Greenacres Remembers Ellen Frantz
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Ellen Frantz, a longtime kindergarten teacher at the Greenacres Elementary School, passed away on December 20, 2012 at age 70. Frantz and her husband Steven were both educators in Scarsdale, where he served as the Principal of Fox Meadow Elementary School until his retirement in 2006. Steve and Ellen met when they were both teaching at Edgewood Elementary School and their daughter Amber is also in the family business, currently teaching third grade at the Heathcote Elementary School.
Ellen taught kindergarten in the district for 41 years, most of those at Greenacres where she was a favorite among teachers, parents and students. She had an extra large classroom with a fireplace where kids gathered round to hear stories and share.
We spoke to a few of her colleagues at Greenacres about Ellen and here is what they said:
Teacher-in-Charge Cindy Sansone, a long-term staffer at the school said, "Ellen was a devoted kindergarten teacher who constantly worked on revamping and improving the kindergarten curriculum. Ellen was always current. She affectionately called her students gooseberries."
Deb Krisanda a colleague of Frantz who has taught at Greenacres for many years said, "Ellen was always about the children - she loved their company and learned from them as she endeavored to open their hearts and minds to LIFE ... through stories, art, nature and mathematical problems to be pondered and solved throughout the day! She cared about all of their selves ... who and how they were intellectually, emotionally, and socially! To me, Ellen was a mentor and friend who truly inspired me to be the best teacher I could possibly be!"
Helene Quirk, a kindergarten teacher at the school sent us the following, "Ellen Frantz was a dedicated and wonderful kindergarten teacher who I worked alongside with for about nine years prior to her retirement. Ellen was the kind of teacher who was extremely passionate about her work and I learned a great deal about teaching kindergarten from her. She had an amazing ability to reach her students and meet their individual needs. Ellen believed in engaging her students in projects that were creative and meaningful as well as challenging and fun. She adored her students and they adored and looked up to her. Ellen was so good at what she did that she made it look easy. To this day, some of my favorite projects are the ones Ellen had shared with me during the years we worked together. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work and learn from Ellen. She was a master of her craft."
Nancy Closter, Greenacre's art teacher added, "I was sorry to hear of Ellen's passing. She was a wonderful, loving, kind teacher. I remember children always sitting on her lap or by her side. They felt so secure with her. She was a wonderful listener and had the best advice about life, a true treasure to the Greenacres faculty."
A memorial/celebration is scheduled for January 25 at 5:00 p.m. at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club 14 Wayside Lane, Scarsdale. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT.
Share your recollections of Ellen Frantz below:
Greenacres Students Donate Gifts to PS1 and Visit the Hebrew Home
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Greenacres students learned the pleasure of giving this week when fifth graders from the school delivered 820 gifts to their sister school, PS1 in the Bronx. The entire Greenacres community collected over 700 age and gender specific gifts and Hitchcock Church donated 87 more for kids attending the Pre-K program. On Wednesday December 12 the gifts were loaded onto a school bus and taken to the Bronx by representatives from the Greenacres fifth grade and Principal Gerry Young.
Pictures below by Sarah Schuman
Visit to the Hebrew Home
On December 7th, sixty-five third graders from the Greenacres School experienced a different kind of learning...outside of the classroom and at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale as they interviewed residents about growing up, their school and life experiences as a child. Although no textbooks were involved, there was a lot of knowledge being shared.
Greenacres students asked over a dozen questions about growing up – from "What types of games did you play?" to "What did you want to be when you grew up?" The students learned first-hand about life in the 1920's and 1930's. Though the school curriculum has changed and kids spend their free time differently than the residents of the Hebrew Home there were also many connections and similar interests. One resident told a student about her love for gadgets, remembering her first recording device. His response? "That's cool!"
"The Hebrew Home at Riverdale's inter-generational programs have been an important part of our community outreach since 1997," said Connee Kaufman, Director of Volunteer Services and Cultural Enrichment. "We have seen these quality interactions between the generations have a lasting impact on both."
Following the students' interviews, they toured the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, had lunch and asked Daniel Reingold, 
President and CEO of the Hebrew Home, a Scarsdale resident and Greenacres alum, many questions about the facility, working with older people, and volunteering. He shared details about the Hebrew Home's response to Hurricane Sandy and intake of over 300 displaced and evacuated older adults. Mr. Reingold told the students that he is hoping some of them will consider a career in caring for older people. The connections formed at this program are a great way to bring the two generations together.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin Advocates Mandatory Full-Day Kindergarten in NYS
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Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Westchester United held a press conference at St. Gabriel's Church on Monday, December 3rd at 11:00 to discuss mandatory kindergarten in New York State.
New York is one of only eight states in the country that does not require school districts to offer kindergarten. Paulin plans to introduce legislation in the upcoming legislative session to mandate kindergarten for all 5-year-olds in the state and to require that kindergarten be full-day.
"I am honored to work with Westchester United on this critical issue, and to bring their agenda to Albany," Paulin said. "Kindergarten is a crucial time for children's development and those who attend kindergarten have much brighter futures. It is imperative that all children in New York State have access to kindergarten, regardless of which school district they happen to live in."
Westchester United is a network of synagogues, churches, mosques and other community organizations in Westchester County.
For more information, contact: Stephanie Amann, Office of Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (914) 723-1115 / (518) 455-5585
Scarsdale Residents Help Hurricane Victims and Kids in Need
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On Saturday November 17th 40 members of St. James The Less Episcopal Church in Scarsdale went to the New Dorp neighborhood on Staten Island to help residents whose lives had been affected by Hurricane Sandy. The volunteers from St. James the Less
Read more: Scarsdale Residents Help Hurricane Victims and Kids in Need
Scarsdale Star Wins Best Welsh Springer Spaniel at Philadelphia Show
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Scarsdale's own Grand Champion Ari Friedman, who lives on Brewster Road, will be making his TV debut this Thursday during NBC's National Dog Show Coverage. Ari won the competition for the best Welsh Springer Spaniel at the Philadelphia Kennel Club this past weekend. The show airs Thursday after the parade. Ari will be on screen when they show all the types of dogs in the "Sporting Group." Ari has competed in shows from Virginia to Massachusetts since June of 2010. He competed at Westminster Kennel Club and hopes to be there again this year.
