May 2006
Thoughts from a First Year Dean
“Is it on Post Road or Brewster Road?” I asked a colleague. “Well, both. There are entrances on both streets,” he replied. “Ok, so where do I go?” I queried next. “Go to the Post Road entrance and pray there is a parking spot, or you’ll never find the counseling center. Oh, and by the way, have you been there before?” I replied that I had not. He continued, “You will love it, it is a terrific, beautiful building.”
This conversation happened on a crisp autumn day almost ten years ago on the day before I visited Scarsdale High School as an admissions counselor for Vanderbilt University. I was recruiting in Westchester County and visiting many local schools. My colleague was right, I was immediately impressed with Scarsdale High School. Little did I know that years later I would be working as a dean in this very same building.
I was impressed then, and continue to be impressed now, as I walk around the halls and into classrooms. The brick facade is more akin to an “Old Main” building on a college campus, rather than a suburban high school. The interior woodwork, the old fashioned windows, and the courtyard all make the building in which I work a lovely place to be. Just like my colleague told me.
But Scarsdale High School is so much more. I have quickly come to appreciate the people who are in this beautiful building. Absolutely nothing brings more joy to me than my interactions with the students. Whether I am having a conversation about Energy Day in freshman seminar, discussing personality traits with a sophomore, planning SAT and ACT test dates with a junior, or sharing in a senior’s elation upon receiving a college acceptance letter, I am always happy and fulfilled. We talk about friends and boyfriends; we laugh about getting lost in New York City; we joke about the Mets, and worry about the upcoming cross-country meet. The students at Scarsdale are engaging, lively, respectful, eager to learn, wide-eyed, filled with potential, funny, and full of life.
These same students ground me and provide me with such valuable perspective. I can find myself trapped behind the desk returning a pile of phone messages or going blind staring at the computer monitor fixing class schedules. Yet it is the students who remind me what is most important: watching them filled with pride on International Day, seeing them on the practice field, or listening to them as they talk about life guarding as a summer job. These are my favorite moments - watching students outside of my office pursuing their passions, socializing with friends, and just being themselves.
The dedication, care, concern, and intelligence of the adults in the building are equally impressive. It is wonderful to observe my colleagues at work. My fellow deans have supported and guided me through my first year at Scarsdale. Watching them at work with their students is mentorship enough. The teachers here constantly impress me. As I walk by their classrooms, I see engaged students, I hear interesting lessons, and I am told firsthand by the students how much they enjoy their classes. The teachers care a great deal about their students and the learning that takes place. It is stimulating and exciting for me to just be a part of these conversations.
I recognize the wonderful opportunities and resources that the students and staff are given as a part of this community - a community that believes strongly in education. It is a fact that it takes strong, compassionate, and caring adults to help support young people during their high school years. Our school is fortunate to have so many of them. Staff members treat each other with a level of respect and professionalism that is unparalleled. The spirit of cooperation is alive and strong, even in a building that has many strong, intelligent, and sometimes disparate opinions. It is in this environment, in this high school building, where compassionate adults help teenagers develop into solid, caring, and thoughtful young people.
As I reflect back to my first trip to Scarsdale on that autumn day almost a decade ago, I realize my friend was totally correct; Scarsdale High School truly is a “terrific, beautiful, building.” But not, however, for the reasons he thought; not because it has an impressive façade, red bricks, and classic windows. It is terrific and beautiful because it is home to outstanding students, caring faculty, and dedicated adults. It is a wonderful place to be. And yes, I did get a parking spot on the Post Road side.
-Matt Sweeney
(December 2005)
High school is a personal and academic journey of discovery and destination, which for virtually all SHS students culminates in college admission; more specifically, acceptance to institutions that the overwhelming majority of students will find gratefully fulfilling. Yet throughout, the high school experience should mostly be appreciated in the moment. We hope that our students never lose sight of the fact that this is a time to be savored.
