Students Press for the Inclusion of Asian Holidays in Scarsdale School Calendar
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Three students continued to press for the inclusion of Asian holidays in the official Scarsdale Schools calendar at the Board of Education meeting on Monday December 5, 2022. They outlined the importance of Eid, Diwali and the Lunar New Year and suggested how these days could be marked and honored in the community.
Responding to the students, Interim Superintendent Drew Patrick thanked the students who “spoke so beautifully.” He said, “At our December 19 meeting we will share some draft calendars for next year, and the future, beyond next year, that illustrate a possible school year with those holidays recognized, and without. That will provide the community and the board with some time to think about what it looks like and what the trade-offs are both for next year and the future. At the January meeting, people can share their reflections and at the February 13, 2023 meeting we will make a recommendation of the 2023-24 school calendar.”
Here are the student’s comments:
Samina Malik of 77 Tunstall Road asked for Eid, Diwali and Lunar New Year to be included as days off on the school calendar. She said “People have not asked as they did not know it was an option. After the isolation of COVID we see how important it is to embrace our community. Why has this taken so long to be a main consideration? We found an article from the Scarsdale Inquirer in April 19, 1974 asking for the Jewish holidays to be school holidays to reflect the changing community. Almost 50 years later, over 150 Muslims students in our schools are asking for a similar consideration. We should not be asked to choose between our faith and our education. I recently spoke to Amy Paulin and Michelle Sterling. They said that NYC incorporated these holidays by changing the snow days to remote learning days. Other districts have made other accommodations.” She submitted a petition with the signatures of 200 families supporting the goal. She said, “Most years we would only need to 2 or 3 days to be added.”
Sajiv Mehta of 74 Drake Road said, “I am here to discuss the inclusion of Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year as school holidays in the coming year. Diwali, the festival of light, is the most important day of the year for Hindus and is also celebrated by many Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.”
“I joined Edgewood in third grade and each year the celebration of Diwali in my home was relegated to a short prayer session. As I have gotten older and my workload has increased, the duration of this session has gone down from an hour to just 20 minutes. While this year teachers were discouraged from giving much work on Diwali I still had tests and assignments due in the coming days that I could not ignore. The stress of balancing my tests and the holidays was too much which meant that I had to sacrifice the integrity of the holiday or my work. A few weeks ago when I discussed this with my friends, they also hoped that Scarsdale would incorporate Eid, Diwali and the Lunar New Year as holidays just like NYC public schools and many other districts. 23% of Scarsdale students are of Asian descent and according to an informal SHS poll, at least 40% of the SHS student body observes at least one of these holidays. While there are calendar challenges to deal with, solutions are possible. One option is to adjust the half days at the end of June to accommodate days off for Eid, Diwali and the Lunar New Year. Or to start a few days earlier in September so that all of us can celebrate our important festivals without stressing about how to balance our education and cultural events and identities.”
“It is crucial that we celebrate Diwali with every family member. We are not able to give Diwali the respect it deserves as the celebration is always incomplete. By giving us a day off, it is my hope that the board will enable families to be truly together on Diwali, Eid and Lunar New Year as soon as possible while we can still celebrate together.”
Daniel Hu, a sophomore spoke about what the Lunar New Year means “to me, my family and Scarsdale,” and asked the Board to consider adding a school holiday for Lunar New Year. He said, “Lunar New Year is a global celebration….you will see red calendars and red envelopes everywhere. However more and more Chinese students are missing out on this incredible tradition, mostly because of school. I was born in China and lived there for seven years. I can still remember this holiday and my grandparents giving out red envelopes and the joy of opening them. When I came to the U.S. I didn’t expect the same celebration but did expect to spend time with my family. This is missing for students here in Scarsdale. They have homework and tests the next day and too much stress on one of the most important days of the Lunar calendar. They can only see their relatives for a few minutes and only briefly taste the food it took weeks to prepare. If inclusiveness is one of your goals, I would strongly suggest that you broaden your inclusiveness toward the Chinese community which has grown tremendously over the past few years – and designate a specific schoolwide holiday for Lunar New Year.”
Much to Share 30 Years After Graduation from Scarsdale High School
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Peter Yaverbaum, Jacob Appel, Allison Weinberg, Howard Gertler, Peter Grosz and Adriana Souza from the SHS Class of 1992Though it’s been thirty years since they graduated high school, members of the SHS Class of ’92 seemed to pick up right where they left off at a panel discussion Saturday November 19, 2022 at the new Scarsdale Library, led by class member Allison Weinberg.
