The Friday Five - October 9, 2026

SHS Global Citizenship Day featured nearly 50 different workshops ranging from individual speakers sharing personal stories of challenge and perseverance to student clubs to organizations whose work reflects the motto non sibi. The day also featured an assembly with SHS Social Studies teacher David Sherrin in conversation with Scarsdale alumna Dr. Mehnaz Afridi of Manhattanville University and Sarah Gordon, Vice President of Unpacked for Educators. Thank you to the faculty coordinators, all of our presenters, and to our students for engaging throughout the day with curiosity and empathy.

Muralist Joe Pimental collaborated with students across the grades to install a school-wide mural featuring student-submitted artwork that represents the wonderful things that make Greenacres so special. GREENACRES is spelled out in the hallway and each letter includes drawings that represent the creativity of our students. The whole school submitted ideas and every student participated in painting a portion of the mural. Thank you to the Greenacres PTA for sponsoring this exciting addition to the school that allows current students to leave a mark on the school for years to come!

The Scarsdale Public Schools is excited to be partnering with Common Circles to create The Common Circles Experience: Scarsdale. The Common Circles Experience is unique in that it is customized to reflect the community in which it is displayed. Rather than simply bringing an exhibit into a school, Common Circles partners with educators, students, staff, families, and community members to create an experience that celebrates the people, stories, artwork, and perspectives that shape each community. SMS and District educators have been planning since last spring for a February 2027, grand opening, but we are launching our Call for Participation next Friday, October 16th. Please look for all the information in next week's Friday Five!  

As the agency behind the Youth Outreach Workers in the Scarsdale schools, our partners at SFCS put together a two-page guide to help parents have the Stranger Safety conversation by age: preschool, elementary, and tweens and teens. Each section has the words to use, a script to practice, and what to watch for if your child seems worried. It's written for parents and for every other safe adult in a child's life. If you're a grandparent, a sitter, a coach, or the neighbor whose house kids run to, this is for you too. SFCS reminds us to start with the one line that matters most right now: grown-ups ask grown-ups for help, not kids.

Unity Day, started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2011, is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. It is the day when we come together to send a visible message of building community through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. The call to action is simple: wear and share the color orange. This vibrant statement becomes a conversation starter, showing support for students who have been bullied and for bullying prevention.