Preseason Snapshot: Scarsdale Winter Sport Features Much Potential
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Wrestling: After almost 15 years as assistant coach, Jeremy Szerlip begins his second year in the top spot with an eye towards a strong rebound in the ’19-’20 season. The team is coming off of a rebuilding season which saw several changes to the program’s culture and approach.
Coach Szerlip noted that his main objective since taking the helm last year has been to change the “general attitude of the team” and “come with a winning mindframe to compete in a hard division”. The team features an upperclass heavy squad with senior co-captains Dean Mancini, Connor Raff, and Thomas Reynolds leading the charge. The team also has high hopes for Sophomore Thomas Kuo.
Szerlip’s main concern going into the season is the team’s ability to retain its full membership throughout the long, grinding, tough campaign. To date – the team has all but two weight classes filled – which should make a large difference in dual meets. When asked about his initial outlook for the season – Szerlip said “I expect us to be very competitive during the dual meets and improve our performance considerably over last year”.
The Raiders open their season at the Section One dual meet on December 4th.
Boys Basketball
Second year head coach Joe Amelio has high aspirations for his squad this season. The Raiders started last year on an 8-0 roll, until injuries and a rough conference schedule took its tool and the team ended the season with a 14-6 regular season record. Scarsdale entered the playoffs as the 5 seed and lost a heartbreaker in an overtime loss to White Plains in the quarterfinals – just missing the semifinals at the country center.
The team lost 3 of its top 4 scorers – including SUNY Geneseo basketball player Cole Kattan – to graduation. However, several returning players should make a big impact including All State senior guard Jayshen Saigal, who Amelio believes “is a top three player in the conference”. Furthermore, point guard Matthew Lipsay will return after missing his junior year due to a broken wrist. He is looking for those two and several of the returning players to provide leadership to a team that is playing together for the first time.
Amelio stressed that “our defense was strong last year – particularly during the first half of the season. I expect us to continue that into this year and it will make us hard to beat”. Further, he said that “our defensive performance will be an early indicator of how successful we will be this year. Coach Amelio believes that his team “has the ability to make it to the country center this season”
The teams first regular season game will begin at home at Scarsdale on 12/4 as it hosts its annual tournament
Girls Basketball
Coach Mike Blanco returns for a 9th season leading a Scarsdale team that sported an 10-11 season against a very competitive schedule – and a tough first round playoff loss against a highly ranked Lady of Lourdes team.
The team sports a “barbell” of seniority – with over half the team underclassman. Blanco has high expectations of his senior co-captains Kayla Maroney (all section last year) Meghan Quirk, and Jessica Solodar – as well as junior Center Abigail Talish. He also believes that he has sufficient depth this year as his five sophomores all were on the squad last year as freshmen – and should help keep the team fresh as the season wears on.
The lady Raiders season begins on December 5th at its home tournament.
Photos by Jon Thaler. See more here:
Scarsdale Students Continue to Fare Well on a Large Range of Assessments
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If you go by the numbers, students in Scarsdale are testing well – as compared to both local and national averages, reported Assistant Superintendent Edgar McIntosh at the November 18 meeting of the Board of Education.
He cautioned that the district should continue to look beyond the tests and use the assessments to improve instruction, curriculum and learning environments for students. He also said the district would use their own metrics to assess critical thinking skills which are not necessarily included in state tests.
He said, the test results should “not be the sole evaluation of student achievement or an educational program because these tests are concerned only with certain basic skills and abilities and are not intended to measure total achievement for each subject and grade.”
However, by all measures it looks like Scarsdale students are thriving.
McIntosh discussed the following data as measures of the district’s achievements.
His report says, First, we look at the end results both in terms of college acceptances and on graduates’ reports on their successes after they leave Scarsdale. College acceptance results have always been excellent and have grown even stronger over the last two decades.
In 2019:
-98% of graduates are attending college
-96% to 4-year colleges
-64% of graduates were accepted at colleges and universities ranked “most competitive” in the U.S.
These statistics compare with 61% in 2010, and 57% in 2005. He said, “We do not know of another comprehensive, non-selective, public school district whose students achieve stronger results.”
He shared an analysis of student performance on the SAT’s and ACT’s and AT tests in 2018-19
- Scarsdale’s Mean Combined SAT Score Results continue to be the highest among comparable districts in our region.
