Voyage to the North Pole at the Scarsdale Library
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The Scarsdale Public Library will host local journalist Joseph P. Griffith as he shares an exciting slide and video presentation about his trip to the North Pole last summer. “Voyage to the Top of the World” will take place at June 7th at 7:30 pm at the Library.
In July of 2011, 125 passengers from all over the world converged on Helsinki, Finland. They flew from there to Murmansk, Russia, to meet a Russian nuclear icebreaker, the most powerful ship in the world, for the 12-day voyage to the North Pole. Along the way, they saw whales, polar bears, Arctic birds and other wildlife, flew on the ship’s helicopter to various islands, reached the top of the world, 90 degrees north, and even went for a swim in the frigid Arctic waters, all under the midnight sun.
Photos and video will illustrate the surprising diversity of scenery, climate, flora and fauna in the region, including a close encounter with a polar bear. The Arctic and its wildlife are endangered, yet they retain a harsh, incredible beauty.
Presenter Joseph P. Griffith is a freelance journalist in Yonkers, NY and has written about Westchester County and real estate for The New York Times for five years, as well as for Gannett. The author of books on endangered species, film and China, he has visited about three dozen countries, including five in the last year, during which he traveled about 40,000 miles. He has won numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and other organizations.
“Not all of us will get the chance to visit a place as remote as the North Pole,” explains Scarsdale Public Library Executive Director Elizabeth Bermel. “But, through Mr. Griffith’s photo and video presentation, we can all experience this beautiful place.”
There is no charge to attend the “Voyage to the Top of the World” presentation and all are welcome.
The Scarsdale Public Library is located at 54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY, 10583. Phone: (914) 722- 1300. website: www.scarsdalelibrary.org
Planting Project at the Library Pond
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This piece was submitted by Girl Scout and Scarsdale student Annabelle Stanley who is in 8th grade at Scarsdale Middle School. Dusk was drawing close as I turned my bike lights on, clipped my helmet, and headed for the Scarsdale Library Pond. It was the day before I planned to complete the actual planting portion of my Girl Scout Silver Award project and I wanted to have one last look of the area and the conditions. The side of the pond closest to the High School was a muddy, wet swampy area, where even grass was struggling to grow.
My Silver Award project was to plant native, water buffering plants along this side of the library pond. Beverly Isis, from the Native Plant Center at the Westchester Community College, helped me select and source plants that will absorb rain fall, naturally filter storm water, withstand periodic flooding, benefit wildlife and beautify the park. Ms. Isis also drew up a planting plan, which was approved by the
On May 12, volunteers and I planted native shrubs, ferns and flowers to create a buffer zone at the edge of the pond. Volunteers included Fox Meadow Principal Duncan Wilson, Lena Crandall from Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, and Beverly Isis, as well as friends and family.
Scarsdale residents with swampy areas in their yards may be interested to know what native plants do well in this kind of area and help water management. Shrubs and bushes include swamp rose, clethra, red twig dogwood, high bush blueberry and itea 'Little Henry'. Good ground cover plants are joe pye weed, swamp milkweed, ostrich fern, blue flag iris, mystflower and great blue lobelia.
Pictured at top: Anabelle Stanley at Library Pond with help from Fox Meadow Principal Duncan Wilson.
Scarsdale-Edgemont Girls Scouts Mark 100 Years of Scouting
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This article was contributed by Jordana Cooper, a Girl Scout and junior at Scarsdale High School: On Saturday May 19th the Scarsdale-Edgemont Girl Scout community will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in a very big way. From 11 am to 4 pm the scouts will commemorate their centennial with crafts, an exhibit of Girl Scout memorabilia, activities and entertainment for all ages at Scout Field on Wayside Lane. The entire community is invited to join in the fun and share the girl’s love of scouting.
The Girl Scout motto of “courage, confidence and character” has helped guide and shape me for the past 11 years. When I was in first grade at Heathcote Elementary School, I wanted to join the girl scouts and asked my mom to help lead a troop for the girls in my grade. I did not know what to expect, but I knew that I wanted to wear the little brown vest that I had seen on the older girls at my school.
Scouting turned out to be about far more than wearing the uniform and brought me years of fun, adventures and new 
experiences. My favorite Girl Scout event is the annual community camping trip we take each fall to various campgrounds upstate. Several hundred other Scarsdale-Edgemont Girl Scouts come together to share a weekend of tent and cabin sleeping, boating, crafts and many other new and exciting challenges. I am thankful for girl scouting not only for the great times I experienced, but also for providing me with valuable life skills. Learning how to build a campfire forced me to be independent and helped build my confidence. The ropes challenge course I face each year on the camping trip teaches me how to work with others and problem solve as a team. My favorite part of the camping weekend is the sing-along around the community campfire. And, nothing beats making your own s’mores around the campfire you built.
