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Quarterly Update - November 2016
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Principal's Message
Dear Members of the SHS Community:
I am pleased to present the first Quarterly Update of the 2016-17 school year. A
s you'll see from the reports below, we've had quite a busy start to the school year at the high school.
Just this week, the Board of Education accepted bids on three projects at t
he high school: a Learning Commons, a Design Lab, and an updated Fitness Center. The Le
arning Commons is funded through the bond that the community approved in 2014, while the Design Lab and Fitness Center are funded largely through gifts from the Scarsdale Schools Educational Foundation and the Madoff family.
These projects will transform students' daily experience in the high school. The Learning Commons will be a modern, two-story open space in which students can work alone or collaboratively and in which they can take their meals at the same time. Logistically, this will relieve pressure on the library and the cafeteria, which are currently serving these needs in suboptimal ways. The Learning Commons will reflect the way students work and eat now: usually at the same time and with their peers, throughout the day and at designated times. The iLab will be a double-sized classroom in the Learning Commons (where the current fitness center is) that will feature integrated technology and a flexible design to allow students and teachers to enjoy multiple instructional modes with more ease than in our traditional classrooms and computer labs. Given its geographic location the school, between the athletic comp
lex and the classrooms, and given its two-story access, we anticipate that the Learning Commons will be a focal point of student life.
The Design Lab will occupy the currently unused auto shop and will be the home of our new STEAM curriculum, currently in its first year. As that program expands, more classes will need the features of the Design Lab, which will include space for designing, prototyping, and tinkering; areas for
woodworking, 3-D printing, and laser cutting;
tools; storage; and open space with flexible furniture configurations. Student enrollment in this first year reflects high interest in the curriculum, which we anticipate will continue with new electives and a new space. In addition, the enhanced capacity and features of the Design Lab will enable students to work on independent projects and will allow other subject classes to engage in design-thinking projects that can be completed in school instead of garages and basements.
Finally, the new Fitness Center will occupy the space under Gyms 3 and 4 (the newest gyms) and feature double the space of the current room with a full complement of cardiovascular equipment in addition to modern strength-training machines. The space will allow for nearly double the number of students than the current center allows and has been designed to be welcoming to students regardless of their gender or familiarity with fitness or fitness equipment. The new Fitness Center will facilitate full integration with our curriculum's emphasis on fitness for life.
We anticipate that construction will start in the next few weeks, and we will work to minimize disruption to the daily operation of the high school. To ensure their safety, students will not have access to the work areas. Demolition work has been scheduled for after-school hours, and we will do our best to block out dates and times during which the noise will interfere with other activities. The construction staging area will occupy the hockey field just south of Gyms 3 and 4, with only a few parking spots lost to vehicles and fencing.
We very much look forward to these new spaces opening: the Fitness Center this spring, the Learning Commons by next fall, and the Design Lab shortly thereafter, and to the opportunities they represent for our students.
Please accept my best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and a most enjoyable holiday season to follow.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Bonamo
Principal
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Art
The Art Department faculty met at the Cooper Hewitt Museum this summer to devise a written project for the Studio Foundation classes. The elements and principles of art and design are the focus for the studio and museum work. When the students visit the Cooper Hewitt, they will be guided by the assignment to explore the confluence of art, design, and technology. Students engage with materials and concepts through creative projects both in the school and at the museum.
The opening exhibit in the Positive Space gallery was works by the K-12 District art teachers. This gave students a opportunity to see their former, present, and future, teachers as artists. There were several discussions with classes concerning the intersection of teaching and creating one's own art works.
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Athletics
Our athletic teams enjoyed a fantastic fall season with 34% of our students participating in
Interscholastic Athletics. We are proud of all of our student athletes and honor their commitment to their own athletic achievements as well as to the spirit of camaraderie that marks each of our teams. Congratulations to all the students and coaches who made the Fall 2016 season so memorable!
Our Field Hockey team advanced to the state championship, with an overall record of 18-3-1. They went on to be the Sectional & Regional Champions, NYSPHSAA Finalists and Silver Medalists.
Our Boys' Soccer team advanced to the Sectional Semi-final, while our Girls' Soccer team was the League Champion with a 10-6-1 overall record. Several members of our Girls' team were recognized as All-Section and All-League.