The percent of students receiving scores of 3,4,5 on AP Exams is 95%, which has been consistent.
He also believes that student involvement in extra-curricular activities and athletics is also a measure of the success of the district. He quoted a well-regarded researcher who said, “One of the most important measures of a school is the number of clubs that are available and how flexible those clubs were because it indicated a culture that supports the whole child and his interests.”
McIntosh presented the following data about student involvement for the Class of 2018-19:
The percentage of total student enrollment involved in extracurricular activities other than athletics: approximately 75%
Percentage of high school students participating in athletics:
-Fall (579/1552 [37.3%]);
-Winter (448/1552 [28.9%])
-Spring (504/1552 [32.5%])
All three seasons without duplication (950/1552 [61.2%]).
Reviewing the results of the ELA and math tests given to elementary school students, McIntosh found:
Overall, test scores were among the strongest in New York State and in the same range as those in a selected group of comparable districts.
While year to year there is variation in the test results between elementary schools, the overall school-to-school differences in elementary students’ scores were not significant.
As in past years, Middle School scores inconsistently predicted student High School performance on Regents examinations, which continued to be strong.
In addition to the college admissions tests and the state tests, Scarsdale has also developed their own assessments for English, math, science and social studies in the elementary school, and assessments for middle school and high school students across various disciplines, including the performing arts and physical education.
McIntosh reviewed improvements to New York State educational standards that emphasize the learning process, inter-disciplinary thinking and the reduction of redundancies. These new standards focus on moving through the content, rather than rote memorization of facts. Once learned, these concepts can be applied across many disciplines. He called the process, “collaboration and vertical articulation.” To illustrate this point, McIntosh said the teachers of biology, chemistry and earth science at the high school are exploring how they can teach cross-cutting concepts across science classes.
There’s even more data to parse online. Watch the presentation here:
From the Light the Future! Committee and Maroon and White
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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Kate Conlan, Co-President of Maroon and White:
In a historic decision last month, Scarsdale Village Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the installation
of permanent, clean, and highly focused LED lights on Butler Field, replacing the diesel-powered portable lights currently used for some nighttime games. Permanent lighting will enable the Scarsdale community to get the most out of the newly renovated, first-class Butler Field complex. Maroon and White, the Light the Future! Committee, and a variety of community groups are dedicated to raising the necessary funds for this important investment which will benefit athletes of all ages, their friends and family spectators, and the entire Scarsdale community. Benefits will include:
Home Night Games: Kids love the excitement of playing under the lights and more working parents and community members are able to attend night games. Night games promote school pride, community unity, and provide safe evening events for Scarsdale’s children.
Fall Playoff Games: Scarsdale High School teams have historically been forced to forfeit home field advantage for fall playoff games due to not having field lights to accommodate after-school and evening playoff games when the sun sets early. Permanent lights at Butler Field will allow Scarsdale High School teams the benefit of home field advantage.
Complete JV Games: The Junior Varsity teams in sports such as Field Hockey and Lacrosse often play their home games immediately following the completion of their sport’s Varsity games. When constrained by early sundown, these JV games are often forced to be shortened. Permanent lights will allow these JV teams to play the full-length games they deserve.
Pre-Season Spring Practice: Scarsdale High School and youth athletes in lacrosse, soccer, baseball and softball typically face game competition prior to Scarsdale’s grass fields being opened for play in mid-April. Lights at the Butler Field will allow Scarsdale athletes across many sports increased early-season practice opportunities on the turf field.
Soggy Weather: Scarsdale’s grass fields are frequently closed due to soggy and unsafe conditions. Permanent lights at Butler Field will extend the availability of the turf field, providing a safe practice environment for Scarsdale athletes and saving costly damage to grass fields.
Environment: Permanent, clean, and highly focused LED lights at Butler Field will provide better field lighting for Scarsdale’s athletes without the noise, smell, air and carbon pollution, light dispersion, or rental costs of the diesel-powered portable lights Scarsdale is currently forced to use for night games.
Property Values: Most surrounding communities already have field lights and benefit from all the advantages described above. Installing permanent lights on Scarsdale’s new Butler Field complex will bring Scarsdale’s fields up to the standards of surrounding communities and make Scarsdale more attractive to prospective home buyers.