Over the past 11 years, Girl Scouting has also brought me many opportunities to serve my community. Each year I look forward to baking and delivering homemade cookies to local veterans, who are always so appreciative for my visit and treats. For the past three years, I have worked toward and earned my Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. During this process, I worked with younger girl scouts and shared my project about the dangers of childhood obesity. I taught them healthy recipes that I created and shared what I love about girl scouting.
100 Years of Girl Scouting deserves to be commemorated properly. I’m looking forward to celebrating Girl Scouting on May 19th and hope that many girls, boys and parents will share the fun on Scout Field.
Outstanding High School Students Recognized at SHS
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On May 9, forty-six students and their parents, friends, teachers and administrators gathered for the Scarsdale High School Awards Assembly. Co-Principal, Fred Goldberg, and Assistant Principal Sue Peppers shared the stage with SHS teachers and community leaders in presenting the awards to the outstanding SHS juniors and seniors. Students were recognized for their achievement in the Arts, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology and Community Service.
Mr. Goldberg opened up the evening by stating that this was a proud day for the entire school community. “Short and sweet, I look at our award winners and I recognize that our future has value.”
For the first time, the MSG Varsity Award, made possible by Cablevision, was presented by Mr. Gregory Leong to Jon Mermelstein and Riley Wood, two students who have made significant contributions to the MSG Varsity website. On a humorous note, Mr. Leong drew on his background as a Math teacher, and improvised naming the award recipients Young Man “x” and Young Man “y”, so as not to divulge the student names until the end of his presentation and keep the audience guessing .
Multiple award winners included Nicole Bernstein, Grace Dhanraj, Justine Gelfman, Callie Gilbert, Celia Lowenthal and Sam Waters.
As the students were recognized for their many achievements, what was most impressive was that these students were able to follow their interests and passions and find success. What made their achievements even more remarkable was that these students, while excelling in what they did, had all contributed so much to their community whether it was being the “go to” person for questions the night before a math test, helping their friends produce their college recruiting videos, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, travelling to Nicaragua and other third world countries to help the underprivileged and starting a music camp for homeless children in Westchester.
Before presenting the final award of the night, the Principal’s Award to Student Government President Sam Waters, Fred Goldberg thanked Sue Peppers for all her devotion and tireless efforts in putting together a beautiful awards ceremony.
Here is a list of all the talented SHS students and the awards they received:
Arts Awards:
- Excellence in Visual Art 3D– Valerie Keating
- Excellence in Visual Art 2D – Celia Lowenthal
- Media Award – Travis Misarti
- Friends Permanent Collection Award – Connor Bodine
- Elisa Draper Art History Award – Alyssa Marcus
English Awards:
- Brown University Award – Brian Solender
- Harvard University Award – Callie Gilbert
- Princeton University English Excellence Award – Celia Lowenthal
- Yale University Award – Jonathan Goldstein
- Audrey McGinn Creative Writing Award – Emily Yankowitz
- Scarsdale Inquirer Award – Benjamin Newman
Mathematics Awards
- Rensselaer Mathematics & Science Award – Cherie Hu
- Math Faculty Award – Andrew Guo
Performing Arts Awards
- Band Award – William Heffner
- Chorus Award – Rachel Halperin
- Orchestra Awards – Grace Dhanraj
- Friends of Music and Art Drama Award – Justine Gelfman
- Lowell Alecson Memorial Award – Sophie Nobler
- Sid Case Memorial Scholarship – Kyoko Hirota
Science Awards
- Bausch and Lomb Award – Jacob Kirschenbaum
- Science Achievement Award – Sarah Keltz
- Science Department Award – Alyson Favilla
- New York Science Supervisors Association Awards: Shia Li Lum (Biology), Nicole Bernstein (Chemistry), Jack Braun (Physics), Matthew Ginsberg (All-around)
Social Studies Awards
- Social Studies Excellence Award – Larry Millstein, Caroline Pitofsky
- Social Studies Faculty Award – Sarah Roth
- Social Studies Achievement Award – Ayaka Umehara
World Language Awards
- Latin Award – Samuel Waters
- Spanish Award – Rebecca Faust
- French Award – Danielle Nista
- Departmental Award – Grant Schutzman
Steve Corbin Academic Success Award – Kyle Goldman
Junior Scholarship/Service Award – Jacob Cannon
Junior Academic Excellence Award – Callie Gilbert
Wellesley Book Award – Kathryn Evans
Scarsdale Alumni Eric Rothschild Award – Grace Dhanraj
Counseling Department Award – Etienne Desbois
Scarsdale Foundation Award – Valerie Keating
Dartmouth Award – Nicole Bernstein
Principal's Award – Samuel Waters
Billy Safian Humanitarian Award – Justine Gelfman
Halliday Clark Sr. Memorial Award – Lauren Alin
Casey Ferrone Memorial Award – Claire D’Silva
Scarsdale Chamber of Commerce Award – Michele Ko
Rotary Club Award – Melissa Tucker, Eric Dobosh
Technical Services Award - Fahad Asam
MSG Varsity Scholarship Award – Riley Wood, Jon Mermelstein
Top Row: Jack Braun, Kathryn Evans, William Heffner, Cherie Hu, Eric Dobosh, Rebecca Faust
Bottom Row: Lauren Alin, Fahad Asam, Nicole Bernstein, Connor Bodine, Grace Dhanraj, Matthew Ginsberg
Top Row: Andrew Guo, Alyson Favilla, Jacob Cannon, Valerie Keating, Jacob Kirschenbaum, Ayaka Umehara
Bottom Row: Justine Gelfman, Kyle Goldman, Callie Gilbert, Jonathan Goldstein, Rachel Halperin, Riley Wood
Top Row: Ben Newman, Sophie Nobler, Grant Schutzman, Caroline Pitofsky, Brian Solender, Sarah Roth
Bottom Row: Michele Ko, Jon Mermelstein, Alyssa Marcus, Larry Milstein, Danielle Nista, Sam Waters
Top Row: Travis Misarti, Celia Lowenthal, Sarah Keltz, Etienne Desbois, Kyoko Hirota, Jack Braun
Bottom Row: Shia Li Lum, Emily Yankowitz, Claire D’Silva, Melissa Tucker
The Awards Committee members were Lauren Barton, Carol D’Angelo, Neil Ginsberg, Susan Hollander, Lauren Meyer, Jason Noble, Eric Rauschenbach, Chris Renino, Nancy Thompson, Sue Peppers (Presiding).