For freshmen, the initial tasks are adjustment and exploration, to become familiar with the multitude of new experiences and opportunities that abound. It is a time to explore, to expand beyond comfort zones to consider embracing reasonable and responsible risks and getting involved, whether in athletics, clubs, auditioning for a play, performing community service, or approaching a teacher for assistance.
By sophomore year, the transition from middle school is long-since over. The increased sense of identity provides for an enhanced focus on interests, academics, and relationships. Experiences such as sophomore seminars, wherein students meet weekly for a time with their deans afford them the platform to consider more thoroughly “who am I” as they try to look at themselves in relation to the greater community foster this growth.
More difficult courses, increased personal responsibilities and independence, perhaps club leadership positions, varsity sports, maturation in decision making, PSATs, college groups and exploration, course planning, SATs…junior year is a flurry of activity and expectations. One always smiles when a senior or parent of a senior says, at this time of year, “Aren’t you glad it’s all over?” just as we are getting ready to begin holding our junior college meetings to begin the process anew. College can be a daunting subject to broach, and just the thought can lead to much introspection, fear, intimidation and way too much hand-wringing. In our department, we hope to calm down the process by offering wise perspective, encouragement, and sharing information based on many years of personal and professional experience of a seasoned department.
Senior year brings the finalization of choices and application approaches as well as purposefully maintaining the most challenging curriculum they will have faced to this point. Completion of applications and patiently waiting are just some of the challenges that await our seniors. We join them in celebrating their successes. By now they will have mailed off the vast bulk of their college admissions, and we know, if history remains consistent, that the great majority of them will be happy and fulfilled a year from now. The truth is that not only do our students get into college, but that by a gigantic margin, they are happy and successful.
The truth about the Scarsdale High School experience is that it is enriching, inspiring, and yes challenging, but hopefully mostly enjoyed. We would encourage you, with semester grades coming up, to consider that truth. Yes, grades are important, but are only one measure of the development that transpires throughout high school. Character growth and community vision so critical to future life success are not measured on that transcript or report card. Celebrate with your students their successes, whether in the classroom, on the field or court, on stage or in concert hall, in quiet service. The happiest of holidays to all.
Dr. Dave Mendelowitz
Mr. Michael Gibbs
Deans' Corner (October 2005)
Deans' Corner
"Stories Heard and Overheard"
by Dean Jacqueline Pravda and Dean Lynda Mandlawitz
At the end of September, Deans Sarullo, Thompson, Pravda, and Mandlawitz were among 4200 high school counselors and college admissions officers in attendance at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) in Tampa. Throughout the conference participants took part in formal and informal discussions about the state of college admissions. While there, we heard and overheard many provocative and timely remarks from the luminaries of our profession, and we bring them to you in their freshly minted, unedited version.
Prior to the formal opening session of the conference, the approximately 240 elected voting delegates representing each state assemble to discuss the running of NACAC and its by-laws, to raise motions for consideration regarding the Statement of Principles and Good Practices (the code of ethics of the member institutions), and to bring to the floor any new issues of concern. Among the eighteen delegates representing New York was Jacqueline Pravda who recalls several discussions that may be of interest to our families. One such discussion led to the passing of a motion intended to aid students and institutions affected by Hurricane Katrina and other catastrophic events. Other discussions addressed the use of standardized test scores in admission practices and the language used to categorize early applications. We will now be hearing the terms restrictive and nonrestrictive in reference to early policies.
Notably, Director of Counseling Barbara Leifer Sarullo moderated a panel entitled “Figure Out How To Apply, and You Might Get In”. During another session, “Counseling The International Student,” Dean Lynda Mandlawitz described programs in place in our district for supporting international students and parents, noting that the global reach of our community has required sensitivity and imagination to enable us all to learn from each other.
At the opening session, the Dean of Admission at Tulane University graciously thanked everyone for the overwhelming outpouring of assistance and attention given the students of New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf region. He reassured the general membership that Tulane fully intends to greet an entering freshman class next fall. Scarsdale juniors and their parents will have the opportunity to meet him this April at our annual College Night program co-sponsored by the PTA and the Counseling Department.