Introducing the panelists she noted that she has known one since birth, three since kindergarten and one since junior high school. She said, “It would be a cliché and yet also completely accurate to say that the 30 years since we graduated from SHS have flown by. And yet, somewhere along the way, we turned from kids into adults, and many of us now have kids in high school ourselves.”
Howard Gertler is an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated film producer whose most recent film, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, is currently playing in theaters. Among his other films are Shortbus, How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Crip Camp, and How to Survive a Plague. His films have won the Gotham, the Spirit, the Golden Lion, the Sundance Audience Award, the IDA, and two Peabodies.
Peter Grosz was one of the two very funny guys in the Sonic commercials for the better part of the last twenty years. He started his comedic acting career in 7th grade, when he won the Scarsdale Junior High School Speech Contest in the “humorous anecdote” category, and went on to present a hilarious sketch about riding the school bus to the entire student body. Since then, Peter has become a prolific television writer and actor who has won multiple Emmys for his work. He has been a writer for The Colbert Report as well as The Late Show with Seth Meyer, and played a recurring role on Veep.
After a long career in the corporate world, Adriana Souza is now building a foundation to support underprivileged youth in Africa by providing them with financial support as well as access to athletic equipment, apparel, seasoned tennis coaches, and training programs. Adriana is a volunteer EMT with the Scarsdale Ambulance Corps. In addition, she worked on the “front lines” during the height of the pandemic as a COVID-19 vaccinator, administering vaccines to thousands of New Yorkers.
Although Peter Yaverbaum went to medical school after 9-11, he felt pulled in a different direction and signed on with the New York City Fire Department where has been a firefighter in Lower Manhattan for fifteen years. His current position has him driving the fire engine in the SoHo / Little Italy / Chinatown neighborhoods. He says “he is so old that he is now at the age where he can wait on the street and send the younger guys in to actually fight the fires.” During the winter, Peter is also a part-time ski instructor in Colorado.
Jacob Appel is currently a Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Education at Mount Sinai, where he also serves as Director of Ethics Education in Psychiatry, Medical Director of the Mental Health Clinic at the East Harlem Health Outreach Program, and Assistant Director of the Academy for Medicine and the Humanities. Jacob is also the author of five novels, ten short story collections, an essay collection, a mystery, a thriller, a volume of poems, and a compendium of dilemmas in medical ethics. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Jacob taught at Brown University and Yeshiva College.
Asked about their most salient memories, Jacob Appel remembered throwing a flagpole out of a third floor window when teacher Howard Rodstein turned his back.
Peter Grosz was in a study hall with math teacher Barbara Bierbauer when he decided to demonstrate some pyrotechnics that ultimately got him suspended from school. He was carrying a can of Rite Guard and a lighter – when used together can set off the fire alarm. He sprayed some Rite Guard on his desk, lit the lighter and when the teacher returned to the room she found the desk on fire! He remembers spending some time with Mr. McDermott suspended in “the tower.” Grosz’s mom was in the audience and verified the story which seemed funnier to her now.
Asked about their favorite teachers, Souza noted Rashid Silvera, calling him “an enthusiastic and dynamic man who met every student where they were, even modifying lesson plans for students.” She said he still attends every single reunion.
Howard Gertler remembered working on Maroon with advisor Chris Douglass, a long-time head of the English Department at SHS.
Asked what advice they would give young people just starting out, Peter Yaverbaum said, “everything was because I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Keep doing things that you love – and you’’ find opportunities.”
Grosz said, “I discovered improv comedy at Northwestern – and lucked into Second City where I took classes. I tell people to go to the place where people are doing what you want to do.
Put yourself where you’re supposed to be and keep trying.”
Jacob Appel admitted, “I sent out lots of writing. I have 21,000 rejection letters. George Plimpton from the Paris Reviewed once called me and said, “You sent us a story about bird watching. We did not like it but we think it’s great that people your age are interested in bird watching.” Appel continued, “I am still waiting for my big break. I brought a bag of signed books. Does anyone know Oprah?”
Souza added, “You are going to miss 100% of the opportunities that you don’t take. If you’re too scared to be rejected, nothing will work out for you.”
