Firefighter Sworn-in and Others Honored at SFD Ceremony
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Nicholas Konicoff and Fire Chief SeymourOne new firefighter was sworn in and nine career firefighters and one volunteer firefighter were honored at a ceremony on Wednesday September 19 at the Crossway Fire Station.
Nicholas Konicoff was sworn in as the department’s newest firefighter. He begins the Westchester Career Fire Chiefs Academy on Monday September 24 and graduates on Friday January 25th, 2019.
Fire Commissioner Matt Callaghan
The department awarded the unit citation commendation to nine members who operated at a motor vehicle accident back in June, which included seven patients, all of whom were transported to area hospitals.
Honorees are Captain Christoper DiMichelle and Firefighters Stephen Collins, Max Von Dietsch, Justin Matthew, David Yolinsky, Rory Tully, John Nannariello, Matthew DeTone and Michael Johnston.
Photographer and Volunteer Firefighter Jon Thaler
Jon Thaler, who provided these photos, was given the Command Recognition Commendation for the great photography that he has done for the department over the years.
Remarks were made by Fire Chief Jim Seymour, Fire Commissioner Matt Callaghan and Village Manager Steve Pappalardo.
Village Manager Steve Pappalardo
Photos by Jon Thaler. See more photos here:
Understanding Scarsdale's Non-Partisan System
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Confused about Scarsdale's unique form of government? Why do we elect a nominating committee and what does it mean to be non-partisan? Here are questions and answers to shed some light on Scarsdale's system of governance:
How can I participate in the village nonpartisan election system?
Scarsdale volunteers have many ways to participate meaningfully in civic life through village appointed boards and councils, non-profits and other volunteer organizations. One of the most impactful of these is Scarsdale's nonpartisan election system, which provides a unique vehicle for civic involvement of voters through membership on the Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC).
What is the CNC?
The CNC is a group of residents democratically elected by the voters of their neighborhoods in village-wide elections that are held the second week of November each year. Members of the CNC research, deliberate and, through a process of extensive, thoughtful due diligence, select a slate of nominees for open positions in the offices of Mayor, Village Trustee and Village Justice. Once the CNC has chosen its slate of candidates, they are placed on the ballot in a village-wide election held the third week of March. The 2019 village election will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 to select a new Mayor and three Trustees.
What is the time commitment of CNC members?
The 30 members of the CNC serve staggered three-year terms and meet over a period of 5-6 evenings in November, December and January. Each of the three staggered classes of the CNC have 10 members, two of whom represent each of the village's elementary school districts (Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote and Quaker Ridge). The members of the third year, graduating class of the CNC serve one year on the Procedure Committee.
How do I become a member of the CNC? Only two simple forms are required to run for a place on the CNC, consisting of a brief biography and a 10-signature petition signed by neighbors. The forms are posted on the PC's website here. The 2018 CNC election, in which voters choose their CNC representatives, will be held on Tuesday, November 13 at Village Hall from 7-10 am and 2-9 pm. If necessary, run-off elections are held one week later.
When can I begin work on the CNC?
The CNC begins its work in late fall with a public session for part of its first meeting followed by closed meetings for the rest of its schedule. Meetings are held only on weekday evenings. The CNC’s confidential executive sessions are designed to encourage members of the public to run for village office without the pressures inherent in typical partisan politics. The CNC’s first, organization meeting will be held on November 26, 2018. Subsequent business meetings are scheduled for: December 12, 2018; December 19, 2018; January 9, 2019; January 16, 2019; and on January 23, 2019 only if needed.
Who may run for elected public office in Scarsdale?
The CNC identifies potential candidates for open positions in the offices of Mayor and Trustees (and Village Justice when there is an open position). Village residents may also volunteer for the CNC’s consideration. Under New York State Law, contested elections are allowed and candidates outside the village nonpartisan election system may also run for village office by obtaining the prescribed number of signatures on a nominating petition.
Why does Scarsdale have a nonpartisan election system?
The system began in 1911 as a way to create a more civil process that would avoid the pitfalls of partisan politics, campaign financing and electioneering promises. The administration of the nonpartisan election system is publicly funded through contributions by residents to cover the expenses of running the CNC elections.
What is the Procedure Committee?
The Procedure Committee administers the village nonpartisan election system guided by the Non-Partisan Resolution, a living document that has been revised 40 times since the system was formalized in 1930. The PC is tasked with recruiting candidates to run for the CNC and proposing amendments to the Resolution as needed.
