Five Scarsdale Track and Field Athletes Bring Home State Championships
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- Written by: Jack Capobianco
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Following an incredible year for the track and field team, 13 runners earned the opportunity to compete at the state championships which took place this past weekend at Webster High School in upstate New York.
The number of qualifiers for the state championship was the highest ever in the team’s history. Five individual qualifiers and two relay teams– the girls 4x400 team and the boys 4x800 team– each earned the right to race at the state championships.
In the end, following a fierce weekend of competition, five athletes became state champions. Representatives from the boys 4x800 meter relay team and Andriana Pettinelli in the girls 800 meter race, took home first in their respective events.
The boys 4x800 meter team consisting of seniors Charlie Rich, Nathaniel Lynch, Yuhan Cruz and junior Brandon Lin came into the race ranked #4 in New York State. After the team raced to a 7:52, just two weeks ago which helped them qualify for states, the boys together finished with a time of 7:46.49, good enough for second overall in the race behind Long Islands’ Port Washington. Despite finishing in second overall in the race, Scarsdale did win Class A, which is why they are being celebrated as state champs. Right behind Scarsdale were our downstate neighbors from New Rochelle, who as a relay team, ran a 7:48.02.
On the flipside, sophomore superstar Ana Pettinelli also brought home a state title following a strong run in the girls 800 meter relay. Pettinelli’s time of 2:07.40 was good enough for first overall in the state and exactly one second ahead of the second place finisher, Olivia Solomon from New Rochelle. Melinna Santee from Horace Greeley also finished sixth, concluding the race with a time of 2:10.74 and helped to make sure Section One was well represented across the leaderboard.
Pentinelli also finished second overall in the 1500 meter relay race, finishing with a time of 4:21.09.
The girls 4x400 meter relay team of Leia Patel, Rachel Rakower, Alice Nicassio and Ziying Su, finished with a time of 4:07.93, a personal record as a relay team. Last, Anna Van den Broek, who is having an amazing season for Scarsdale, qualified for states as a freshman, which in track and field, does not happen often. While at the state championship, Anna brought home a personal best in the girls high jump. Truly incredible stuff.
Along with the five track athletes who became state champions across the two events, the Track Team joined the Boys Tennis Team, who captured the NYS title.
Gold Award Ceremony at the Girl Scout House
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Yashica Balasubramanian, Lillian Liu, Catherine Zhang, Brielle Phillips-Harris and Evie SchiffThe Scarsdale Edgemont Girls Scouts held their Gold Award ceremony at the Betty Taubert house on Sunday June 7, 2026.
The following dignitaries came and presented the girls with certificates: Congressman George Latimer, Senator Shelley Mayer, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Mayor Justin Arest, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg, Legislator David Imamurra, Scarsdale BOE Vice President Colleen Brown and Morgan Slocombe from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, LWVS President Beth Cukier and members of the Elks and GS Heart of the Hudson CEO Kari Rockwell.
The four girls who earned Gold were: Evie Schiff for her project Littles & Love - NICU Comfort, Lillian Liu Writing for Electronic Waste, Brielle Phillips-Harris Teens Against Type 2 Diabetes, and Yashica Balasubramanian VetConnect.
Senior Catherine Zhang is in the end stages of her project. She is creating a web platform for food banks to share resources.
Yashica Balasubramanian, whose project helps Veterans navigate the maze of benefits, job opportunities, and local support services. was awarded a $5,000 scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA. This prestigious scholarship is awarded annually to just one Gold Award Girl Scout from each council, as well as one recipient from USA Girl Scouts Overseas. Scholarship recipients are selected based on projects that demonstrate extraordinary leadership, measurable and sustainable impact, and address issues of national or global significance. Receiving this scholarship is an exceptional honor and a testament to Yashica’s dedication, leadership, and commitment to creating meaningful change.
State Assemblymember Amy Paulin presented certificates to the scouts.
The scouts are proud of these four remarkable young women. While they had many options for how to spend their time outside of school, they chose to remain active in Girl Scouting through the end of high school, demonstrating a lasting commitment to leadership and service.
The Girl Scout mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place, and these four young women truly embody that spirit.
The Gold Award is the highest honor in Girl Scouting and represents the culmination of years of dedication and leadership.
To earn this distinction, each recipient completed rigorous prerequisites, identified a need within her community, raised funds, and designed and implemented a sustainable project with a lasting impact. Nationally, only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, making it a truly significant achievement.
