After over 12 years at SHS, French teacher Sandra Chan is moving to Scarsdale Middle School, where she first started her career in this district. Starting in the Fall of 2026, Chan will no longer be in the SHS hallways and will instead be teaching sixth and seventh graders. She will be taking the place of Elizaveta Dukalskaya, a French teacher at SMS who is leaving the district. For Chan, moving to the Middle School is an investment in the future of the French department in the district. “I am all about the French program,” she shared. 

Her time at SHS was foundational to the current French program. Chan helped introduce Manie Musicale, a bracket-style competition similar to March Madness for French songs, to SHS. She also helped run exchanges for students that allowed students to immerse themselves in French culture. As a member of the American Association of Teachers of French, Chan also brought a national French contest, the Grand Concours, to SHS, where students are able to apply their French language skills in listening and reading exams for prizes. 

At the high school, teachers and students alike noted Chan’s deep appreciation for the French language. Fellow SHS French teacher Brittan Tramontana expressed how Chan was always actively planning for French classes throughout the school year and summer. “I’ll miss getting text messages at 11:00 p.m. about an idea she had,” Tramontana said. Students could actively see all of these preparations pay off. Former student Claire Breslow ’27 said, “The lessons in Ms. Chan’s class never felt unplanned or random. She had specific games and activities for every topic we learned, making class so special.” SHS Principal Kenneth Bonamo described Chan as, “a mainstay of the department,” adding that, “she will be missed a lot.”

At the middle school, Chan is hoping to bring in more immersive learning experiences, including scaling up the amount of reading that is done. “If I can get [students] reading in French [while they are] young, it will be something that they’re not afraid of later,” Chan explained. She also notes that at the Middle School there is less stress around the results, so it is a great opportunity to make mistakes. Rather than focusing solely on memorization for the best grades, Chan wants students to learn to use French in context. “That’s what language is about: Can you apply it?” Chan said. 

Although Chan is excited about the opportunity, she described the transition as bittersweet. “I’m happy and sad,” she shared. While she is looking forward to working with younger students, she will miss being able to use French with advanced learners every day. Chan has grown accustomed to teaching lessons entirely in French and wonders if she will be able to “tone it down” at the middle school to accommodate the learners. She will also miss her friends at SHS, but also wants to remind them that they will all “still be in the same district.”

Chan’s transition to the middle school comes along with numerous changes for the French Department at SHS. Although a new French teacher will be coming in to fill Chan’s spot, the French program will be experiencing reductions. Over the course of the next few years, the ‘2’ track, or the track containing regular-level French courses, will be removed. Bonamo explained, “We decided not to accept new students into the level two classes and phase that out over four years.” The process of phasing out these courses means that students already in this track will be able to continue taking such classes, and each year, a class will be removed behind these students. 

The most immediate loss for students will be next year’s removal of the first class in the ‘2’ level French track, a class that is a complete introductory course for students that have no prior experience in the French language. Unfortunately for students who were interested in starting French new in high school, there are no options outlined by SHS in order to do this. Their only option would be to take another language completely.

The regular-level track in French has seen a considerable decrease in enrollment over recent years. These classes have, “consistently been having enrollments in the single digits,” Bonamo said. Due to the small class sizes, these classes have often been combined with the advanced ‘3’ level classes, making it a difficult experience for students and teachers alike. “It can be very awkward for students to be mixed with another level, and very challenging since no one is getting what they need at all times,” Tramontana said.

Changes to the French department are not completely new. About ten years ago, there were three full-time French language teachers at SHS, as well as two part-time teachers. However, SHS lost one French teacher in 2018, and then lost an additional part-time teacher in the last school year. This means that in the past ten years, SHS has lost approximately a quarter of its French department. Numerous students are surprised that the department has been shrinking so much. As Breslow described it, “Our school has so much access to resources for language learning, and with the wonderful French literature and film that exists, I would think more students would be interested in French classes.” 

Principal Bonamo explained that many of these changes are due to the budget. In 2012, New York passed a law that limited the ability of school districts to raise taxes beyond an artificial gap, which is tied to inflation. In order to go over this gap, over 60% of Scarsdale residents need to agree to override the tax cap through a vote. According to Bonamo, partially due to the additional Bond Proposal this year, the board decided that they would not aim to propose a budget that would require the tax cap override. In the future, due to rising inflation, he believes that they may have to revisit this decision each year in order to uphold the current services provided. 

These changes to the French Department are extremely significant, especially compared to previous cuts, because of the unique circumstances that they are creating. “This is the first time that we have had cuts directly affecting students,” Bonamo mentioned, in reference to the complete removal of the level ‘2’ track. In order for the school to bring back these courses, more funding will be needed. “If the community decides that they want these options, then they have to fund them,” Bonamo explained, “We give the community the schools that they pay for.” The goal is to bring back these courses if funding picks up.

In the meantime, Chan is hoping that her move to the middle school will bring back enough enrollment into French that these courses will have to be added back. “It is really important that we have a strong program at the Middle School to make sure there is demand for French,” Chan explained. 

Even with these changes, the SHS French program still remains strong in many ways. According to Bonamo, “The class sizes in the ‘3’ and the ‘4’ levels are becoming more robust, and even in the middle school there seems to be an increase in French enrollment.” With Chan’s return to the Middle School, the French department is hopeful that continued student interest will sustain and strengthen the program for the years to come.