In order to realize these many benefits, a community investment of $850,000 is required. We are thankful to all the families that have allowed us to make significant progress towards this goal. However, an additional $395,000 needs to be raised by January 2020 in order for the lights to be installed for the Fall 2020 season. Please consider donating to this important cause! Donations can be made online at www.maroonandwhite.org or by check made payable to Maroon and White and sent to PO Box 124, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Thank you for your support!
Are Our Kids Getting Enough Sleep? Board Discusses School Start Time and More
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In the wake of a new law in California that will shift the opening of state high schools to no earlier than 8:30 am, the Scarsdale School Board re-opened a discussion of school hours at their meeting on Monday November 4.
Why would the district consider a proposed schedule change?
Here are the facts:
-A 2017 study from the CDC found that only a quarter of high school students reported getting the recommended eight hours of sleep.
-The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.
-Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior.
-The American Academy of Pediatrics, which backed the California cited studies that found links between more sleep from later start times to better school performance and better health among teens.
California is not the first district to address the sleep issue. Seattle took a similar step in 2016 when they announced a reorganization of school start times: Elementary schools started earlier, while most middle and all of the district’s 18 high schools shifted their opening bell almost an hour later — from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The schedule change took more than a year to implement as it affected transportation needs and the schedules for after school programs.
Does Scarsdale have it wrong? At the high school, the first bell rings at 7:55 am, and classes at Scarsdale Middle School begin at 8:10 am. The elementary schools begin at either 8:2 or 8:35 am. That means that high school in Scarsdale class begins 30 to 45 minutes earlier than mandated under the new schedules in California and Seattle.
Board member Chris Morin raised the issue at the October 21 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Education, and on November 4 it was put on the agenda. Specifically, the Board and administration discussed whether or not school start times warranted research and further consideration and should be formally studied this year.
Dr. Hagerman noted that similar legislation to delay start times had failed in some states and passed in others. He said the “research is clear on the benefits of sleep,” but that was only a starting point for the conversation. He suggested the district look at other districts that are the same size as Scarsdale for an apple to apple comparison and to find out if other Westchester school districts want to get involved in the research. He said the PT Council was interested in studying this issue.
Joe DeCrescenzo and Scott Silberfein
Board member Alison Singer suggested the district confer with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin to find out if other districts in the state are investigating this and School Board President Scott Silberfein said that the Nanuet and Tappan Zee Schools Districts have already implemented a later start time. Dr. Hagerman raised the concern that later start times could affect working parents, student transportation and the after-school sports program.
About the decision to study this issue, Board Vice President Pam Fuehrer said she was concerned about the existing workload for the administration and the board who are engaged in collective bargaining and the implementation of the strategic plan. She said she saw this as a wellness issue. However, Board member Karen Ceske said this issue has been “percolating in the district for years” and she thought “we should bring it to the table and start the work.” Carl Finger said he had a sense that “this would not overburden the staff, “and that “this was “the first step in a marathon.” Dr. Hagerman said he felt comfortable “putting out some feelers,” and he thought the district should spend more time on this once they had more information.
It appeared that the administration would make researching this issue a formal priority and put it back on the agenda after they have more information.
Middle School Comfort Station
During the public comments portion of the meeting Bob Harrison spoke at length in favor of the construction of a comfort station at the middle school and encouraged Scarsdale students to apply to Penn State. Later at the meeting, the board approved a resolution to move forward with the planning. Specifically, the resolution authorized the SEQRA review and authorized the administration to draft a Memorandum of Understanding with the Village of Scarsdale outlining terms and conditions including but not limited to: (1) SEQRA compliance; and (2) a license agreement related to construction, funding and operation, use and maintenance of the Comfort Station.”
Purchasing
The Board discussed whether or not they could change their purchasing policy to allow purchase of textbooks via Amazon or other providers not currently on the list of vendors approved by New York State.
Lights at Butler Field
The Board approved two gifts from Maroon and White for a total of $48,025 for architectural and engineering fees for the new lights at Butler Field. This represents 75% of those fees. The Board thanked Maroon and White and asked them to begin the work.
Lauren Barton and student government representative Lisa Thurman.Community Dinner
Prior to the meeting, the Scarsdale High School student government hosted a community dinner with food from local restaurants. Proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. See photos from the dinner above.
