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Published: 23 May 2013

Created: 23 May 2013

Last Updated: 23 May 2013

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For many SHS seniors, the upcoming Scarsdale Senior Class production of the Wizard of Oz will be their debut on stage. Eighty members of the class of 2013 are now preparing for the show, which will be performed on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1 at 7:30 PM, and on Sunday June 2 at 2 PM. With just a week left until the premier, rehearsal is in full swing and the directors and the cast are working hard to perfect the show.

A large group of directors and coordinators were necessary to manage the cast of eighty. The show is directed by SHS drama club veteran Sunny Feinstein and assistant director Melissa Duarte. The two handled auditions, callbacks, casting, scheduling, running rehearsals, and worked with cast members. Choreographer Ali Whitney both developed the dance numbers and instructed cast members on how to perform them. Sophie Laruelle is Music Director, Rachel Josselsohn is managing the stage, Thomas Kurien designed the sets, Sam Giddins is in charge of lighting, with costumes by Taylor Yu and Tshara Barnes and props by Doug Berman.

Though the directors and coordinators have been active members of the high school drama club for years, only Melissa Duarte has had experience directing a show. Earlier this winter, Melissa directed Almost Maine, the student directed Drama Club production. For both Melissa and Sunny, casting was the first big task.

After two weeks of auditions, the lead parts were chosen. Emily Bochner is playing Dorothy, Eli Panken is cast as the Tin Man, Nick Meisel is the Lion, and Jacob Kirschenbaum is the Scarecrow. As Dorothy, Emily Bochner sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow. The other three leads all wish for what they are missing in each of their main songs. Eli Panken's laments If I Only Had a Heart, and Nick Meisel sings If I Were King of the Forest. As the Scarecrow, Jacob Kirshenbaum's big number is If I Only Had a Brain. Other notable roles include Gaby Czarniak as Glinda, Jacob Cannon as the Wizard, Becky Goldberg as Aunt Em, Peter Simon as Guard, Jason Altabet as Coroner, Evan Hendel as Toto and Max Grippo as Mayor of Munchkin City. Although they will not be appearing on stage, faculty advisors Mrs. Barton and Mr. Noble have also had key roles in making the play possible.

For Sunny and Melissa, directing the show has been as challenging as it has been rewarding. Reflecting on her experience to date Sunny noted, "directing is a long complicated process because we have about 80 cast members down from the original count of 117actors. In addition to the changes in the cast, "we only have about two hours to rehearse every night and almost two months to put together a show with an 80 person cast, which is almost unthinkable. To put it in perspective, drama club shows are usually 3 months of production with a cast of 35." The show has also been a learning experience for Melissa, who said, "it's been really hectic, this is a much bigger show that Almost Maine because it is a musical, so I have to work with many more people, including the choreographer, the music director, and the entire production team." She added, "You learn a lot as director; there were sides of lighting, staging and set design that I never really knew before even though I have been a part of a lot of shows over the years. One of my favorite parts is learning what goes on behind the scenes."

Putting the play together and rehearsing has been a learning experience for cast members too. Gaby Czarniak, who plays Glinda the Good Witch, admitted, "I had no acting experience prior to this, so I am glad I'm acting, getting out of my comfort zone and singing in front of people, which is not an easy thing to do." For Gaby and the other cast members, "It's also been a great bonding experience." Seniors act, hang out, plan, joke, dance and sing together in every rehearsal.

Music Director. Sophie Laruelle explained her role in the production, saying, "I run all of the music rehearsals, so usually I call a group into the band room and they all gather around the piano. I basically play them their parts and teach them all of the music." Sophie also works closely with individual members of the cast, lending helpful tips for singing. She explained, "I also have the leads perform for me and give them vocal notes on ways they could improve. I've worked with many of the leads on breathing and singing technique, which they've begun to utilize in their songs."

The entire cast is proud of the play and feels people will be pleasantly surprised by their production of The Wizard of Oz. Sophie Lareuelle smiled as she exclaimed, "the play has turned out really well, they're so good...it's much better than I thought the senior class play could be." Not only are cast members proud of the play, but also they are proud of their unique choice for Senior Class Play in The Wizard of Oz. According to Becky Goldberg, "Usually the Senior class play is more along the lines of High School Musical or Grease, so this type of show is something new for SHS." With the combination of hardworking directors and cast members, and a refreshing new take on the Senior Class Play, the show is bound to impress the Scarsdale community.

Tickets can be purchased $10 for students and $15 for adults and seniors (the 65+ crowd, not the high school seniors) online at Eventbrite. Prices will be more expensive at the door so be sure to get your tickets soon!

This article was contributed by Brian Shabto, a senior at Scarsdale High School.

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Published: 09 May 2013

Created: 09 May 2013

Last Updated: 09 May 2013

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The American Cancer Society will host their Annual Westchester Invitational Golf Tournament at Sleepy Hollow Country Club on Monday, May 20, 2013. The day includes brunch, a round of golf, a live and silent auction, and an evening dinner reception.

Event chair, Adam Gross of Scarsdale, NY, is a long time dedicated volunteer of the American Cancer Society. Along with chairing the golf outing for his 3rd time, Mr. Gross sits on the Eastern Division Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society. Serving on the committee are Scarsdale residents, Sheryl Spivack-Braun, Amy Frishberg, Dennis Gilbert, Greg Messerle, Jeff Plattus, Joel Talish and Greg White.

