Dear Members of the SHS Community:  

I’m pleased to present the first Quarterly Update of the 2019-20 school year. The first quarter got off to a smooth start as we welcomed new students and faculty to the SHS family. After a September of getting organized and hosting club fairs and parent coffees, the beginning of October saw the seventh annual Global Citizenship Day. We had so many guest speakers, any one of which would have been impressive enough, as well as our own faculty members presenting on topics to small groups of students with the goal of increasing their awareness of global issues and the importance of personal wellness. Reviews from faculty and students have been quite positive, so we look forward to continuing this event next year.

I would like to update you on our work on Dignity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the high school. This committee, composed of teachers, administrators, counselors, and students, was initiated several years ago and last spring committed to assessing and addressing the obvious and subtle issues around inclusion and belonging. I asked the committee to consider this work in light of conversations I had had with students in which they shared that some language students use in spoken and online communications did not reflect the value we place on ensuring that all students feel included and share a sense of belonging.

The committee worked with a consultant to map out how the work might unfold, which included a plan to speak with student focus groups and to conduct a school-wide survey to get a better sense of the issues that need to be addressed before selecting programming in the winter and spring. The incidents of graffiti in September only heightened the importance of this work. The student focus groups will be meeting next week and will be facilitated by an outside consultant to get the most candid feedback possible. Students will be selected at random and as members of different subgroups in the school. Parents, if you wish that your child not participate in any focus groups, please send an email to Dr. Griffin at cgriffin@scarsdaleschools.org by this Thursday, Nov. 21.

This work is challenging and important. When students have a strong sense of belonging, their academic and social engagement are optimized, and they can thrive in the ways we hope for them. In addition, we want to ensure that the privilege of living and going to school in Scarsdale does not insulate students from the experiences of others but rather cultivates a sense of confidence tempered by humility and of personal industriousness and responsibility enhanced by sensitivity to others as they move on to fulfilling experiences in college and beyond.

My best wishes to you and your families for a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season to come.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Bonamo

Principal

Scarsdale High School

Alternative School students returned to school one day early for our annual Orientation, ably led by junior Kate Rosier. Through activities ranging from games to serious discussions, new and returning members began to get acquainted while establishing norms for the year in our close-knit community. As classes began, English teacher Jeanne Cooper engaged students in discussions of the purpose of education, and we followed up with a thought-provoking evening parent-teacher discussion on the same topic. We continued building the foundations for a strong community at the annual overnight Outing, organized by seniors Kelsy Hogan and Ryan Smith. Students facilitated small group discussions about how different communities have shaped our values, and teachers led group activities ranging from meditation to Israeli dance (see photo). 

In our classrooms, students engaged in challenging assignments designed to provoke deep thinking and build essential skills. American Studies students are grappling with the process of developing research papers. Seniors in American Politics attended governmental functions such as Scarsdale Board of Education meetings to see real-world politics in action (see photo). In Environmental Science, students designed their own sustainable cities, and then discussed the practical feasibility of their plans.

Adrienne Sapione and Michelle Foligno each received grants to bring a visiting artist to Hot Glass, Metals, and Jewelry 1 and 2 classes. The artists worked with both teachers and all of their combined classes. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to work with artists in the field. Each artist made four visits to each class making for an in depth experience. 

 

Dylan Karle was our first artist. Students used flameworking torches to create glass sculpture and jewelry. Dylan demonstrated, coached, created artwork and immersed himself in our community. Students practiced this nuanced and difficult technique by being adaptable, creative, and willing to overcome failure. Dylan believes this process is a means to overcome fear and challenges inherent in all of us and uses metaphors and positive encouragement as a guide for learning glass technique. The students were inspired by the experience. 

Ellie Grossman, is a metal clay artist. Metal clay actually contains either silver, copper, or gold and is used in jewelry making. Our students created a ring and pendant also including a zircon in one piece. They made imaginative pieces and enjoyed using a new material and learning a different technique.  (more photos)

For the Counseling Department, the beginning of the year is an opportunity to relish in our work with students across all grade levels. While that involves an endless array of individual meetings and conferences with both students and parents during school hours, we wanted to highlight the many programs that we host beyond the school day. These evening presentations are largely focused on our students’ post-secondary plans, and complement the work we do on a daily basis.