FM Cereal Box Challenge Collects 1,864 Boxes for Feeding Westchester
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Fox Meadow Elementary School continued a beloved tradition of service and community spirit on May 29th, collecting 1,864 cereal boxes during its 3rd Annual Cereal Box Challenge in support of Feeding Westchester. The effort brings the school’s three-year total to an impressive 6,274 cereal boxes donated to help Westchester families facing food insecurity.
The highlight of the event came when Fox Meadow’s fifth-grade students transformed the donated cereal boxes into a giant domino chain that stretched throughout the school. Before the boxes were loaded onto a Feeding Westchester delivery truck, students and staff gathered to watch the dramatic domino run wind its way through hallways, stairwells, and across the outdoor blacktop.
“The Cereal Box Domino Run is one of the most highly anticipated community service events of the year,” said Fox Meadow Principal Melissa Feinberg. “It demonstrates to students that one small action has a domino effect in helping others and that together we can make a difference.”
The event also serves as a powerful expression of the Scarsdale School District’s motto, Non Sibi, “not for oneself alone”, bringing students, families, and staff together around a shared commitment to helping others.
The Cereal Box Challenge is part of Fox Meadow’s broader effort to address food insecurity in Westchester County, where one in three households is at risk of hunger, including children, seniors, and working families. Earlier this month, the Fox Meadow PTA hosted a Feeding Westchester community service table at the school fair, where students assembled 162 breakfast kits for local food pantries.
In preparation for the challenge, students brainstormed creative ways to earn cereal boxes through acts of kindness and helpfulness at home. 
Suggestions included helping with household chores, practicing musical instruments, completing homework early, watering plants, and showing kindness to siblings and relatives.
“The Cereal Box Challenge had a positive impact in our home, sparking extra acts of kindness and giving my kids a sense of excitement about helping others with their contributions,” said Fox Meadow parent Allison Waase.
This year’s challenge was also closely aligned with the school’s academic theme of curiosity and inquiry. Rather than focusing solely on collecting donations, educators encouraged students to explore the underlying causes of hunger and food insecurity in their community.
“The domino run was really just the tip of the iceberg,” organizer Nicole Reichenbach Sahni shared, emphasizing that students spent time learning about hunger in Westchester and examining how young people can contribute to meaningful solutions.
A key factor in the challenge’s success has been the enthusiastic support of school leaders and staff, including administrators, teachers,the librarian, physical education coaches, and School Nurse Cliona Cronin. Widely recognized by students and families as the driving force behind the initiative, Cronin has helped cultivate a school-wide culture of service.
“Nurse Cronin is so kind and passionate about the Cereal Box Challenge,” said third-grader Greyson Withrow. “She cares so much about helping people who don’t have enough money to have a good breakfast like us.”
Fox Meadow parent Christine Chang praised Cronin’s leadership, saying, “Over the past three years, we have been so fortunate to have Nurse Cronin champion this tremendous school-wide effort, bringing together parents, students, and staff and inspiring us all to be part of this collaborative effort.”
The challenge was also notably student-driven. Following a visit from Feeding Westchester representative Danielle Vasquez in March, fifth-grade students researched food insecurity in Westchester and created presentations to educate younger students. They visited classrooms throughout the school, helping peers understand the realities of hunger and the importance of community service.
Fifth-grade teacher Alethea Lynch guided the student-centered learning process, encouraging students to first understand community needs before exploring solutions.
“How do we help students develop their ability to identify and understand an issue before we get to ‘the how’ of addressing it?” Lynch asked.
The Fox Meadow PTA has further supported these efforts by funding the purchase of additional library books focused on food insecurity and community service.
“As a parent, I am deeply inspired by the level of thought, dedication, effort, and commitment that Fox Meadow School has demonstrated to teach students about this important topic,” said Fox Meadow parent and alumna Nicole Reichenbach Sahni. “Not only is the Cereal Box Challenge one of the most beloved events of the school year, but more importantly it provides a shared experience for students to think about others, demonstrating that small, collective acts of community service can together help make a difference. These are vital life lessons that I want my daughter to learn, and I’m grateful to Fox Meadow for leading the way.”