The speeches of two university presidents, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski of the University of Maryland-Baltimore and Dr. Donna Shalala of the University of Miami, were highlights of the conference. Dr. Hrabowksi is a spellbinding speaker whose voice and passion captivated the assembled counselors. He presides over a campus that boasts the nation’s collegiate championship chess team and self-deprecatingly refers to himself as an aging nerd. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Hrabowski was a child leader in the Civil Rights movement and a math prodigy. He spoke of the importance of equity and access in education by recounting life stories and emphasizing their power to influence young people’s futures. In his own case, his mother chose to work as a housekeeper in an affluent home instead of opting for a job picking cotton. Her fascination with gaining a glimpse into other life situations prompted her decision. She found her way to the family’s immense library and was granted permission to read their books after completing her household chores. As a result, her passion for literature and desire for an education grew. She became an English teacher who quoted Shakespeare and Baldwin around the house as Dr. Hrabowski grew up, and then as his English teacher, she gave him his only B.
Dr. Donna Shalala, known to most for her years of service in the Clinton administration, used a mixture of humor and story telling to discuss the weighty issues of diversity, equity, and access. There were two stories that we most loved and to which we related. In the first, the diminutive Dr. Shalala explained how she came to find a new appreciation for the drama of overcrowded student parking lots, a dilemma near and dear to our Scarsdale hearts. As the recently appointed president just learning the Coral Gables culture, she reasonably and innocently suggested eliminating the option for freshmen to have cars on campus. No sooner had she uttered that suggestion did she hear an audible gasp: “Are you kidding? They sent their children here to be able to visit their grandparents. Do you want to take those phone calls?” Next, not missing a beat, she told of hiking in the cranberry bog near the Madison campus of the University of Wisconsin during her tenure as chancellor and being stopped in her tracks by a parent who took the occasion to thank her for some flippant advice she had offered years before when his child was closed out of French. What was her advice? “So, take Hungarian. There’s plenty of room in that class.” As is the way with serendipity, the student not only took her at her word but also ended up pursuing a graduate degree in Eastern European languages and culture!
Intertwined between these two magnificent presentations, we overheard some pearls of wisdom from our colleagues on both sides of the desk. One extremely savvy and experienced New York City private school counselor balked at the new SAT Writing section yet in the next breath praised the efforts of the College Board, suggesting “if all this new test accomplishes is to get students who weren’t writing to do so, then hasn’t it been successful?” An admissions director representing a highly selective institution in the Midwest offered his opinion that students arriving on college campuses today are “still in the womb: mature academically but not mature enough to be able to handle disappointments.” Another director at a top East coast university echoed his sentiments, adding: “If a student is unhappy with a grade, he will call his parents and ask them to phone the professor to negotiate on his behalf.” It was a moment of clarity as we turned to each other to ponder whether we at Scarsdale let go enough for our students to speak up for themselves and cope with life’s challenges.
The four days proved invaluable in broadening our understanding of admissions issues and in connecting with our colleagues. Gathered together in the Tampa airport terminal, laptops in hand, the four of us shared other bits of advice and news, wistfully faced the reality of returning to desks cluttered with phone messages and half-composed college recommendations, and thought, “If we can just make it through another school year, we’ll meet again next fall in Pittsburgh!”
Deans' Corner
"Stories Heard and Overheard"
by Dean Jacqueline Pravda and Dean Lynda Mandlawitz
Deans' Corner (August 2005)
Deans' Corner
"Communication: The Hallmark of Successful Relationships"
by Dean Barbara Leifer-Sarullo
One of the many aspects of the education profession I especially relish is that every school year does present us with that new beginning in which to achieve even greater excellence and renewed enthusiasm for the work we love so much. It is in this spirit that I look forward to my new position as Director, to the wonderful addition of a new dean, and to the opportunity to revitalize our focus on the foundation of the counseling relationship: communication.