Questions from the LWVS
Also during public comments, Leah Dembitzer, President of the LWVS posed the following questions on behalf of the league:
Safety and Security
1. Does the Board plan to consider how recent enhancements and changes in surveillance, including new security cameras at the elementary schools, affect student privacy and student rights?
2. Will the Director of Security position be evaluated by the Board of Education? Will the Director of Security position continue to be a consultant position in the next school year?
3. How have increased security measures affected the culture of community at the schools? Aside from building and district safety committee meetings, is there a process for the Board and Administration to solicit ongoing feedback from teachers, parents, students and the community at large?
4. According to the document entitled “In-Process, District-Wide Security-Related Improvements,” there is a list of some social/ emotional initiatives that have been implemented related to a culture of kindness and to identify bullying. However, is there a new, additional social/ emotional plan or initiative in place to address how increased security itself may affect student well-being and stress? Specifically to address how lockdown drills or false alarm drills may affect student stress, wellness and the overall school experience.
Strategic Plan
Jeanne Cooper serving Italian food.
5. I know that Dr. Hagerman mentioned that Strategic Plan will be discussed tomorrow with teachers at Superintendent Conference Day. However, are there any other plans to convene focus groups of parents, teachers and students related to the further honing and implementation of the Strategic Plan?
Board Community Engagement/ Communications
6. When is the Board’s Community Engagement sub-committee meeting and what are its goals for this year? **I know that Pam mentioned that there is a meeting in November, however, I wasn't able to hear the exact date of the meeting. Thank you.
7. Is increased Advocacy on issues that directly impact the Scarsdale School community, one of the Board’s goals for the year?
Trustee Jane Veron (center) with Jessica Weiss Ainsberg and Veron's daughter Anna.
School Safety and Security is Top of Mind at the Board of Education Meeting
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School safety and security remain top of mind for district parents. At the October 21 meeting of the Scarsdale School Board PTC President Joey Silberfein gave lengthy public comments calling for the school administration to allow parent representation on the district’s Safety, Security, Emergency Management Committee and District Safety Director Mike Spedaliere gave an update on safety drills conducted by the schools to date this school year.
The issue of the composition of the SSEM Projects Committee was also discussed at the September meeting. That committee reviews and recommends projects for implementation. This committee is comprised of cabinet members (administrators), staff leadership and a member of the Board of Education. There are no parents on this committee.
According to School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Hagerman, the role of this committee is to define best practices, look for opportunities for mitigation and put these projects into a timeline for review and implementation.
At the September meeting, Board members Karen Ceske and Ron Schulhof asked the administration to assign a parent to this committee on a trial basis. Carl Finger asked the district to outline the roles of these various committees on the website to clarify confusion about the district’s four safety committees. (To date this information has not been posted.) At the conclusion of the September meeting, Dr. Hagerman said the composition of the SSEM committee would be re-considered. Since that time, a teacher was added, however parents remain unrepresented.
At the meeting on October 21, Joey Silberfein, who is President of the PT Council said the PTC Executive Committee was “Disappointed that the district has made a decision not to include parent representation in the newly formed SSEM Projects Committee which we understand will make critical decisions about safety and security measures to implement and how to prioritize that implementation measures in our schools.” She said, “We have yet to hear a compelling reason to justify the reason for excluding parents who represent over half the users of district buildings on such a committee.”
She continued, “Why is this so important? … First of all – these are our children in the buildings. We have an obvious stake in their safety, security and health. Our aim is the same as yours. Keeping our children safe. Second – we and our children use the buildings. As parents, we provide a much-needed perspective and feedback on safety measures that should be implemented. We also have access to information from our children and a different perspective than anyone at this table. We should use that perspective to the district’s benefit. Parents use the buildings in a unique way and our input is valuable and necessary. The parents in this community have not heard a consistent or compelling reason why parent representation should not be added.”
“The reasons we have heard articulated are that the committee doesn’t want to add parents, that parents are represented elsewhere and that there are confidentiality concerns. We believe these reasons are red herrings. Along with the Board of Education we believe that these questions should never have gone to the committee. The district should be making the decision about the representation of a district committee …. While representation on other district committees is also important and necessary that representation is not a substitute for representation on the SSEM Committee which plays a different role. In fact it’s this different role why teachers and Board of Ed members wanted to be added to the committee.”