November’s Financial Aid Night is an opportunity for parents to plan ahead and learn valuable insight regarding the financial aid process. In December, parents of Juniors gain an introduction to the College Process during our Junior Parent Night. In January, the Gap Year Fair is for students and families who would like to learn more about this option. March brings our program for Students with Learning Differences, where parents across all grade levels can learn about the variety of programs and services colleges offer to support students. In May, an esteemed group of admissions professionals shed light on their perspectives regarding the college process during College Panel Night for juniors. And finally, while the year is winding down for many, in late May the parents of incoming Freshmen gain an introduction to the high school at our Eighth Grade Parent Night.

We hope that parents will take advantage of these varied offerings to learn more about their child’s school experience, and gain information that will help individual families throughout the high school journey.

The first quarter found our students engaged around the world. As a school, we explored issues that impact us as individuals and a community on our seventh annual Global Citizenship Day. Many participants commented on how moved and inspired they were by our visiting speakers, teacher and student presentations. Some of the most powerful were the stories shared by the North Korean Refugees, a wrongfully convicted teenager and a Holocaust survivor. Each demonstrated the strength of the human spirit and the power of hope and community. We welcomed our visitors from Madrid and China as part of our Spanish and Chinese Exchanges. SHS families hosted our Spanish and Chinese student guests and together each group explored neighborhoods in NYC. Our students are looking forward to attending school in Spain in February and China in April. As future leaders, they are learning so much about the culture and experiences of these international communities. Students are also preparing for this year’s trips to Germany, Vietnam and New Zealand.

Dr. Kumaresan’s 433 students learned about complex fractions and Ohm’s law. They discussed how voltage in a circuit is directly proportional to the resistance and the current in the circuit. Students built circuits and measured the voltage traveling through. 

Geometry 423 students learned logic through Little Bits. They built circuits using “And” Modules as well as “Or” Modules then developed the truth tables from their work with the circuits.  

Math 422 classes studied compound events and their conditional probabilities by constructing games involving multiple, successive events. During the "fair", students played each other's games and computed the probability of the outcome they obtained in their particular play. 

Ms. Pulford’s 432 class created storyboards in small groups to model word problems they created, with the help of Meredith Dutra. Each group had an artist who drew the word problem, a presenter who read the word problem, a mathematician who completed the solution, and a technology director who put the video together. The final result was a storyboard of their word problem.  

 

Monica Palekar’s 454i students collaborated on a presentation about the mathematics of Gerrymandering. This was the culmination of their unit on voting systems.   

AT Statistics students learned how to linearize exponential data and perform a regression by using M&M’s. The tasty byproduct of this lesson coincided with the day before Halloween. (more photos)

Math Team News

Math team officers created a game called GUTS, which was a big hit at our first interest meeting! The team competes in 6 leagues and also have special competitions like NYSML and Who Wants to be a Mathematician, where this year 9 students qualified for Round 2. On October 21 we hosted a county meet that included teams from Edgemont, White Plains, and Woodlands high schools.

Scarsdale’s “Education for Tomorrow” is the driving force behind the development of curriculum in the science department. The physics team collaborates to design project-based assessments that allow our students to apply the curriculum. We use the design thinking protocol to help students navigate through the exploration of physics concepts and engineering problems. One aspect of the design process that seemed to give our students the most challenge, was when it came time for them to brainstorm solutions to a given problem. We decided to create some activities in which the students could learn how to brainstorm productively.  

The activity exploring Newton’s Second Law needed some improvement, and so we used that lab to initiate a brainstorming activity. After the class performed the lab, we had them evaluate some of the challenges they faced with the equipment, physical space, or performing the lab. We had our students spend several minutes writing out their ideas on a colored post-it and then place it on a large sheet for sharing. 

As a result of this activity, we were able to create some solutions to improve our existing lab, and help teach the students brainstorming skills. We will continue this practice throughout the year to support the development of brainstorming techniques that will allow their imaginations to be engaged in the design process.

Students in Elizabeth Harris' 9th grade World History traced the origin of their food from farm to plate. In this introductory activity, students discovered that researching this information was more complicated than anticipated and the world is very interconnected through the global food market

Students in Jeff Beals' 9th grade World History created interactive history games to explore Ancient Egyptian culture and society. 

In Brendan Lee’s Psychology class, students learned how psychology shapes our thinking in advertisements and in the free market from Robert Cialdini's book  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Students then used that knowledge to storyboard, shoot, and edit their own commercials.

Student in Carlos Bedoya’s 9th grade World History class, participated in guided meditation and yoga lesson led by English teacher Rachel Warshowsky in order to learn more about the practices of Hinduism.  

 David Sherrin's Race and Ethnicity class traveled to the Brooklyn Museum to view an exhibit of the work of Titus Kaphar a noted African-American artist whose work comments on contemporary political issues.

