On Friday, May 1, members of the Scarsdale High School Class of 1961 returned to SHS, travelling from many different places around the country. Many were excited about the new infrastructural and curricular developments at SHS; others found joy in reconnecting with old friends and reminiscing about old memories.

Francine Port ’61 was specifically surprised by the new policies that SHS has enacted. She mentioned hearing SHS Principal Kenneth Bonamo speak about fostering a sense of community, a philosophy that was not notably considered throughout her SHS experience. In addition to philosophies surrounding student well-being, Port was excited about the development of artificial intelligence at SHS. “I really like how AI is being used in Scarsdale. It has an important role, but it should not be used constantly,” Port explained. With the world having developed drastically in the 65 years since Port’s SHS experience, she was pleasantly surprised with how SHS is using various developments to benefit students. 

“It really feels great [to be back at SHS],” Port noted, going beyond the curricular and infrastructural development she noticed. “We had a great class with so many good friends, and overall a great experience [at SHS],” Port mentioned. She also remembered her time writing for Maroon!

Comparatively, Richard Sternberg ’61 reflected on his SHS experience in a somewhat regretful manner. “When I look back, I realize how immature I was. I did not ever think about the future, and I really wish I could change that,” Sternberg said. 

As the group continued on their tour, they mentioned the differences they noticed from their time attending SHS. During the majority of their middle schools years, SMS was contained within the high school building. The current middle school building was built in 1956, which was this class’ last year at SMS. Additionally, Port mentioned that Quaker Ridge students only attended Scarsdale High School, meaning they stayed in the Quaker Ridge building throughout their middle school years. Kieth Mirrer ’61, who travelled from Texas, noted that students didn’t even have calculators for much of their time at SHS.

Inside the school, Georgia Roelof ’61, who travelled from Oregon, noticed the differences in the SHS building. She was surprised by the new Learning Commons, as well as the advanced science classrooms with space for labs. The new auditorium was an “exciting development,” Roelof said. 

As the group continued discussing their experience together, they agreed on how fortunate they were to attend SHS. “We really all were so lucky. We had many wonderful teachers that I still remember today,” Port concluded.