Our Football team's season was record-breaking. For the first time in school history, we represented as Sectional Finalists with a 6-3 season record.
Our Girls' Tennis team advanced to the Sectional Quarterfinals, with team members named All-Section and All-League.
Our Girls' Swimming team advanced to the state championship level in several strokes, and were named to All-League status.
Our Boys Cross Country team won the League meet for the third year in a row, while several of our student- athletes on both the Boys and Girls teams were awarded All-State, All-Section, and All-County honors. Our
Girls' Volleyball team
advanced to the Quarterfinal round, while our Boys' team advanced to the Semi-final round in its inaugural year. Several students were named All-Section and All-League.
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Counseling
 As always, The Counseling Department has had an exciting beginning to the year. The Deans welcomed nearly 400 freshmen to the high school and supported this transition during the two-day orientation. We've enjoyed spending time with our newest students through the Civ-Ed and Freshman Seminar programs, introducing them to a wide array of staff and services. New upperclassmen to the district were registered and introduced to the High School through their own orientation and SHS Intro.
We also had the opportunity to work with our returning sophomores and juniors as they embarked on another year, and of course we continued our engagement with seniors on the college process. To that end, we've met with students and their families in Senior Conferences to discuss their post-secondary plans and application timelines. To date, the Counseling Department has processed more than 3,500 applications.
Our popular "Conversation with the Deans" program featured robust conversations with the parents of freshman regarding their transition, and we're looking forward to these discussions with the parents of juniors and sophomores in the coming weeks and months. International families gathered at a local home to learn about the Scarsdale High School experience, and several Deans were present at our Principal's grade-level coffees to answer questions about relevant students' experience. Finally, Deans continue to support all their students throughout their high school journey through personal and academic counseling. We're thrilled with the ongoing relationships we've developed with families, and we are looking forward to another terrific year.
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English
The beginning of each school year is always an exciting time for the English Department. Students are full of curiosity about the year ahead; teachers are eager to debut the new books added to the curricula and to present classic favorites to a fresh audience.
In Ms. Farina's classes, tenth-graders spent time crafting innovative arguments about literature that incorporated visual elements. Students created interactive booklets that used both words and images to present complex thesis-statements about short stories. In creating these intricate artistic products, students had to think deeply about how the elements of their argument connected and how to use visual images to present information metaphorically.
Students in twelfth-grade Advanced Topics classes began the year with
poetry
study.
Dr. Kroll's cl
asses celebrated poetry (and the beautiful autumn
weather) by chalking famous sonnets on the pavement in front of the Brewster Road entrance. This activity not only engaged the students with the language and form of the sonnet but also brought colorful poetry to the attention of the entire school.
After their study of Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle, Ben Sawyer and Kami Wright's American Studies class were treated to a one-woman performance of the text by celebrated local theater-artist Sarah Franek.
One of our American Studies classes visited the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center to talk about memory and public spaces, in preparation for the overnight trip to Washington, D.C., later this year, while another traveled to Manhattan to study early-American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Library
The year is off to a great start. In
addition to orienting ninth graders, we have already had classes researching topics from Chemical Ele
ments to Latin American Revolutions. To support our varied and robust research projects, we have added two online resources: Bloom's Literary Criticism Online, giving access to 620 titles, and Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History, providing access to 1,800 primary sources.
We held the first-ever meeting of our newly formed Library Advisory Board, which includes the librarians, one administrator, one public librarian, two teachers, two students and one parent. We hope to improve and promote our program and space. One immediate result has been the designation of our upstairs lab as a supervised quiet study room during period 7 on Mondays and Wednesdays. As the Board continues to meet throughout the year, we will keep the school and community apprised of our work.
Other exciting news includes the opening of our third floor entrance. Previously a fire exit, this library mezzanine-level entrance is now open and supervised during limited hours and has a fully functioning circulation desk. Students can check out books and borrow laptops from this location. There are ten PCs available from the main level circulation desk and 30 Chromebooks available from this location.
We are always grateful for parent volunteers and this year we have had an unprecedented number of parents offer to help. We could not be more appreciative!
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Mathematics
The Math Team participates weekly in the Math Madness competition with high schools across the nation. The contest consists of questions aligned with the American Mathematical Competitions. During two rounds of these weekly competitions, students worked in collaborative problem solving teams as shown in the attached photo.
