SHS Prom and Graduation On!

After a year like no other, Scarsdale High School seniors will enjoy their traditional rites of passage after all! At the Board of Education meeting on Monday night May 10, 2021, Eric Rauschenbach announced that the prom will go on–- this year at Glen Island in New Rochelle rather than inside a tent at the high school.

Only Scarsdale High School Seniors will be permitted to attend the event which will take place in two rooms at Glen Island – one for eating and one for dancing. With capacity for 1,900 people, there will be plenty of room for social distancing. Prom is planned for Thursday night June 3, 2021.

In a more normal end to a very abnormal year, more good news was communicated about graduation. After some uncertainty about what would be permitted, the administration announced that there will be one graduation ceremony for the entire senior class to take place on Butler Field on either Thursday evening June 24 or Friday morning June 25. There will be no tent, so the rain date is necessary. COVID testing and proof of vaccinations will be required with more details to come from the district on the rules for the grads and their guests.

The seniors will also have the chance to perform their Senior Play which will take place on June 11, 12, 13. Each performance of “High School Musical,” will be limited to an audience of 100 attendees.

The lower grades will also celebrate. At Scarsdale Middle School, there will be four graduation ceremonies, one for each of the houses.

Elementary school moving up ceremonies will also be held by class during the school day, with two guests permitted per student. Students will return to class after the ceremony. There will also be field days at the elementary schools, but this year no parents will be in attendance.

And for fifth graders moving up to sixth grade, orientation will be held prior to the start of school. A scavenger hunt will be designed to help the students learn their way around the school.

What’s Next?

Speaking about guidelines, Dr. Hagerman anticipates that as the pandemic eases, the Governor will give up his emergency powers to regulate schools and this power will return to the NYS Board of Regents. In Scarsdale, the Restart Committee, which has governed the schools during the crisis will now go into hiatus. In response to questions about next year, Dr. Hagerman said, “We are anticipating a normal school year, normal schedule, the full gamut of programs, services, clubs and activities – though possibly with masks.” He added, this year we developed our capabilities and can respond to any sudden changes, twists or turns,.”

Rauschenbach added, “My bet is that we will not have a virtual-only option next year.”

What about the plastic desk barriers that were purchased? Dr. Hagerman said, “We made the decision to purchase the barriers to keep our risk mitigation plan in place. Then we got guidance that barriers were not needed.” After surveying teachers, the district found that, “85% of teachers said the barriers were impacting learning in their classrooms…. the feedback was largely negative.” Therefore the district has decided to leave plastic barriers available in cafeterias and instructional spaces for us on a discretionary basis.

Rauschenbach reported that there were only 13 active COVID cases in Scarsdale, and the infection rate is in the single digits, the lowest since November. The positivity rate has a seven day average of 1.1%.

On Thursday May 13, Scarsdale Village Ambulance Corps will provide vaccines for students 16 years of age of older.

Summer Enrichment Program

Administrators provided an update on a summer enrichment program that will be offered for the first time this year. The program is called “SPARK “ an acronym for Summer Project-Based Academic Retreat for Kids.

Classes will be offered at Fox Meadow for students entering grades one, two and three and at Greenacres for those entering grades four and five. To date, 350 students are enrolled in the program which will run from 9 am to 11 am. The district has partnered with the Village to allow the children to be bussed from the academic program to a recreational program, and about half will go to the rec and the other half will be picked up.

The program will be based in project based learning and allow kids to learn through the research and design process. The SPARK program will also be the subject of a class through the Scarsdale Teachers Institute where they will refine teaching practices and assess project based learning based on their activities in the summer program.

Seventy of the students who are enrolled are special needs students. The program staff will include special education teachers, a nurse and aides.

It appears that the students and the district are rapidly bouncing back from a long, arduous and difficult year. All signs point to better times ahead.