The Fox Meadow PTA also expressed its deep appreciation to the members of the Fox Meadow Compact Committee, whose leadership was instrumental in planning and organizing this year’s Cereal Box Challenge: Melissa Feinberg, Lori Leibowitz, Cliona Cronin, Alethea Lynch, and Christine Stuetz. Their collaborative efforts helped ensure that the event remained focused not only on collecting donations, but also on fostering empathy, learning, and community engagement among students.
As the final cereal boxes tumbled through the school and onto the delivery truck, the challenge once again demonstrated that when a community works together, even small acts can create a powerful chain reaction of positive change.
To learn more about the work of Feeding Westchester, visit the organization's website.
Individuals, community organizations, and local businesses interested in supporting Fox Meadow’s food insecurity initiatives or exploring partnership opportunities for next year’s Cereal Box Challenge are encouraged to contact the Fox Meadow PTA.
An Enchanted Evening Celebrates Community and Support for SFCS
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- Written by: Sharon Higgins
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James Genova.On the evening of Thursday, May 14, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Service held its annual benefit gala, An Enchanted Evening, at Scarsdale Golf Club. It was a beautiful night with perfect spring weather, as many friends and supporters of SFCS gathered to celebrate and support the meaningful work the organization continues to provide throughout the community. This year’s gala focused not only on fundraising, but also on recognizing the organization’s remarkable 106-year history and the vital support it brings to children, students, parents, and seniors throughout Scarsdale and Edgemont.
Guests enjoyed the gala’s traditional silent auction during cocktail hour, browsing a wide array of offerings while catching up with friends and neighbors. Vicki Tse, President of Scarsdale Friends of Music and Art, also organized several student musical performances throughout the hour. Attendees were especially delighted by the talented student violinists, whose performances added an elegant touch to the event.
As dinner began, returning emcee Lori Rothman welcomed guests and helped set a warm and lively tone for the evening. SFCS Co-Presidents Amy Nadasdi and Wendy Gendel thanked the committee members who worked tirelessly to organize the gala and also acknowledged the many local government officials and representatives from the Scarsdale Public Schools who attended in support of SFCS. Rothman later entertained the crowd with a comedic routine before introducing James Genova, LCSW and Executive Director of SFCS.
Genova reflected on the organization’s history and shared his own personal journey with SFCS, which began more than 25 years ago before becoming Executive Director in 2014. He spoke about the broad reach of SFCS throughout the Scarsdale community, touching the lives of children, parents, and seniors alike. He encouraged attendees to reflect on how SFCS may have impacted them personally, a child, or a parent over the years, and expressed his hope that every interaction with the organization had been both supportive and professional. Genova also emphasized that the organization’s success throughout the decades would not have been possible without the continued support of the community, noting that SFCS is the last nonprofit agency of its kind remaining in Westchester County.
Gala Committee Co-Chairs Kathy Stahler and Rona Montner offered closing remarks before dessert, thanking guests for their generosity and continued support of SFCS.
Amy Nadasdi, Co-President of SFCS, had this to say to sum up the evening,“This year's Gala reminded us of something we already knew but are always grateful to see. That this community shows up for one another. What struck me most wasn't just the generosity, but the unified spirit in the room. People came together around something that reflects the best of who we are, and our shared values. SFCS is truly grateful for that support, and for the recognition that the work we do truly matters to this community.”
The evening highlighted the meaningful impact SFCS continues to have throughout the community and the strong support that allows the organization to continue its important work for families across Scarsdale and Edgemont.
Maroon and White Signing Day
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Stella Van Arsdale signing to Rochester.On Wednesday, May 6th, Scarsdale High School held their athlete signing day, for students who are going to continue playing sports for their college. The event started off with acknowledging the athletes who won a section championship during the winter season. Then shifted over to the athletes playing in college. Alex Israel signed to Colgate for rowing. Henry Lamberg signed to St. John’s for baseball. Stella Van Arsdale signed to Rochester for soccer. Emily Baron signed to Mount Saint Mary College for volleyball. Rachel Rakower signed to Caltech for track. Oliver Bandsma signed with the Coast Guard for rowing. Koji Hirata signed to the University of Toronto for baseball. Kieran Lee signed to Williams College for swim and dive.
Alex Israel signing to Colgate.
Henry Lamberg signing to St. John’s.
Emily Baron signing to Mount Saint Mary College.
Rachel Rakower signing to Caltech.
Oliver Bandsma signing with the Coast Guard.
Koji Hirata signing to the University of Toronto.
Kieran Lee signing to Williams College.