Students in AT Statistics classes
used computer software to perform a regression analysis. They analyzed data on fuel efficiency in cars by seeing how the weight of a car was associated with its miles-per-gallon rating.
Students in Mrs. Ellison-Connolly's Calculus class will be working on a portable greenhouse project during November and December. They will design and construct 4 portable greenhouses, so the garden club can start the seedlings that would normally have been grown in the autoshop (the new design lab location). Students will interview Ms. Favretti; consult with Mr. McDonald for design help; consult with Mr. Licata for aesthetics; seek advice from Ms. Chen about growing conditions; and collaborate with their team members to satisfy criteria for optimal space for seedling storage and growth. The project will connect to topics in the Calculus curriculum, including optimization, volume, and rate of change.
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Performing Arts
We began the 2016-2017 school year in quick fashion as participants in the Westchester County Fifteenth Commemoration of September 11 at The Rising
monument. The invitation and planning started last spring and allowed for a powerful and emotional contribution by the orchestra and chorus.
Large-scale performances continued as the fall musical,
Grease,
was presented the weekend of November 18, 19, and 20.
The winter concert season begins in earnest immediately following the musical with at least ten evening performances throughout the district.
We are pleased to be represented by four students at the NYSSMA All-State Festival in Rochester. Being named to this festival confirms the commitment and dedication these students and their directors have given over many years of hard work. We are very proud of the two singers and one orchestra and one band student who will be participating.
And lastly, we are now on Twitter (@ScarsdalePArts #scarsdaleperformingarts), where we share many examples of the fine musical experiences our students have every day here at the High School as well as in all seven buildings of the district.
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Physical Education
The Physical Education Department began the 2016-2017 school year with the Start-Up Fitness unit across all grade levels. Lessons included warm-up principles, movement prep, rehab (Prehab), speed and agility training, circuit training, group initiative challenges, and student-designed warm-ups. The culminating activity in the 11th- & 12th-grade classes was the third annual Raider Run, which is a timed fitness course comprised of a series of five fitness challenges, each separated by a run. Students completed the RaiderRun challenge with a partner, working towards earning individual and class recognition.
Beyond all of this fitness work in all grade levels, the 9th & 10th grade classes spent time on the tennis courts covering various skills including the forehand, backhand, serve, lob, overhead, and volley, then applying these skills in doubles and singles matches. Our students in the 11th- & 12th-grade classes also took part in a Disc Golf unit this quarter. Disc Golf is played much like traditional golf, however the game is played with a flying disc instead of a ball and clubs. Disc golf provides upper and lower body conditioning, aerobic exercise, and promotes a combination of physical and mental abilities as students work to master shots and negotiate obstacles.
Overall, we had an exciting first quarter as our students were engaged with their minds and bodies in active and healthy learning!
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Science
In the Science Department, we welcome opportunities for students to participate in activities and events beyond the traditional classroom setting. Earlier in the school year, a group of AT Biology students had the opportunity to attend a seminar on the use of robotics in surgery. They were enthralled by this exciting overlap of medicine and technology.
In the first session, they met with a surgeon who shared his journey to becoming a doctor, as well
as his daily experiences performing surgery. During the second session, students put on scrubs
and went into the operating room. Each student had the chance to test his or her skill manipulating
a
da Vinci
surgery robot. The group played a game that required them to place rings around a peg to simulate a surgical technique. One student shared, "You can know your bio but still need hand-eye coordination and tremendous skill to use this technology." Another marveled, "It's amazing that surgeons will do this for so many hours at a time." Students learned that the use of robotics for minimally invasive surgery offers the option of a procedure to patients who formerly had to rely on medication due to the high risk and long recovery time of traditional surgery.
This seminar was offered by White Plains Hospital through its Clinical Tutorial program. In an effort to develop educational ties with schools in Westchester County, they have organized a series of lectures and correlated clinical experiences for high-school students. This program provides students with real world connections to the concepts and applications that they are learning in their biology course.
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Special Education
The Learning Resource Center started off the year welcoming our new freshmen and helping them transition to the high school. We also welcomed parents to the "9th Grade LRC Parents Welcome." The night provided an informal forum for parents and LRC teachers to meet and talk about the transition into the high school and the role that the LRC plays in their child's journey through SHS. Parents were provided an overview of LRC services, followed by a Q&A segment.