Asked how growing up in Scarsdale influenced their future, panelists first joked that no one ever admits growing up in Scarsdale, saying “Westchester” instead. However, Grosz said, “There’s a lot of money here and privilege. But there’s a lot of opportunity. It’s net positive.” Souza noted the wonderful network of successful people in every field. She said, “I have never met a group who has stayed as connected with their friends as Scarsdale alumni. People work in so many industries – there’s always someone to call.
The event continued on Saturday night with a get together at the North Street Tavern in White Plains.
Photo by Danielle Barro.
SHS Field Hockey Team Defeats Bethlehem and Wins Regional Title
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The Girls Varsity Field Hockey Team has won the regional title. On Sunday November 6, the SHS Field Hockey Team played Bethlehem Central High School at Mahopac and Scarsdale won the Regional Championships 1-0. Senior MJ Callahan scored the goal. Scarsdale now heads to the States on Saturday November 12 when they will play Centereach, Long Island.
School Safety: It Takes a Village
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Keeping kids safe in school is a community wide effort, as discussed at a joint informative program, Safety in Our Schools, hosted by the Scarsdale PTC, SHS and SMS PTA on Wednesday November 9, 2022. The presentation included a discussion on the District’s Approach to Safety, Security & Emergency Management (SSEM), the District’s collaboration with community partners as well as plans for the future. The presentation began with Interim Superintendent Dr. Drew Patrick introducing an impressive panel of both school and community experts including:
• Drew Patrick, Interim Superintendent
• Eric Rauschenbach, Assistant Superintendent for SPED & Student Services
• Michael Spedaliere, Chief of Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
• Andy Matturro, Chief of the Scarsdale Police Department
• Maria Vilanova, Assistant Director, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services
• Natalie Ramos, Youth Outreach Worker, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services
• Peter Faustino, School Psychologist
• Lauren Pomerantz, School Social Worker
• Chris Coughlin, Assistant Principal Scarsdale Middle School
• Chris Griffin, Assistant Principal, Scarsdale High School
• Melissa Feinberg, Fox Meadow Elementary Principal
• Berit Berger, Exec. Asst. County District Attorney
Many parents who attended the presentation were immediately impressed with just how many experts routinely come together to help think about, plan, and work collaboratively to formulate our District’s approach to safety in our schools. As Dr. Patrick pointed out, the most comprehensive approach to keeping students safe heavily relies on information shared by representatives from the community, school district, and village, county, and state government. According to Patrick, our District also relies on research provided by The United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center and “Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines: Intervention and Support to Prevent Violence” by Dewey Cornell.
In addition, the Scarsdale School District employs the Altaris Consulting Group which provides a framework for “safety, security, and emergency preparedness in K-12 schools.” This framework, based on on-going research and the latest/best practices includes:
Prevention (Student Support)
District-wide Planning (Safety Plan)
Building-level Planning (Practice Drills)
Building and Grounds (Physical Deterrence)
Equipment
Technology (Integrated Systems)
Protocol Planning (Lockdown Protocol)
Dr. Patrick went on to explain that Scarsdale’s approach includes three main prongs: Prevention, Response, and Improvement. Prevention is arguably one of the most important aspects of a safety plan because it allows for intervention before an emergency situation. Prevention focuses on increasing protective factors such as creating a classroom and school climate that is inclusive and promotes a sense of belonging and well-being, in addition to making sure each student has a trusted adult to turn to for support. Prevention also involves mitigating risk factors by providing programs that target students at risk. The District has increasingly focused on the well-being of its community members by providing more Social Emotional Learning (SEL), providing opportunities for community building, and assessing the mental health of students at each level. For an example of this work Dr. Patrick outlined a program called Break the Hold that will teach our middle school students important mental health skills.
Another part of prevention work is ongoing threat assessment which in Scarsdale involves utilizing threat assessment teams.