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale comments on the village (and school) nonpartisan systems here.
SHS Students Forge Cross Cultural Connections in New Zealand
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The students of P4Y gather on the steps of New Zealand Parliament before closing ceremonies.This summer, five upperclassmen students traveled to New Zealand to represent Scarsdale at Partnership for Youth: Shaping Vision 2030, a conference about sustainability and revitalization. Students from Hawaii, Indonesia, New Zealand, China, Japan, and Scarsdale met to form cross-cultural connections while discussing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the year 2030.
Partnership for Youth (P4Y), hosted by the East West Center, is an annual conference. According to the East West Center, “P4Y creates opportunities for young people to come together to develop friendships and connections, and build knowledge and skills; share creativity and innovation as they work across cultures, nationalities, and other differences to take action for social change.” In 2017 the forum was held in Japan, where three Scarsdale students attended to collaborate about wellness and peace.
The Scarsdale group this summer was made up of rising seniors Amanda Glik and Emmeline Berridge and rising juniors Rishabh Gharekhan, Ty Kawamura, and Anna Donovan. History teachers Patrick Healy and Nicola Minchillo led the students in the program. Prior to collaborating with their peers in New Zealand, the group formulated a preliminary sustainability project focused on the Scarsdale community. School wide surveys were sent out to the student body and teachers to collect data regarding the improper consumption and disposals of plastic in the high school.
(left to right) Amanda Glik, Emmeline Berridge, Anna Donovan, Ty Kawamura, and Rishabh Gharekhan represented Scarsdale High School at Partnership for Youth, a sustainability conference in New Zealand.
The program was made up of two phases. During phase one, the “In Country Cultural Immersion”, participants traveled to New Zealand, where they explored New Zealand, participated in peer-to-peer and expert dialogues on sustainable development challenges, and were immersed into the community of the Maori Tribe. The Maori are the native people of New Zealand. The Maori tribe is an incredible success story as over the past 50 years the Maori culture and language have been revitalized after near extinction when the British settled in the early 1800s. Maori is now an official language of New Zealand, and the tribe is well respected, with seats in New Zealand parliament. While the program was centered around the theme of sustainability, it challenged the notion that sustainability is exclusive to the environment. Rather here, sustainability meant the ability to sustain a community or culture, which could entail family, social, economic, or environmental systems.
During their two week immersion in New Zealand, the students engaged in discussions with peers, went on excursions throughout Wellington, and were taught about facets of the Maori culture through storytellers, Maori politicians, and prominent leaders in the community. During the first week participants were split into mixed country groups for sustainability excursions around Wellington. Rishabh participated in the “World of Waste” tour, a trip to the landfill and The Remakery, a local business that repurposes trash headed to the landfill. Ty ventured into downtown Wellington with his group to help the homeless in the city. Anna tracked the water quality from the top to the bottom of the Waiwhetu stream, a stream that passes through Lower Hutt. Amanda worked with Harakeke, a fiber plant grown in New Zealand, learning how to weave with it and utilize its fiber properties to create sustainable materials. I went to the Petone Settlers museum to understand how devastating the British settlement was on the Maori community.
Students then shared their experiences with the rest of the group. An important part of the P4Y experience was the ability to engage intimately with the Maori culture. Not only were the students from New Zealand predominantly Maori, but the program was facilitated by Maori leaders of Lower Hutt. The students were welcomed into the Maori family, participating in their prayers, meals, games, and staying in their meeting house, a Marae, for a weekend homestay.
What was most captivating about the P4Y experience was the ability to create connections with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds. Not only did the students’ differing perspectives enrich dialogue about sustainability, but it also helped foster the individual growth of the participants. During meals, the Scarsdale students were known for branching out and engaging with students from other countries, regardless of language barriers. At free time in the evening, students gathered in common rooms to play cards, share dances, and watch movies. During one memorable evening the Hawaii group attempted to teach everyone the Hula while Japanese students taught a lesson on origami. With every joke, story, and experience shared, students were both learning from each other’s differences and appreciating their similarities. It was this informal time where P4Y students were able to bond, ultimately seeing one another as a network of future leaders with who to keep in touch in the future.
The final project was an individual community action plan, where Scarsdale students came together to outline an implementation plan for the high school community next year. The plan focused on the overconsumption and improper disposal of plastic at SHS.