Presenting the awards to students were the following: Ann Liptak, Linda Leavitt, Sue Peppers, Sylvie Corten, Joseph Vaughan, Fred Goldberg, Lynne Wilson, Greg Leong, Andrea O’Gorman, Lewis Arlt, Carolyn Stevens, Adrienne Meyer, Julie Teicher, Nadine Gordon, Robert Draper, Laura Estersohn, Loryn Solomon, Godwin Okoli, Kenneth Safian, Jackie Irwin, Maria DeAngelis.
This article was contributed by Hyun Heffner with photos by Michael Heffner.
A New Space to Co-Work in Westchester
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Transitioning from an office in New York City to a home office one flight down the steps from my bedroom has its advantages. Flexibility, anonymity and autonomy to name a few. But after several years working solo in my study, I can now see that many of these advantages are disadvantages at the same time.
I no longer need to search through my closet to find something to wear to work in the morning; yet on the other hand, there’s rarely a reason to get out of my pajamas. I don’t “waste” an hour and half commuting to and from the city; but it seems that those three hours a day are just more hours available for work. I am not disturbed by loud conversations on the train – but I have also lost track of my train buddies and seem to have less time -- rather than more -- to read the newspaper, complete the crossword and keep up with my New Yorkers.
And then there’s the solitude. Since people rarely use the phone anymore, long stretches can go by without any conversation whatsoever. There’s no one to admire a new scarf, take the last cup of coffee or commiserate about the nasty boss.
At least there wasn’t until I discovered a new co-work space called watercooler in Tarrytown. Now almost a year old, watercooler allows freelancers and independents to work in a shared space on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis. The space is equipped with desks, a kitchen, copies, printers, Wi-Fi and even a beautiful conference room where those without an office can hold meetings in a respectable, quiet space. Members can purchase their own dedicated desk or buy time by the hour in a variety of pricing packages. Best of all w@tercooler offers community, and members can share everything from a joke to business resources while they network and kick around ideas.
The space is the brainchild of Jenifer Ross of Sleepy Hollow. Ross, a longtime resident of the area wore many hats before opening her latest 
venture. She had her own art gallery, worked as the Assistant Village Administrator for the Village of Tarrytown, and as Development Director for the library. She is well known for revitalizing downtown Tarrytown by launching Tarrytown Third Fridays, an event that brings art, culture and commerce to the area. She utilized these contacts and talents to launch watercooler which she manages with grace and expertise. Jenifer is so helpful and pleasant that I bet many members stop in everyday just to chat with her.
The loft-like space is welcoming and includes desks as well as a central gathering spot with a coffee table and couches. Attractive artwork lines the walls as Ross has allowed the artists she met as a gallery owner to display their work at watercooler. On the day I visited, one of the members who works in food distribution offered me a yogurt from a new line he represents. Other benefits include morning yoga classes, discounts at Village retailers and restaurants and workshops of special interest to entrepreneurs and freelancers. The site is also used for meet-ups, professional association get-togethers, and workshops of interest to entrepreneurs and on “Unemployed Mondays,” Ross allows those who are out of work to use a desk at no cost.
If you’re intrigued, June 7th is FREE co-working day, and Ross invites you to stop by for a complimentary visit to w@tercooler . Also, if you think this sounds neat and would like your own “watercooler” nearby, please comment below!
Watercooler
21 North Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
914.332.1400
watercoolerhub.com
Monday - Friday: 9am to 5:30pm
Saturday: 10am to 5pm (if booked in advance)Sunday: Closed
Full-time members have extended hours
(Pictured at top: Jenifer Ross. Photo by Margaret Fox, www.margaretfoxphotography.com )
