Couture Boutique to Open on Christie Place
- Details
- Hits: 4944
At long last, a new store is set to open this week on Christie Place in Scarsdale Village. The opening of MAG Tricote is scheduled for Friday, June 15 through Sunday June 17 and you are invited to come in and see MAG Tricotes’ high end and handmade collection of clothing and accessories.
The store is the creation of Malvina Guretsky who designs dresses, separates, outwerwear and accessories for all occasions. Materials include natural fabrics and yarns, hand-dyed silk, cashmere and hand-spun fibers.
Guretsky is a native of the Soviet Union who came to the U.S. at age 17 to pursue an education at NYU. Following college she took a position at Deutsche Bank, where she worked for 17 years, eventually rising to Managing Director. In this role she travelled frequently but eventually tired of the corporate world. At home she pursued her lifelong passion for knitting which evolved from a hobby into a new business venture as she developed a line of knitwear for women and babies and hired talented designers and craftswoman to create her couture. Her new line includes hand knit, hand crochet, felted pieces, and a few hand sewn silk pieces.
She invites you to see the line this weekend at MAG Tricote, a name derived from Malvina’s initials and the word “tricoter”, which
means ”to knit” in French.
MAG Tricotes
120 Christie Place
Scarsdale NY 10583
Magtricotes.com
917-951-6450
Duck Tales
- Details
- Hits: 3656
A Scarsdale family became hosts to a family of another kind in their yard when a mother duck decided that Murray Hill was the perfect place to build her nest. With a lush lawn and a pleasant pool, the fenced-in yard seemed like a safe place to hatch her brood.
The Scarsdale family watched her sit on the nest for six weeks. To learn more about ducks they called the Greenburgh Nature Center who advised them not to make the ducks too comfortable – after all a pool is not a pond, and chlorinated water, though not harmful, is not ideal for ducks. Also if you permit the ducks to stay, the baby ducklings will return to your property each year to lay their own eggs. They also consulted a “wildlife relocator” but ultimately decided to sit tight and instructed their landscapers not to bother the nest. They enjoyed watching mom warming the eggs with periodic visits from the male father or 
Mallard.
Before long they were greeted with a joyful sight – Momma duck and her nine ducklings swimming in the pool. Some chose to float on the kickboard while another liked to ride on mom’s back. One of the wayward ducks always seemed to swim in the wrong direction.
But hot weather came to Scarsdale and the proper homeowners wanted to get back into their pool. They realized that the ducklings were not able to get out of the water as they could not fly. How to help them out? They extended a raft from the pool onto the deck, making a runway for the exit of the duck family, who readily complied.
Where they have gone is anyone’s guess – but they sure were entertaining while they were in residence.
College Admissions Officers Shed Light on the Process
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 7387
If you’ve got questions about college admissions, and who doesn’t, you’’ll find answers from a panel of college admissions officers who visited Scarsdale High School on Thursday night May 17th. Sponsored by the SHS PTA and Guidance Department, representatives from Boston University, Columbia University, Duke University, Kenyon College, Scripps College, Siena College, SUNY Stony Brook and UMass Amherst visited Scarsdale to give high school juniors and their parents the low down on getting in.
If you missed the night, you can watch the presentation in its entirety on the Scarsdale School website here, or read below for some of the more interesting facts that emerged
In response to a question about whether it’s an advantage or a disadvantage to come from a competitive school like Scarsdale, most agreed that the admissions teams consider students’ transcripts within the context of their high school. Peter Johnson from Columbia University offered his own take on that question, saying, ““For those for whom much is provided, more is expected. We look to see how you have taken advantages of the opportunites you have been offered.”
How do schools consider grades earned in AP or AT courses versus less challenging courses? Ned Jones of Siena College recommended that students take the highest level course in which they can succeed and do their best, while Matthew Clark from U Mass Amherst revealed that the admissions department actually recalculates applicant’s cum’s and adds points for AP courses, raising those students’ GPA’s.
Discussing the essay on the application, panelists agreed that this was the student’s opportunity to speak out and tell the admissions people who they are. One cautioned against using a college consultant or parent to write the essay – as admission’s officers are looking for authentic essays in the student’s voice.
Johnson again had some wisdom to share on the essay, saying, “Some think they have to have suffered a major calamity to get the admissions officers’ interest. We call these trauma, drama essays. We appreciate healthy well-adjusted students. It’s great to read about students who like their parents and walk the family dog.”
As for letters of recommendation, Victoria Romero of Scripps College said that a red flag goes up when a students sends in too many letters, or solicit letters from people who don’t really know them. In addition, Peter Johnson advised students to get letters that support the college application. For instance, if you say you want to major in physics, ask for a recommendation from your physics teacher.
Though the admissions teams consider the applicant’s standardized test scores, all agreed that the transcript was the more important piece of information. Romero of Scripps told students not to repeat the tests in the hope of raising scores by 20 points, saying it wouldn’t make a difference. When there is a big inconsistency between test scores and schoolwork, one officer said, “we do some digging.” Do they use the score on the relatively new writing section of the SAT? Half said “yes,” and half said “no.”!
For schools that utilize the common application, the supplemental, or institution-specific questions are important. The officers advised students to look into what the school offers and to be specific in making a case for why they wanted to attend that particular school.
Applying early decision to schools that offer this option really does improve an applicant’s chance for admission. According to Sue Coon at Duke, 25% of students who applied early decision were admitted, and the committee filled 38% of the class with early decision candidates. In contrast, only 11% of candidates who applied regular decision got in.