-Each Building has a formal Threat Assessment Team
-Engages the Dewey Cornell Threat Assessment Protocol
-Team comprised of Administrators, Mental Health Counselors, Nurses, Law Enforcement, the Chief of SSEM, and the Asst. Supt . for Special Education And Student Services
-Determines transient vs. Substantive threats and appropriate follow up
-Intervention vs. Disciplinary
Physical deterrence is another chief aspect of prevention. While Dr. Patrick explained that the District wants our school buildings to feel positive and welcoming, there is a balance between that and making sure our physical spaces are safe and secure. In recent years our district has taken many steps to improve security in each of our school buildings some of which include making sure each school has:
-Secure Points of Entry
-Safety Monitors
-Visitor Management
-Expanding Camera Network
-Glass Mitigation
Each of the schools in our district also has a Building Emergency Response Team (BERT). These teams are fully trained and routinely engage the entire school community in safety drills and evacuations. Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services, the Scarsdale Fire and Police Departments and from the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corp. all contribute to the analysis of drills, lockdowns, and evacuations and provide continual feedback. As was explained in the presentation, response training should consist of simple and repeatable behaviors that are continually practiced and evaluated over time. For the sake of consistency and cohesion, training in all Scarsdale school involves six protocols (The Simple Six):
-Evacuation
-Fire Evacuation
-Lockout
-Lockdown
-Hold/Shelter in Place
-Staff All-Call
Practice of the Simple Six also includes times and areas of transitions as well as outdoor spaces. What’s more, the District’s Response Plan entails quarterly meetings with the SPD, reporting structures, and a FEMA Incident Command Structure that all help facilitate quick and productive responses to any emergency.
The next part of the presentation focused on the NY State Red Flag Law also known as the Extreme Risk Protection Law (ERPO). Berit Berger, Exec. Asst. County District Attorney explained that the “law prevents individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm. The law also empowers teachers, school personnel and mental health professionals to prevent shootings by pursuing court intervention.” Ms. Berger explained that in 56% of mass shootings, the shooter exhibited dangerous warning signs before the shooting and that the majority of those shootings were with legally owned guns. Examples of these behaviors might include:
Text, calls, and social media posts that include threats of violence; threats to attack public spaces, suicidal ideation
-Person threatens to harm self or others and also has access to firearms
-Person impaired by drugs or alcohol who also has access to firearms
-Erratic behavior during welfare check or other police response coupled with threats of violence
Ms. Berger went on to spell out that firearm use is NOT required for an ERPO and that ERPO’s can be utilized to prevent future access to firearms. Police can also take guns that don’t belong to the respondent and in addition, owners of guns must be able to show police that they legally own the guns and that they do not present a danger. Ms. Berger expressed the profound importance of the slogan: “If you see something, say something.”
The presentation was then opened up to a Q and A session. One community member asked if any of our tax-payer’s money from the recent school bond was put to use to cover safety improvements? Dr. Patrick explained that yes, some of the bond money covered the costs of adding security vestibules, cameras, key and lock pads, and much more at each school.
Next, a parent stated that some social emotional learning (SEL) at SHS takes place in Civ. Ed. and in Freshman Seminar and at SMS SEL takes place in Keystone. The parent wondered how SEL is taught in elementary schools. Melissa Feinberg, the principal of Fox Meadow described how at the elementary school level, SEL is embedded into the daily curriculum. Conflict resolution skills, how to identify trusted adults, and how to self-regulate are all threaded into literature and practiced through role modeling and role playing. It was also made clear that Scarsdale’s small class sizes plays an integral role in primary intervention.
Another parent questioned why we don’t use armed security personnel in our schools. Both Mr. Rauschenbach and Dr. Patrick made clear that the Scarsdale School District has no appetite for non-police, armed security. They explained that police officers have intense and continual training to know how to best respond with the use of a firearm and having a security guard that is not subjected to the same level of training to respond to stressful school situations, is quite a scary thought. Our administrators also mentioned that research doesn’t support the effectiveness of armed guards in schools but that a focus on preventative measures has proven to be crucial. While the safety and security of our students are of utmost importance, Dr. Patrick also feels that having armed security guards would drastically change our school culture.
Though armed security guards aren’t a part of the District's approach to school safety, Dr. Patrick made it known that the SPD performs walk-throughs of our schools on a daily basis. Officers also constantly work in collaboration with school administrators on a variety of issues. Furthermore, police officers are encouraged to take their breaks and work on paperwork while sitting in the school’s parking lots.
Yet another parent asked if cameras cover the school playgrounds. Dr. Patrick answered that yes, administrators in each building were tasked with identifying priority areas where kids gather. In addition to having cameras in these areas, roving security monitors accompany students while they are outside.
