Scarsdale High School 101: Welcome Class of 2013

By Alyssa Zelicof & Jared Young

Bags have been packed, mini refrigerators have been ordered and course selections have been made. The Class of 2009 is off to college, but each student’s unique experiences and memories of high school remain, leaving behind words of wisdom for the Class of 2013.

A Baleful Beginning

Everyone remembers how tough freshman year can be and the Class of ’09 was no exception. Emily Bauersfeld ('09) remembered the immediate frightfulness of being in high school, surrounded by “huge” students and overwhelmed by loss of direction. “I remember asking someone where my class was and [he] led me up the staircase that leads to nowhere,” said Bauersfeld. “Going up wasn't embarrassing. It was [however] going down in the middle of changing classes with everyone noticing that I had just gone up it.”

“Thank the lord for a map, and where’s this pool everyone is talking about?” comically commented Russel Spivak ('09).

The Library

But in no time at all, the incoming Class of 2009 was able to abandon maps and concentrate on academics. What better place to study than the library, right? Not necessarily. With its many tables, comfortable air conditioning and heat, but limited space, the library can easily become a noisy, boisterous, social scene. Though the library prohibits food and drinks, students frequently sneak in both; unfortunately librarians catch the smugglers frequently as well. “By the end of my senior year, half of my friends' pictures were being held hostage by the librarians with a sign that read ‘DO NOT ADMIT THESE STUDENTS,’” said Courtney Kaplan ('09).

Librarians have blacklisted students for many more memorable reasons: everything from talking loudly to tossing battle caps across open spaces to playing volleyball with a balloon. “One kid I knew would place library books into other kids' bags so when the kid walked out the beeper would go off and he would get yelled at,” said Dean Perfetti ('09). "Moments like these were really funny and one of the reasons why the library was a fun place to be at.”

Lunch time can be particularly hectic, when many students are available to go to the library and hang out with friends. According to the librarian Phyllis DiBianco, students are frequently loud and disruptive, distracting others trying to work. “People are constantly causing trouble. People have thrown object from the mezzanine to the floor level. The mezzanine is a place for people to throw things over," said Dibianco. "The [library] acoustics are terrible and the layout is too small; it is a very disruptive place.”

The Cafeteria

So why not eat in the cafeteria rather than the library? Well, the fear of being caught in a food fight is one reason. According to Rachel Sullivan ('09), an SHS food fight is no joke and difficult to foresee. “I was sitting with my friends when one of them started, and all of a sudden you see one bottle fly and then another and another. Before you know it I saw tables being flipped food flying everywhere,” said Sullivan.

“I'll miss the random chants and food fights and of course the hierarchy of tables,” said Bauersfeld.

This hierarchy is another distinguishing feature of the cafeteria, with noticeable table segregation among the grades. Older grades progressively settle farther towards the back of the cafeteria.

“Moving from freshman to senior tables was extremely monumental and rewarding,” said Bauersfeld.

Special Events

Despite having larger workloads, upperclassmen enjoy celebrating unique traditions. Towards the end of the year, juniors take part in Junior Olympics, a special day reserved for competing in kickball, tug-of-war, dodge ball, relay races, and trivia in teams according to elementary school district. Remembered by some for its remarkable display of energy and spirit, Junior Olympics served as an opportunity to bring action to SHS. “The best… was the intensity of the face paint, car paint, eggs, water balloons, and parking lot battles,” said Adam Rabin ('09).

For other students, Junior Olympics meant valuable time to connect with their peers. “I won Junior Olympics with kids I have been friends with for 12 or 13 years and just being with them and experiencing that victory with them was such a great moment,” said William Perry ('09).

A comparable tradition occurs just a few months later when seniors (note to freshmen: ONLY seniors!) come to school dressed in costumes for Halloween. Even preparing for the day can be energy consuming, as seniors pick costumes and arrange groups to share them. “My friends and I were roads… in full body suits,” said Aly Stein ('09). “We had to sew yellow tape onto our suits, but it kept coming undone so we were up that morning still sewing and freaking out… but it was a fun day.”

“For pictures he would jump into my arms, just like in the cartoon,” said Spivak, who dressed as Shaggy and partnered with Ivan Stoitzev, who was dressed as Scooby Doo.

Although the day is meant for showing off creative costume ideas, senior year Halloween also brings a familiar energy to the halls of SHS. In between classes, seniors often congregate in the common “gridlock” area to milk out their minutes’ worth of in-school Halloween. “The boys were bouncing some kid on their shoulders… and they accidentally hit his head on the chandelier and broke it,” recalled Kaplan.