Throughout the quarter we have worked with our students to help them strengthen their skills and meet the demands of the curriculum. Our seniors are busy completing their college applications, and we will be celebrating with them as they decide on where the next part of their academic journey will take them.
After-school help in the LRC continues for all classified students. Teachers are available Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3:00 to 3:45 and on Fridays from 2:00 to 2:45 to work on homework, test preparation, organizational skills, and anything else they may need assistance with. Please encourage your child to attend.
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Social Studies
This past quarter saw the school-wide Global Citizenship and Presidential Election Teach-In. Organized by SHS social studies teachers Heather Waters, Fallon Plunkett, and Carlos Bedoya, the program included a number of workshops to deepen student understanding of global and national political and social issues as well as activities related to increasing SHS students' engagement in public and community service.
In October, American Studies teachers John Harrison and Jennifer Rosenzweig traveled with their 11th-grade American Studies class to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to investigate the relationship between visual art and early American culture.
 
In Fallon Plunkett's AT Psychology class, students engaged in an expansive unit on social and political psychology. The unit included students writing and conducting a voter exit poll during the November 8th presidential election. The exit-poll results will be used at part of a major research project on the psychology of voting.
In Andrew Morgan's 10th-grade World History students engaged in "The Order of the Enlightened Leaders Hall of Honor" presentations, which asked students to make the case for why an assigned absolutist leader of 17th century should be recognized as an "enlightened leader" worthy of the title
Ordo Ducum Eruditorum
(ODE).
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Student Government
School Government had an action-packed beginning to the school year. At Freshman Orientation, students were welcomed with a club fair in the Commons as well as a backpack assembly station where students put together supplies for under-privileged students. Our assembly offered tips and tricks for surviving and thriving in those first few weeks.
We welcomed the entire school back from summer with an assembly honoring our new teachers with the presentation of roses. That evening, students gathered at the annual bonfire and cookout to celebrate the opening of the year.
The following week saw our three-day club fair, in which over 90 clubs competed for the attention and dedications of Scarsdale students. Many thanks to the PTA for their help!
Homecoming week saw the government coordinating a full schedule of "dress-up for spirit" days, culminating in Maroon and White Friday. At the homecoming pep rally, each fall team regaled the crowd, and students and teachers competed in spirited games. That evening, the government hosted a games festival before kickoff, with a DJ and can-jam, cornhole, frisbees and footballs. Thanks to Maroon and White for their support!
This year the Freshman Class Government election was held digitally through Google Forms. The Class of 2020 is so lucky to have Linda Rich of the Math Department and Alex Greenberg of Physical Education as their class advisers.
At our October house meeting, the fun continued with a school government-led leadership training exercise for all four class governments. The training took the 50 officers through a number of activities and de-briefs related to planning and running activities and helped to build communication throughout our house government.
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World Languages
This fall was filled with excitement for the World Language Department. Both the Spanish and French Exchange programs took place, giving the opportunity to many SHS students to meet new friends from Madrid and Aix-en-Provence, besides the 18 Spanish and 25 French students who hosted for two weeks. Both groups are looking forward to travelling in February.
French Exchange
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French Exchange
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Spanish Exchange
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Spanish 334 and 344 students learned about the socio-politics of Guernica (past and present) with a visit from Professor
Ager of SUNY Purchase.
French AT students learned about French Imperialism in Indochina during a visit from Dr. Krisna Uk, the
director for the Center of Khmer Studies in Cambodia.
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Spanish 334-344
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French AT |
Latin students competed in Certamen at Yale, and
Sr Lamela's Spanish 334 students created their own adaptations of "Una carta a Dios."
Beth Colleary of the Art Department visited Sra Bray's Spanish 333 classes to create a Day of the Dead altar. Students were taught how to make papel picado and the traditional Mexican marigolds. The ofrenda made to Alexander Hamilton & Lin-Manuel Miranda has been used as a teaching tool for cultural awareness and comparisons.
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Latin
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Spanish 334
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Spanish 333
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The Mandarin classes celebrated mid-autumn festival by listening to traditional music and legends and enjoying the authentic holiday dessert-moon cake. Honors Mandarin 334 had their Mandarin class in the gym, where students were divided into groups to introduce a sport they liked via an activity they had created.
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