The American Cancer Society golf outing brings together businesses, community leaders and dedicated individuals. United by the desire to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, their families and survivors, these caring individuals support the ACS by funding programs for patient services, research, education and advocacy. This year is especially meaningful because it will mark the American Cancer Society's centennial, commemorating one hundred years of fighting cancer. In the past century, the organization has had a role in every major cancer achievement, according to the Society.

Sponsorships and underwriting opportunities for the outing are available. Individual reservations for the event begin at $1,250. For more information, please contact Jacqueline Zirman, Special Events Manager by email at Jacqueline.Zirman@cancer.org or call 914-397-8857.

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Published: 02 May 2013

Created: 02 May 2013

Last Updated: 20 May 2013

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The Scarsdale Recreation Department and the New York Junior Tennis League Scarsdale chapter are seeking youth players and volunteer parents to reestablish the "Scarsdale Spring Youth Tennis League" for Scarsdale boys and girls from third grade to eight grade. Registration for the Scarsdale Spring Youth Tennis Leagues for boys and girls from third grade to eighth grade will take place on Monday, May 13th between 6 PM and 8 PM at the Middle School tennis courts. Rain date and registration will continue on Tuesday , May 14th between 6PM and 8 PM. Youth should bring their tennis racquets to practice play.

Registration can also be done online with the Scarsdale recreation Department at recreation@scarsdale.com or with the New York Junior Tennis League - Scarsdale Chapter at proscars@aol.com or call Bob Harrison at 725-0962 for information. The registration fee to the Rec Department is $ 15 per player.

This great program was started in 1984 with 39 teams and peaked in the mid 1990's with 85 youth tennis teams with over 600 participants.

We are reaching out to each neighborhood athletic association including Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, Quaker Ridge and IHM to select area tennis chairs to organize the coaches and teams in their area in order for the rec department to set up a schedule of matches at the middle school tennis courts. There would be matches among all areas with boys and girls leagues.

In each age group with singles and first and second doubles matches so all youth can play at their skill level. The matches would be held Monday to Friday from 6 pm to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday with one match per week. Matches would be scheduled not to conflict with other spring sports. Parents, remember tennis is a lifetime sport that you and your children can enjoy as a family playing on the village's 26 tennis courts.

We need Scarsdale parents to volunteer their time to the youth tennis program. You don't have to be a tennis star to organize a youth tennis team. Please contact the recreation department at recreation@scarsdale.com or the New York Junior Tennis League - Scarsdale Director, Bob Harrison, at 725-0962 or proscars@aol.com to reestablish the great youth tennis leagues of the past. Get your children involved in the lifetime sport of tennis.

Registration information for our youth will be provided to respondents. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Written by: Charles Miner

Published: 01 May 2013

Created: 01 May 2013

Last Updated: 01 May 2013

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After a rough start in league play, Edgemont ran past both Scarsdale B and New Rochelle this week, winning both matches 6-1. Coach Jeff Menaker feels this is the boost Edgemont needs to start their run toward playoffs. Junior Jacob Weiss said, “I feel like we have a lot of winnable matches coming up, and I see us going on a run, and getting a good seeding in playoffs”. Edgemont’s next three matches are against Pelham, Bronxville (who Edgemont lost to 4-3 earlier this season), and then Pelham again.

When I asked Edgemont head coach Jeff Menaker about what he expects from his youngsters in the second half of the season he said, “our young players are growing into their games, and I expect that to pay its dividends later this season”.

Keys to the Match:

Cole Chidekel and Charlie Miner won their last two matches in one 2^nd set tiebreak and one 3^rd set tiebreak. When asked what the key was to winning the two tiebreaks, Cole explained, “it’s easy to get down on yourself after a second set loss, but if you want to win a tiebreak, you have to stay mentally tough and completely dialed in, as Charlie and I did to in both matches”.

Kartik Subbanna bounced back after a hard fought loss against Scarsdale B, and won his match in third singles 6-1, 6-2 against New Rochelle. He said about his win, “The key to my victory was my consistency and staying focused throughout the whole match”.

First singles player Allan Xu faced a familiar foe, a player he had lost to three times in the past. When I asked him what his mindset would be coming into the match, he said “it’s always been close, so I stuck to my game plan and this time I played the better match”. Allan played a great match and won 6-1, 6-4. Edgemont hopes to keep the winning streak alive for the last four games of the season.

SCORES

Edgemont defeats Scarsdale B: 6-1

• First singles: Allan Xu won 7-6 6-1
• Second singles: Akshat Sanghavi won 6-3 6-4
• Third singles: Kartik Subbanna lost 7-6 6-4
• First doubles: Aaditya Jain/Terren Klein won 4-6 7-5 10-8 (third set tiebreak)
• Second doubles: Jacob Weiss/Jan Kjellberg won 6-3 2-6 11-9 (third set tiebreak)
• Third doubles: Charlie Miner/Cole Chidekel won 6-0 7-6
• Fourth Doubles: Ethan Cutler/Berber Jin won 6-2 6-2

Edgemont defeats New Rochelle: 6-1

• First singles: Allan Xu won 6-1 6-4
• Second singles: Akshat Sanghavi won 6-4 7-6
• Third singles: Kartik Subbanna won 6-1 6-0
• First doubles: Aaditya Jain/Terren Klein lost 5-7 6-4 11-13
• Second doubles: Jacob Weiss/Jan Kjellberg won 6-3 4-6 10-6
• Third doubles: Charlie Miner/Cole Chidekel won 6-2 2-6 10-4
• Fourth Doubles: Ethan Cutler/Berber Jin won 6-3 5-7 10-6