; Hits: 4942

Let's Get Ready, a nonprofit founded by Scarsdale alumni to level the playing field in college access, is recruiting college students (or '19 high school or college grads) to volunteer 1-2 evening per week this summer as College Coaches, providing FREE SAT prep and college application advising to low income high school students in Mount Vernon, White Plains New Rochelle, Stamford, and NYC.

-Volunteers teach either Math or Reading/Writing sections of the SAT 1-2 evenings per week and are provided with training, curricula, and support.

- Volunteers must attend training on June 18 or 21 and be available to teach one evening per week from June 19-Aug. 8. (Great to do after work or internship!)

Let’s Get Ready responds to a crisis in access to college and opportunity. A student from a low-income family with an A average in high school is only as likely to go to college as a child with a C- average from an upper-income family, and nationally, only 16% of low-income students who enroll in college actually graduate. This leads to persistent intergenerational inequality and poverty as a person who graduates from college will earn more than $1million more over their lifetime than someone with just a high school degree and their children are twice as likely to go to college.

Let’s Get Ready is a nonprofit founded by seven SHS alums who were in college and home for the summer in 1998. They realized that they were near experts in college admissions having invested tremendous time in their applications and SAT prep, and that while that knowledge was now useless to them, it could benefit younger students who could not afford costly SAT prep or who didn’t have parents who went to college and were familiar with the process. They pooled their knowledge and and began teaching a group of 30 students SAT prep and offering college application help in a Mount Vernon church basement. Let’s Get Ready continued and evolved and now through year-round campus-community partnerships from Maine to Philadelphia offers help for students applying to college and also support and mentoring once they are in college to help ensure that they graduate. The organization is celebrating its 20th Anniversary and has helped 33,000 deserving high school students get to college with great results. 92% of LGR students enroll in college after high school and they graduate at 5x the rate of low-income students overall.

Melika Forbes, a student that first summer who got into Syracuse University in part thanks to raising her SAT scores 200 points in the program went on to join Teach For America. She then went to law school and is now General Counsel for the charter school network Achievement First “Let’s Get Ready opened opportunity for me and has influenced nearly all my life choices,” Melika wrote.

The impact on many of Let’s Get Ready’s volunteer College Coaches has also been profound as many go on to careers in education or public service and often cite Let’s Get Ready as the experience that ignited their passion.

For information and to apply to volunteer: www.letsgetready.org/coach

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 28 May 2019; Created: 28 May 2019; Last Updated: 28 May 2019; Hits: 3657

shsgrad12m Dear Scarsdale Friends and Neighbors: This is the time of year when many of us are celebrating graduations and giving gifts to our high school and college graduates.

There are many families who are not as fortunate. You may be aware of The Scarsdale High School PTA Scholarship Fund for College that provides scholarships for SHS graduates only for the freshman year of college. However, these students need help to fund their three remaining years of school.

The Scarsdale Foundation helps offset college tuition expenses for eligible students entering their Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years. Need-based financial stipends are awarded annually in June to deserving college students who have graduated from Scarsdale High School or were Scarsdale residents during their high school years.

With the sky-high cost of college tuition, even the hardest working families can have trouble meeting costs, and one set back due to illness or job loss can wipe out a family’s savings.

Last year, the Scarsdale Foundation awarded $130,000 to 26 Scarsdale students, but many students still need help making ends meet. To continue providing such critical money for college students in need, we are asking for your help. Our goal is to raise $25,000 by June 20th. We make scholarship grant decisions at the end of June.

Your generous contribution can make a big difference for these students.

$1000 helps fund a student’s tuition
$500 funds a semester of a student’s books
$100 pays for a student’s campus supplies

Every contribution helps! You can donate by clicking here:

Thank you for your generous support!

Sincerely,
Michelle Lichtenberg and Suzanne Seiden
Scarsdale Foundation
Fundraising Chairs

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 20 May 2019; Created: 20 May 2019; Last Updated: 20 May 2019; Hits: 4813

ForumElection4 New President Tim Foley and Vice President Madelaine EppensteinThe Scarsdale Forum announced today that members voted to elect Madelaine Eppenstein as its Vice President at its Annual Membership Meeting. Eppenstein will serve alongside Tim Foley, Scarsdale Forum’s new President. Forum members also elected Randy Guggenheimer as Treasurer, Richard Pinto, as Secretary, and Diane Greenwald, Dara Gruenberg and Matthew Martin as Directors-at-Large.

According to Eppenstein: “Joining the Forum has been one of the best opportunities I could have imagined for engaging fully in the rich civic life of our village, for making so many new friends in the community, and for participating with them on issues presented publicly to village government that are important to our collective quality of life in Scarsdale. To me, the Forum represents Scarsdale's public square, where residents can join together to influence policy for the betterment of us all. It is an honor to have been chosen to continue working with Tim Foley, the Forum board, and its membership on advancing the Forum’s long tradition of civic discourse.”

ForumElection1 Former President Jon Mark with incoming President Tim FoleyAccording to Foley: “It is a tremendous privilege to be entrusted with the stewardship of so central an organization as the Scarsdale Forum, and a pure delight to do so side-by-side with Madelaine Eppenstein, whose work ethic, attention to detail, passion, good humor, and leadership-by-example have already contributed so much to the achievements of the Forum this year. I look forward to working with Madelaine, Randy, Richard, our new and returning Directors and Directors-at-Large, and all our members on a new and exciting year.”

Madelaine Eppenstein and her husband are 26-year residents of the Fox Meadow neighborhood of Scarsdale and have two adult children. She currently serves on the Forum Board of Directors and Executive Committee and is chair of the Municipal Services Committee. She also serves on the board of the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc., an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of village parks and greenspaces. She served as the 2019 Chair of the Procedure Committee that administers the nonpartisan election system in Scarsdale. For 37 years, she was managing partner of a New York City civil litigation and arbitration law firm with her husband. During that period she appeared before several Congressional committees on subjects relating to the federal securities laws, and participated in appeals for clients in federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

ForumElection2 Former village trustee Matthew CallaghanTim Foley is raising two children with his wife in the Bramlee Heights neighborhood of Scarsdale. He is currently a member of the Scarsdale Village Planning Board and previously served on the Scarsdale Advisory Council on Human Relations. He has an extensive career in public policy, politics, and government relations, and currently works for Scarsdale’s own Assemblymember Amy R. Paulin. He also completed a year of service as Vice President for the Scarsdale Forum.

ForumElection3 State assemblywoman Amy PaulinAdded Foley, “When I first moved to Scarsdale, the first and best piece of advice I received was that if I wanted to be involved deeply in civic life, I had to join the Forum. Residents should know that the Scarsdale Forum is open to all in the community who wish to have thoughtful discussions and express their views on village matters.”

Scarsdale Forum
The Scarsdale Forum is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to community education through discussion and analysis of issues relevant to Scarsdale residents. Since 1904, the Forum has contributed meaningfully to Village affairs through its written reports, public speaker events and committee discussions. Membership is available to all Scarsdale and Mamaroneck Strip residents regardless of citizenship status.