The importance of community in the Maori culture was particularly interesting to Scarsdale students. It was evident that the Maori’s nightly songs, stories, and language revitalization contributed to an intense pride in their community, leading to a mindset of cooperation with regard to recycling and the reduction of waste. Scarsdale’s critical question was “how do we change apathy to action?” as many students are unwilling to reduce their plastic waste because of a sense of apathy toward the environmental cause. The students narrowed in on three sources of critical plastic waste at SHS: water bottles, school supplies, and food plastics. They will be working with a program called Terracycle, a school supply recycling service, which will be implemented as a way to reduce school supply waste.
Additionally, Scarsdale’s P4Y group will prepare a video presentation for Global Citizenship Day focused on plastic consumption at the high school. The students are working with a participating school in Hawaii to document the plastic on Hawaii’s beaches in an attempt to harness an empathetic response for the way that plastic is affecting high school students in other communities. The ultimate goal of these campaigns is to increase students’ awareness of how the plastic they consume and dispose affects the global community.
Scarsdale students engage in cross-cultural discussions about sustainability issues throughout the world.
Students and teachers ended their P4Y trip with a closing ceremony at New Zealand Parliament. Awards were presented, countries shared cultural presentations, and participants were given the opportunity to say farewell to one another. Two members of New Zealand Parliament spoke to the students, referring to them as the “next generation of change-makers.” To close the night, the Maori students initiated a final evening prayer, which was a culmination of the progress made throughout the week. During the first night of the program only the Maori were able to sing the words for the nightly blessing. However, as the guitar sounded to initiate the final prayer, every single participant stood in unison and belted out the jubilant tune of the hymn with a tangible sentiment of trust. It was inspiring to see such diverse minds come together so organically, no longer separated by ethnic boundaries, but united as citizens of the world.
White Plains Hospital 125th Anniversary Gala on September 29 - You're Invited
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White Plains Hospital will hold their 125th Anniversary Gala on September 29th at 6:00pm at Sleepy Hollow Country Club. The gala will cap off the Hospital’s 125th year with a lavish and beautiful celebration, honoring their 125-year legacy of community leadership and exceptional care. For sponsorship and registration information please contact the Foundation office at (914) 681-1040 or events@wphospital.org, or click here.
In 1893, a dedicated group of 22 women and 3 men came together to establish a voluntary, not-for-profit hospital for their community. Since that time, White Plains Hospital’s mission has been to serve the needs of patients and their families in Westchester County, New York. The city of White Plains has grown and thrived for those who live and work in the area, and White Plains Hospital has continued to evolve to meet the needs of the community.
In recent years, the Hospital has undergone massive renovations including an expansion of the Center for 
Cancer Care, the creation of a simulation lab to train doctors and nurses, and the construction of new state of the art operating suites and new Labor and Delivery rooms, just to name a few. There are plans in motion to renovate every nursing unit, reimagine pediatrics with a new child-friendly space separate from the adult facilities, and build an Ambulatory Care Pavilion for outpatient services.
White Plains Hospital’s 125th Anniversary Gala will celebrate the past, present and future of the Hospital at Sleepy Hollow Country Club on September 29th, 2018 starting at 6pm. The community is invited to join the celebration. Learn more here.
SHS Senior Sends Books to South Africa
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Soon to be senior at Scarsdale High School Zach Hoexter has undertaken an ambitious project to bring books to children in South Africa. Last summer, as a volunteer in South Africa, he witness first-hand witn pit toilets, poor conditions ... and no libraries. When he returned home he was inspired to send children’s books donated by families in the United States to elementary schools near Kruger in South Africa where many schools have no libraries.
Using social media he has already collected 1,500 books for Books for South Africa and donations continue to arrive daily. Undaunted by the challenge of shipping them overseas, Zach went through a lengthy application and approval process, and secured shipping from a major international shipping corporation who will deliver the books from New York to South Africa. Moreover, he’s excited to report that the company has invited him to a special event this week to meet their Global CEO and deliver a speech.
The issue is timely. The New York Times published a front-page article on 
August 5th highlighting the mass corruption plaguing South African primary schools. It discusses exactly what Zach witnessed during his volunteer service there. South Africa has one of the lowest literacy rates of developing countries and less than 5% of the school in and around Kruger National Park have a library. He is working with a local organization in South Africa that is helping to improve literacy for these schools and the books he collected will stock a library for the Mphaku School in Kruger and possibly other primary schools in that area.
If you have books for children ages 5-13 that you would like to donate, click on the Go Fund Me link for instructions. https://www.gofundme.com/books-for-south-africa.