In Carlos Bedoya's public policy Food for Thought, students are conducted research to create public service announcements to educate people about the marketing tactics used by food companies that lead to increased consumption of processed food, as well as the harmful social and economic effects these types of diets have on communities.

The Learning Resource Center started the year welcoming our new freshman and supporting their transition to high school. We also welcomed their parents to the “9th Grade LRC Parents Welcome” and supported their transition to high school! The night provided an informal forum for parents and LRC teachers to meet and talk about the high school and the role that the LRC plays in their child’s journey through SHS. An overview of services was provided to the parents, followed by a Q&A segment. 

While our freshmen have been busy finding their way around the building, our seniors have been busy applying to colleges. We are thrilled to help them navigate the process as they prepare to make their own transitions next year.

LRC teachers are also busy exploring new workshops and training sessions to keep abreast of the latest trends in special education. Some of the topics covered include transition planning and graduation requirements. We are looking forward to continuing our learning and professional development as the year progresses.

After-school help in the LRC continues for all classified students. Teachers are available Tuesday – Thursday from 3:00 – 3:45 and on Friday from 2:00 – 2:45 to work on homework, test preparation, organization skills and anything else they may need assistance with. Please encourage your child to attend.

The fall got off to a busy start in the Design Lab, with about 200 students enrolled in three levels of STEAM classes. We welcomed two new members to the team: Sheilah Chason and Micheal Kumaresan, both teaching math as well as STEAM courses. App development was added as a second level elective, and students are using X code to create apps that make someone else’s life better. 

Students in AT Entrepreneurship visited this year’s partner school, PNW Boces/Pines Bridge, spending time in classrooms, shadowing students with disabilities and asking questions of their teachers and therapists. Since the trip, they have worked to define different problem areas and formed teams. Areas of interest vary from adaptive tools in the art room, to waterproof standers for the therapeutic pool (pictured). These teams will work throughout the rest of the year to create working prototypes and a business model for a viable venture, presenting these to the public at the end of May. 

Students in the second level class Design for Modern Production are designing 3D printed medical equipment which will be sent to Kenya and printed locally. Students are designing solutions to assist people with arthritis in wringing out clothes and putting on socks. Students are also creating items for physical therapy, such as a product that helps people with muscular injuries in the forearm. Their solutions will be prototypes, tested, and improved in class using the Design Lab's 3D printers, before they are sent to Kenya to be printed.

The first quarter has been busy for the Student Government. We began the year with Freshman Orientation and our service project, which had the incoming freshmen assembling backpacks with school supplies for kids in need through Lifting Up Westchester. The school government also distributed free SHS water bottles to the incoming freshmen so they can stay hydrated in an environmentally friendly manner. The evening of the first day of school saw a successful Welcome Back Bonfire where students were able to play games while eating hot dogs and burgers. Our first Spirit Week saw the high school students come in daily wearing themed clothing ranging from red, white and blue to pajamas to Scarsdale maroon and white. The week culminated with the Fall Pep Rally where we introduced the varsity sports teams and entertained the students with one dodgeball game that featured the faculty and another that featured Model UN vs. Speech and Debate. Freshman class elections were a success as nine new officers now represent the class of 2023. The school government officers ran leadership training for the members of all the class governments one morning at the A-School. Following the second night of Parent-Teacher Conferences, the Student Government hosted a faculty appreciation breakfast, complete with freshly made waffles. First quarter culminated with our third annual community service dinner. This year, the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to JDRF. We wish to thank the many members of the Scarsdale community who supported our efforts by either helping at the dinner or attending with their families and friends!

We are off to an incredibly busy start in World Languages this year!

The Spanish club and many students have been immersed in cultural lessons revolving around the Day of the Dead. The club has offered informational presentations, some classes have competed in a baking contest by bringing in homemade Pan de muertos and others have created ofrendas or altars decorated with paper maché marigolds and other artifacts to honor the dead. This year’s altars are dedicated to child soldiers, migrants, victims of violence, and a variety of animals including abused, service and endangered animals. 

Latin 1 students are immersed in research on various aspects of daily life in ancient Rome. Another group will participate in the annual Yale Certamen or classical quiz bowl.

Students in the upper level Mandarin class explored their creative side on a Wellness Day project. For the project, students invented a new holiday for the sake of wellness and presented the details to their classmates with the hope that they would later celebrate a new wellness holiday of their choice.   

Senior French students made use of the Design Lab to create three dimensional collages to represent the themes from the classic French film, Les Diaboliques .  

The World Language clubs are planning some joint activities and possibly a joint electronic publication later in the year, stay tuned for more information.  (more photos)