One of the last questions of the evening pertained to cell phone coverage at the schools or more accurately, the lack thereof. Two parents spoke about their concern over having zero cell service in case of an emergency. Our administrators explained that the Scarsdale Board of Education in addition to our Village officials have been working hard to improve service in our town. Village officials have adjusted codes to allow for carriers to expand their service. The high school is also trying to get “boosters” in areas around the school with no service. Until carriers agree to the work, all coaches have access to radios that directly alerts our first responders.
At the end of the evening it was clear that our District owns a thorough, comprehensive, and well-thought out approach to safety in our schools. See more here:
Residents Call for the Inclusion of Asian Holidays in the School Calendar
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Following two comments at the prior Board of Education meeting requesting that Diwali be made an official school holiday, two residents spoke at the October 26, 2022 Scarsdale Board of Education meeting to request that the Lunar New Year and Eid also be added as school holidays.
See comments below from freshman Charlene Dong and resident Laura Liu on the addition of Asian holidays to the school calendar.
Charlene Dong
My name is Charlene Dong. I am a freshman in Scarsdale High School and I live at 5 Gilmore Court.
I am speaking today to ask the board to consider adding Lunar New Year to the Scarsdale School Calendar. As you may know, Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in many Asian cultures. It’s a celebration that lasts 15 days, with traditions and rituals throughout.
I was born and raised in New York but my parents are both immigrants from China. So Lunar New Year has always been part of my culture. From a very young age, my parents would tell me about all the traditions and rituals. For example, everybody stays up on New Year’s eve and waits for the countdown of the New Year; on the first day of New Year, people go visit families and friends and kids get red envelopes. But each time, they would finish by saying, “too bad you have school and we can’t do that.” After hearing our complaints, one year, my parents decided to pull me and my brother out of school on the first day of Lunar New Year. But instead of having fun and celebrating, for the whole day, my mind was on the schoolwork I had to make up for. I was worried that I might have missed something important in class that I would get tested on later. I just wished it was a true day off and I can fully enjoy being with my family and not thinking about schoolwork constantly.
I have lived in Scarsdale for 7 years and truly love our diverse community. To be honest, I never heard of Yom Kipur and Rosh Hashanah before I moved to Scarsdale. But after seeing them on the school calendar, I got curious and Googled these holidays. That way, I learned a little bit about the Jewish culture. In the past few years, Scarsdale has seen a big increase in Asian families. I implore the board to seriously consider adding Lunar New Year to the school calendar. That way, for those who celebrate the holiday, the kids can truly enjoy that day. For those who don’t celebrate, they have an opportunity to appreciate other culture as well.
Laura Liu, Wheelock Road
I'm speaking here as a member of the community only. I'd like to thank the Board and the Administration for your great work and dedication, special thanks go to Dr. McIntosh for the very informative education report. I also thank the Board for rescheduling this meeting so residents who celebrate Diwali wouldn't have to miss this important meeting.
I'd like to express my support for the proposal raised by many students and residents to add the Asian holidays to the school calendar, including Samina Malik who spoke at the board meeting on 10/3, and Charlene Dong who spoke earlier this evening. While adding Eid and Lunar New Year has been specifically proposed, I'd like to suggest that the district add Diwali to the list, and give the issue of Asian holidays the serious considerations it merits as you start to work on the 2023-2024 school calendar. I recognize that these changes are very significant and carry many operational challenges. These changes may also feel like departures from tradition and old habits and may cause some discomforts. But I believe that our school community as a whole is at the point where we are ready to engage in this work as a real project. It should no longer just be a concept or a wish for down the road. I hope the Board will set specific goals and timelines, start to engage in scenario analysis, identify steps to resolve barriers and work toward making Asian holidays in the district a reality. This progress will substantially advance the DEI work we invest heavily in. It will greatly add to the congruence of many of the district's strategic goals including student centered education, cohesive community and global citizenship. While the process of change will take some work, the long term benefits will be too significant for us to delay this work.
Whether it's in our schools, on the sports fields, in the town library, in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, local music and arts events, or many other civic settings, we see a very large number of families of Asian descent actively contributing to our community, and that number is growing annually. This past Saturday I joined some friends at a Diwali celebration in Ardsley. The beautiful music, dance, food and shared culture really brought home for me the strength of our shared community, of how much we all value and enjoy the same things. I hope the Board will work toward adding the Asian holidays to the school calendar and truly affirm the diverse, multicultural community that we already are.