And how about Facebook? Are admissions officers looking at student’s Facebook pages? All agreed that they do not “stalk” applicants on Facebook. However, one admission’s officer said he did check a Facebook page to look at a photo and confirm whether or not he had met the student on a recent high school visit.
The panel summed up with a comment about stress from Timothy Kelley of Boston University. He told, the group, “By the time you submit your application, most of the work is done. What you did in the classroom is finished. You are packaging yourself, so show us who you are.”
Memorial Day Photo Gallery
- Details
- Hits: 3580
Citizens of Scarsdale gathered on Memorial Day in Chase Park to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. The Memorial Day ceremony and parade were sponsored by Scarsdale American Legion Post 52, commanded by Thomas Adamo. Scarsdale veterans, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Little Leaguers, the Scarsdale High School Band, their parents, friends and members of the community gathered to remember our servicemen.
On hand were Mayor Miriam Flisser, Village Trustees Bob Harrison and David Lee, Scarsdale School Board Members Elizabeth Guggenheimer and Sunil Subbakrishna, Police Chief John Brogan, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Scarsdale Forum members Dan Hochvert and Bruce Wells.
Photos by HL Flisser
Is Westchester Resisting Integration?
- Details
- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Hits: 9417
I usually agree with what I read in the New York Times, but two recent editorials on the affordable housing settlement left me wondering if the authors know their turf. One was an editorial called “ The Battle for Westchester,” that appeared in the Sunday N.Y. Times on May 13, 2012 and the other was a column by Peter Applebome on April 3, 2012 . Both pieces discussed the August 2008 affordable housing settlement where Westchester County was ordered to spend $51.6 million to build 750 affordable housing units by 2015. The ruling is punishment for misdeeds during the Spano years when his administration received funds from HUD for affordable units that were never built.
Current Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino inherited the consequences of the suit, as well as a mandate from taxpayers to cut county taxes, which are the among the highest in the country. The state exacerbated the county’s money troubles by enacting the 2 percent tax cap that prevents municipalities and counties from raising taxes above 2 percent, while at the same time, billing them for state-mandated programs whose costs grow beyond 2% per year.
Given the economic straits Westchester towns and villages now face and what I know about Scarsdale, where I have lived for 22 years, I thought the Times assertions were off base and ill informed.
Westchester County is ahead of schedule on the construction of affordable units with 206 approved and 196 financed. But that’s not good enough for the NY Times who charges that the units in Chappaqua will be built in a “no-man’s land between railroad tracks, a highway and a bridge,” and in Rye, near “largely minority Portchester.” In Larchmont, they complain that 46 units will be built behind a strip mall, squeezed against railroad tracks and Interstate 95.” What the articles do not mention is that residents of these units will enjoy town and county services and recreational facilities and their children will be “integrated” into fine public schools, all at a very reasonable cost. Since the settlement requires that the units be accessible to public transportation, it is odd that the Times objects to their proximity to the train station.
As a Westchester resident, it’s no wonder to me why the units have been placed in these locations. In Scarsdale we are built out and there is virtually no open space for construction. In order to build a new unit, an existing unit would need to be demolished. Furthermore, when property does become available, it is priced at a premium. First-rate schools and an easy commute to Manhattan make living here highly desirable. It is difficult to imagine how it would be economically feasible to build apartments or homes for $68,000 each when the average home sale price in Scarsdale in 2011 was $1,529,000. Furthermore, the settlement stipulates that for a family of four, the rent plus utilities cannot exceed 60% of the AMI of $63,900 in 2011. This translates to rents just below $1,600 per month.
According to the Times, it’s not good enough that Chappaqua, Rye and Larchmont have found ways to finance, build and incorporate these very affordable units into the community. The Times wants them located among “the Tudors and the glades,” in single-family neighborhoods on prime plots of land.
In November 2011 in an effort to comply with the settlement, Scarsdale adopted the model code recommended by the monitor. The new code requires the inclusion of an affordable unit in developments of 5-9 units and 10-14 units and the inclusion of 2 affordable units in developments of 15-24 units. And even before the code was adopted, the Village Board required the developer of a property at 2-4 Weaver Street in Scarsdale to include an affordable unit. However, one unit will do little toward appeasing HUD.
Even more startling was the NY Times claim of racial discrimination. The editorial states that the case is about “doing something to end deeply embedded segregation patterns and “affirmatively furthering fair housing,” The editorial calls for the county to take “communities to court to stop them from blocking integration through restrictive zoning” and “rental discrimination.”
In my 22 years in Scarsdale I have seen no evidence of racial discrimination. The Scarsdale schools are attended by children of every skin color and nationality. Asians, Indians, African Americans and Hispanics are fully integrated into the community ---in fact, this diversity is a given that is rarely discussed. Foreign cultures and traditions are celebrated in the schools with international fairs and special events. On the tennis courts I find people keeping score in many languages and the Scarsdale Golf Club, once an exclusionary country club welcomes members of every race and background and is a model of diversity.
If this perceived “racial discrimination” is really a stepchild of economic discrimination, then there needs to be a feasible way to pay market rates for affordable housing. The community is already stretched to the limit to finance schools and services and there are no extra funds available to subsidize affordable housing. To me, this suit seems to be more about economics than race. To charge Westchester towns with racism because housing prices are steep, seems off the mark to me.