First, it is with great pleasure that I and the other deans welcome Matthew Sweeney to the Counseling Department. Most of us met Dean Sweeney when he was a college admission representative at Vanderbilt, following his start as an application reader at MIT. When he crossed the desk from college admissions to high school counseling, he became the Director of College Counseling at the Portledge School in Locust Valley, New York. For the past four years he has been a school counselor at Somers High School and he holds degrees from the College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University and Long Island University, and has also studied at Oxford. Dean Sweeney is active in counseling associations, and as I write this he is serving as a mentor for the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling, guiding counselors new to the profession. With his superior experience and training, as well as his personal knowledge of college admissions and high school counseling, Dean Sweeney is a fabulous addition to the department. Parents of Dean Sweeney's students will have an opportunity to meet him prior to the first PTA meeting this fall. He has already met with me and with Marjorie Jacobs to discuss the students on his caseload and he will get to know his students quickly once the school year begins.
Next, I introduce a major theme for this year. The concept of communication is central to the world of the dean. Our lives revolve around discussions with students, faculty, parents, colleges and the larger world of counseling. We work closely with students to help them develop better communication skills and to facilitate their interactions with their parents, friends, teachers and peers. The counseling program provides much individual and group contact between students and their deans. In addition, students are well aware of the many ways in which they can reach their dean and our homeroom system, which is arranged by dean, certainly facilitates this contact. Technology presents us with new, faster and often more convenient methods of communication which we all use and encourage, yet it by no means takes the place of more personal contact which we value the most. To provide equal access to information, to afford direct avenues for discussion and feedback, in other words to be in touch more effectively and openly, it is important to examine the ways in which we communicate. Towards this goal I share with you some of the initiatives of the department and invite your feedback and suggestions. Some of the efforts we have undertaken so far include:
- A tremendous amount of work has gone into updating and revising the Counseling Department website which you can reach by going into www.scarsdaleschools.org/hs and then following the link to the Counseling Center. This site includes contact information for department members, information about college representative visits to the high school, news, upcoming programs and helpful links to counseling and college materials. Also reached through the High School Homepage, you will find that several of the deans have e-boards that include important information and reminders.
- Each dean now has an active voicemail system so you can leave messages directly when the dean or dean’s secretary is unavailable.
- Deans will continue to work closely with teachers in many important ways. A special focus this year is to work with ninth grade English and social studies teachers to examine the freshman teams and implement suggestions for making them an even more effective transition experience for ninth graders.
- Before the school year begins each parent receives a mailing regarding "Conversations with the Deans," the parent discussion groups the deans lead in which parents have an opportunity to voice their questions and concerns. The groups will again this year be arranged by grade level to address appropriate developmental and educational issues. If you have not participated in these groups before, please take advantage of this opportunity and those of you who have participated, we want you back. When parents work together with each other and with the school, we can achieve the most healthy and productive environment for our students.
And now for the requests I make of you on behalf of the deans:
- Talk to us. Whether you communicate in person or by telephone, e-mail or letter, we want to know your concerns and be available to help address them.
- While we love to hear from you, encourage your youngsters to speak with us directly since it is obviously important that they develop independent advocacy skills. Besides, we love to see them as often as we can.
- Please think about the following – what areas of communication between deans and parents have you found to be most effective and in what areas would you like to see some changes? If you have specific thoughts or suggestions on this matter please forward them to me or to your child's dean. This is the type of feedback that enables us to continually examine our practice.
- Remember that the Scarsdale High School schedule is designed to create multiple opportunities for students to meet with their teachers outside of the classroom. Please encourage your youngsters to do so directly since teachers enjoy these types of interactions and they do enhance the student-teacher relationship.
Finally, I am awed and excited about assuming the role of Director of Counseling and eagerly anticipate the challenges and rewards that position will bring. I always remind my students that the start of a new school year is a wonderful opportunity to reflect and set goals and objectives, so as this is an especially "new" year in the Counseling Department, particularly for me, I have decided to follow my own advice. Working together we will maximize the opportunity for growth inherent in every new beginning, and I and the other deans look forward to the venture.