“We are here again to press upon you the importance of parent representation on the SSEM Committee, a committee which has the role of ultimate policy formulation. There is also no basis to believe that the PTC President would not honor confidentiality or would somehow breach confidentiality. Dr. Hagerman has noted that the committee is mostly housekeeping and is winding down. If that’s the case, why would a teacher and a Board of Education representative just get added? Why would people object so strenuously to a parent being there?”
“All stakeholders should have representation on the committee and parents are equally important stakeholders. Parents should be there too. We are equally important stakeholders and we should be there too. The SSEM is missing an important voice that is integral to their decision making. If you are ultimately not going to have a parent on the committee, we implore you to get parent input before decisions are made.”
Safety and Security Update
Director of District Security Mike Spedaliere gave an update on year to date security activities reporting that the district has run:
26 fire drills throughout the district – some with the participation of the Fire Department
5 lock down drills – with the assistance of the police
2 evacuation drills and 7 bus drills
He said, “We are well on our way to meeting our required number of drills by December 31”
They have also been running tabletop training exercises and assigning school staff to their positions in case of an emergency. He said, “People will be familiar with their duties in the event of an emergency.” Mattey reported that the district is working on “Improvements to the lock down systems, evacuation procedures, identifying meeting spots and visitor procedures. He said that the district’s emergency communications system would be tested on October 29 with test emergency emails and texts sent to parents and high school students. In addition, Mattey reported that the district is looking to improve their overall internal radio communications within and between district schools.
Board President Scott Silberfein said he heard about several fires at Scarsdale High School due to vaping. Mike Spedaliere said there are cameras in the bathrooms and that aides are checking the bathrooms. However the two alarms had nothing to do with vaping. Dr. Hagerman noted that educating students about the dangerous chemicals involved in vaping was important to prevent students from risking their health.
Finally, the Board adopted the District-Wide Safety and Emergency Plan that details the district’s preparedness plan and emergency response protocols. The purpose of the plan is outlined here:
“Districts are required to develop district-wide school safety and emergency management plans designed to prevent and effectively manage such events to minimize the effects of serious incidents and emergencies. These plans also facilitate the coordination of the District with local and county plans and resources when incidents and emergencies occur” Districts are required to develop district-wide school safety and emergency management plans designed to prevent and effectively manage such events to minimize the effects of serious incidents and emergencies. These plans also facilitate the coordination of the District with local and county plans and resources when incidents and emergencies occur.
See the entire plan here:
During the meeting, Board member Ron Schulhof said he supported parent representation on the SSEM committee. In the follow-up comments to the meeting, Board President Scott Silberfein said it was up to the district to communicate with the PTC on the issue of the composition of the committee. Dr. Hagerman said they had met and discussed the issue.
Also of interest ….
Theater
The Board appointed Tobias Peltier as the new theater coordinator – a new title for the district. He is a Tony-award winner. During the facilities portion of the meeting, Stuart Mattey announced that funds may finally be available to update the theater/auditorium at Scarsdale High School, an item that has been cut from several bonds and budgets.
Lights at Butler Field
The Board approved a proposal to accept a gift of $48,502 from Maroon and White at their next meeting to begin the architectural work and soil borings to install the lights at Butler Field in advance of the fundraising to pay for the entire project. The target date for the fundraising of $810,000 is January 2020 and they hope to install the lights in the summer of 2020.
Rendering of proposed comfort station at Scarsdale Middle School.Comfort Station at Scarsdale Middle School
Another long-discussed item also appears to be in process. That is a bathroom – or comfort station at the Scarsdale Middle School Tennis Courts. The school district met with the Village to discuss the project. Mattey proposed a resolution to the Board to support the project at their next meeting. A memorandum of understanding or licensing agreement would lay out all the details around building and managing the station. Dr. Hagerman complimented the design and said it would be a nice addition to the district.
Greenacres Elementary School
A meeting with the Greenacres Neighborhood Association will be held on Wednesday October 30 at 7 pm at Greenacres. The community is invited. Mattey reported that the construction process and daily environmental testing are going well.
Watch the meeting online here.
