Scarsdale residents have until Oct. 30 to nominate themselves or neighbors for a spot in an immersive Holocaust and identity exhibit arriving at Scarsdale Middle School during the 2026-27 school year.

The district is collecting names for three components of The Common Circles Experience: Scarsdale, a traveling exhibit that blends art, technology, photography and storytelling, the district said in an Oct. 20 announcement.

The exhibit explores identity, community connections and lessons from the Holocaust.

The three tracks open for nominations are:

  • The Stories We Live: A portrait series featuring 34 people from the school and broader Scarsdale community. Participants are photographed in five different outfits reflecting aspects of their lives, surrounded by words that characterize them.
  • Common Threads: An interactive display of trading-card-style biographies highlighting personal stories, interests and experiences that r3eveal shared connections.
  • Stories of Hope & Survival: Personal and family narratives connected to the Holocaust, persecution, resilience and survival.

Residents can nominate educators, volunteers, local business owners, Village employees or anyone whose contributions they want recognized. Nominations are accepted here.

The deadline is Oct. 30. Space in the physical exhibit is limited, but the district said additional participation will be available through digital components.

Superintendent Andrew Patrick, in a letter posted to the district website, said district leaders had been working to bring the exhibit to Scarsdale for nearly 10 months. Patrick and building leaders visited the exhibit when it was installed at Rye Country Day School during the 2024-25 school year. He then organized the district's summer leadership retreat at Southern Westchester BOCES, where the installation had moved.

"In the first section of We Are Scarsdale! Bridging, Belonging & Building Community students and visitors are invited to go beyond first impressions through art, photography, optical illusions, and interactive installations that reveal the multi-layered individuals in our shared community," a description of the project's purpose was stated in the letter.

The exhibit is funded by the Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation (SSEF) and the 2025-2026 school year budget, Patrick said.

A second section of the exhibit, called Voices Against Hate: Lessons from the Holocaust, uses USC Shoah Foundation's Dimensions in Testimony program to let visitors hold lifelike conversations with Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Jewish American liberator Alan Moskin through interactive technology.

The exhibit is expected to open at Scarsdale Middle School in late fall or early winter.

The district said it will share scheduling details and additional ways to participate as planning continues.