Five Things You Need to Know Today: Stormwater Management, 9/11 Heroes to Visit SMS and a Fundraiser for Lauren Spierer

1) How does one teach tragedy, especially to children? Today, Scarsdale Middle School will educate its young students — many who were babies when 9/11's catastrophic events irrevocably changed New York's cityscape — about a period in American history that's still being recorded in textbooks. SMS will highlight the heroism and self-sacrifice of the firefighters and policemen who responded to Ground Zero by inviting two speakers to meet with students for lectures and Q&A sessions in the school library. Lieutenant Fontan of the New York Police Department, a first responder on 9/11 and one of the chief site coordinators in the site operation in the following days after 9/11, will speak today at 9:30 a.m. And this Friday, another speech will be given by Captain Tim Callahan of the FDNY, a Scarsdale resident who has two children in Heathcote and one in Fountain 6. We will never have the definitive answer explaining why bad things happen, but we can show our children that tragedy can reveal humanity's incredible potential for good. Contact Scarsdale Schools spokeswoman Victoria Presser at 914- 721-2525 for additional details. 

2. Tonight's Municipal Services Committee meeting at Village Hall will update Scarsdale residents on the South Fox Meadow Stormwater Project when consulting engineers Dvirka & Bartilucci present their study of a plan to build a stormwater detention basin at Murray Hill and Post Roads. Part of the construction would involve excavating up to 14,000 yards of fill and then using the fill to raise a gravel parking lot at Scarsdale High School by 3-4 feet. 

3. It's been 3 1/2 months since IU student (and Edgemont native) Lauren Spierer disappeared several blocks away from her Bloomington apartment, but her parents — and Scarsdale — haven't given up hope. Help keep Lauren's name on everyone's lips by attending Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El's Bike/Walk to Help Find Lauren Community Awareness Day this Sunday at 11 a.m. Participants will meet at the Synagogue on 2 Ogden Road for a moment of communal empathy before embarking upon a bike ride or walk on the Bronx River Parkway, which is closed for Bicycle Sundays. A suggested donation of is $54 requested, and participants can find sponsors if they like. Checks should be made payable to Hillel Foundation at Indiana University with “Help Find Lauren Fund" written in the memo line. Preregistration not required. Call the Synagogue at 914-725-5175 for more information. 

4. Autumn means falling leaves, fuzzy sweaters and football games. Watch from the bleachers as your budding athlete tosses a ball back and forth by registering your kindergartener in the Scarsdale Recreation Department's Fall Kindergarten Football Camp. Camp starts this Sunday and will be conducted by coach Andy Verboys until Nov. 6. And don't worry about injuries — the program is non-contact and is intended to teach children the basic skills, rules and sportsmanship of America's favorite athletic pastime. Visit the Scarsdale Recreation Department's website for forms and additional information. 

5. With a few clicks of a keyboard, you can have all the knowledge in the world right at your fingertips. But what if all you know how to do is turn the darn thing on? The Scarsdale Adult School will help you get clued into computers with enhanced class offerings this fall, which include "Computers Made Friendly," "Internet and E-Mail: The Basics," "Workplace Computer Skills" and "Website Design." Those who have already gained mastery of the mouse might also be interested in signing up with courses on InDesign and Photoshop led by Kate Schlientz, art director of "Project You Magazine" and senior designer at "Woman's World," along with "Learn to Blog," which will be taught in two sections by both Schlientz and Jeanne Muchnick of Westchester Magazine. Enroll for classes and view all SAS offerings at the Scarsdale Adult School's website.