Sports and Community

For most, athletics at SHS was not just about playing the sport; it was also about making friends, having fun, and showing school spirit. For Varsity tennis captain Rebecca Lester ('09), being on the team meant fun both on the courts and off them. "We had a Japanese feast at Rachel Whitney’s house. Some of us also went to the US Open for a day before the season began," said Lester.

Although many of Scarsdale’s athletic teams achieve success every year, others are less lucky. Despite this, those teams are still successful in another way. “Scarsdale might not always have the best athletic teams, but don't let that destroy your school spirit,” said Kaplan. “There's nothing worse than having Mount Vernon fans outnumber Scarsdale fans at a home basketball game. Go to the games and support your friends and classmates.”

David Steckler ('09), a member of the varsity band, experienced Scarsdale athletics in a less physically but no less demanding way. “Homecoming junior year, our football team was playing against another team … they brought their band also and we had a battle of the bands type thing. Every time they would play a song we would play one back,” said Steckler. “It was a really cool competition.”

SHS's Unique Community

For some students, the sense of community at SHS impacted their lives, and made them feel more comfortable at school. “On stage the day of the international club, the entire A-school was behind me and cheering on for me. This was really memorable and significant because I really appreciated how much I was supported by other students… which is something I had never really felt before,” said Ritanch Hans ('09). He further experienced the uniqueness of the SHS community by interacting with members of the support staff. “The lunch ladies were a memorable part of my experience at SHS. I really got to know some of them which is something not many kids get to do. Most kids ignore the people behind the scenes. I would put in my PIN and they would see my name, they would say hello, and then I would start talking to them.”

Academics

While some may look back on their experience of high school and highlight the fun times, others recognize the stress inherent to their rigorous course load. But though freshmen should expect more assignments in high school, completing all the work may not be as stressful as it may seem. “Writing my research paper sophomore year... was my first experience with a research paper," said Nina Cooperman ('09). "Since [my teacher] was really easy to meet with, I talked to him about my stresses and different things my paper could improve on and that really reduced my stress level and made me more comfortable."

Still, stress may be inevitable at times in high school. Some recall the competitiveness of achieving high grades, test scores, and admissions to top universities. But though "SHS breeds stress," said Caralyn Nesi ('09) “It’s the students and the parents. I think it’s less to do with the teachers. A lot of teachers try to de-stress the students, because a lot of it is from our own personal craziness."

The class of 2009 fondly remembered the teachers that inspired and encouraged them to be the best they could be. “My 10th and 12th grade history teacher... had the most profound impact. He completely changed the way I wrote papers, approached tests, and assignments…” said Adam Rabin.

For some, their teachers had a profound impact on their class experience and school lives. “Mr. Arrigo prepared one lesson with a computer race. You would try to outperform and beat the computer to solving an equation, an old computer of course, but it was really fun and worthwhile. Mr. Arrigo also arm-wrestled some of the students sometimes and this was really cool, not entirely math oriented, but it made the class a more fun place to be and made it easier to learn in,” said Perfetti.

“The best part of my junior year was American Studies. Sue [Silver] and [Larry] Brown made my English and History classes very enjoyable and enabled us to do many activities outside of the classroom, including a class trip to Washington D.C” said Weinberg.

Freshmen should also know that teachers are nevertheless teachers and have varying expectations of work and behavior. “One day I was sitting in class and being screamed at by Mr. Greene. He demanded that our class step up and stop acting like high schoolers and act like college students even though we were only sophomores. He started ranting when a bunch of students forgot to do their homework and yelled at us to shape up," said Nesi, who understood thereafter the importance of maturity in high school.

The four years that they spent at SHS culminated with the nostalgia of graduation and prom. Although Noah Tuller ('09) long foresaw the coming of prom, the event was still particularly memorable. “Usually you're just going out with them and going to movies, but at prom everyone is wearing tuxedoes and nice clothes, and it was weird thinking how much all my friends had matured from freshman year all the way up to prom," said Tuller.

“Prom was a great closure to the year… It was so nice being able to spend time with all of your friends, especially those who you do not see too often outside of school” said Weinberg .” I think that prom was the best way to end senior year. As clichéd as it is, I loved prom and had the best night dancing and partying with my friends, feeling like we had actually lived a great senior year and enjoyed every moment to the fullest. It will definitely be a night that I won't forget!” said Bauersfeld.