Archives for April 2011
No Mystery Here: Wagon Road Camp Means Tons of Fun for All
By Pamela Brown
Social and emotional growth. Learning new skills. Forming friendships. These are some of the amazing benefits a diverse group of children receive while enjoying outdoor adventures at Wagon Road Camp. “Our programs are designed with the belief that when children spend time with each other doing fun, interesting, and challenging activities they build close relationships with each other and see themselves as capable, happy people,” said director Vince Canziani.
Despite its location on Chappaqua’s main stretch and comprising 53 acres, the camp remains a mystery to many residents. From 1955 through 1991, it served only children with Muscular Dystrophy and other physical disabilities, so many people think it’s a charity camp for disabled children. In 1992, it opened a mainstream summer day camp for children from Chappaqua, surrounding Westchester area, and New York City. Owned and operated by The Children’s Aid Society, a New York non-profit social service agency serving children living in poverty, many people view it as a camp for troubled children. Another misconception.
The year-round comprehensive camp offers three main programs: summer day camp for children ages 6-13, Overnight Respite for developmentally-delayed children ages 7-17, and adventure team building for middle and high school students. “Our comprehensive day camp is devoted to enriching the experiences of children through exciting and fun recreational and arts activities. The program’s unique part is that the campers are a diverse group of children who come from all socio-economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds,” said Canziani. “This creates an enrichment opportunity we value and are committed to exploring with our campers. Children build important skills when they learn to accept differences and find commonalities.”
The facility features two state-of-the-art heated pools and horse corral and offers a broad spectrum of indoor and outdoor activities that build relationships, encourage teamwork, and promote healthy development, higher expectations, and broader perspectives. Activities include swimming and swim lessons, horseback riding, dance, drama, music, adventure ropes, nature exploration, gardening, cooking, sports, and group games. Special events include overnights, Summer Carnival, and guest performers. “Our activities invite campers to do new things and develop new skills and interests. We challenge them, but we’re careful not to overwhelm them,” said Canziani.
Colleen Guernier, 13, of Chappaqua has attended the camp for many years. “The cost is reasonable and the different activities offer Colleen a variety of choices. She loves swimming and they spend a lot of time in the pool,” said her mom, Mary. “She was able to participate in activities she ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen or been exposed to, such as the ropes activities. She was able to try them in a safe environment with counselors who encouraged her and friends who kept her motivated.”
Mary appreciates the many counselors who are current or former Greeley students. “We have older children and many of their friends have been Wagon Road Camp counselors in the last several years which was great for Colleen. It gave me a sense of comfort knowing some of the counselors who would look after her.”
A diverse population is also a plus. “It allowed Colleen to realize everyone is really the same when you get past where you’re from and what you have and don’t have. It’s a good experience to realize how fortunate you are and to be able to share a friendship with someone who may not look like you or have what you have yet enjoys all the same fun activities you do.”
Wagon Road Camp is located at 431 Quaker Road, Chappaqua, NY. In addition to its camp program, the facility is used as a location for conferences and special events and offers project adventure workshops for professionals and an overnight retreat program for school groups from the NYC Metropolitan area during the academic year. For more information, call 238-4761 or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org/wagon-road-camp.
Six Camp Directors Share what Makes their Camps Positively Unique!
By Sarah Ellen Berman
S’mores, arts and crafts, splashing in the lake. Camps today incorporate these popular pastimes with those of modernity. Fun is embodied in a wide array of programs ranging from sports and drama to music and academics. Here’s what we learned from our valued sponsors in this issue!
According to director Marjorie Kobrin, Camp Bear Ridge provides a “warm, nurturing environment” for preschoolers. “They can expand their horizons in a safe atmosphere,” she added. Outside, campers hatch butterflies, take nature hikes, and make leaf rubbings. On sunny days, they may partake in the water slide and sprinklers. Music, sports, and arts and crafts programs are held inside. Shabbat is celebrated with blessings and songs. At Camp Discovery, campers–entering second through ninth grade–are at one with nature. They learn to swim, play sports, and to practice the Jewish value of taking care of nature through gardening and planting. Camp Discovery also has its own version of the Maccabe games; replete with team spirit. Each team designs a mascot and composes a cheer. In addition, an act of mitzvot (charity) is performed by attendees and there are cookouts on Shabbat. In the trailblazers group, special needs campers are shadowed by counselors.
At Discover Camp, children do exactly that. They are introduced to new fields and develop skills in ones they are already acquainted with. “Think of it like a mini college,” founder and director Anthony Rich advised. Hiring “good, quality teachers,” is a high priority for Rich. One of the most up-to-date sessions is called “website of the day.” In this course–taught by Mike Corso of Chappaqua–kids create their own blogs. They pick their own topics and learn how to design a site that receives a considerable number of hits. In a new course this year entitled “build your very own pc,” students learn how to assemble, upgrade, and repair pcs. Thanks to the inspiration of Rich’s daughters, offerings also include jewelry making, gymnastics, indoor rock climbing, cooking, and zumba. In the racing academy courses, campers learn how to build and race model cars.
At Future Stars, the plethora of choices runs the gamut from sports programs to academic enrichment. In addition to traditional sports such as basketball, baseball, tennis, and volleyball, there are also contemporary cheerleading and circus arts programs. Campers in the circus arts camp, learn how to perform on the trapeze and high wire. In magic and illusions, children attend “a week long magic show” where they learn tricks and how to work with an audience, according to camp director Jordan Snyder. The academic enrichment part of Future Stars focuses on the fun of reading and writing. A typical session includes listening to a Beatles song, analyzing and writing about it. “This is an opportunity for kids who enjoy reading and still want a camp environment,” Snyder noted.
Music in Chappaqua’s Chappaqua Rocks camps embody director Janet Angier’s philosophy. “I think developing and nurturing music into the lives of youngsters is one of the most enriching things you can do for a child,” she said. At the day camp–which is open to both new and accomplished musicians–campers choose a major and a minor such as guitar and voice. All campers are afforded the opportunity to play in a band. “They get a real rock and roll experience,” Angier said. Each week culminates with a concert for the families. At the sleep away camp, participants benefit from the same music program plus traditional camp features including zip lines, climbing walls, and excursions. News breaking highlight for this summer: Dave Bickler, the lead singer of the famous song, “Eye of the Tiger,” will be mentoring at both camps in addition to performing for the campers.
At Jodi’s Gym, summer camp focuses on gymnastics. Campers practice their moves on the balance beam, bars, vault, and trampoline. Interspersed with these activities are those of art, music, snack, story time, games, and lunch. Owner Jodi Levine described the foundations of her camp, “Our camp is all about healthy, active kids. Our curriculum is based on 29 years of experience in gymnastics and child development.” Children feel completely at home in this environment which was created with them in mind. Schedules are flexible. Children may sign up for weeks, days or a combination of both. Three to five year olds attend all summer long until August 22. Five to seven year olds may attend during the week before Labor Day. All campers are entitled to perks at Jodi’s Gym. They are welcome to attend free additional open play times.
Jeannine Johansen of World Cup is ebullient about the offerings for this summer. In prep camp, mom and me campers come together. “Moms love it. It’s a great way to meet your neighbors and other children the same age,” Johansen said. “It lets the children get used to the structure of nursery school,” she added. Campers aged three to six participate in themed weeks including “take me out to the ballgame” and “beach party.” New this year are four weeks of clinics for six to eight year olds. There will be sessions for budding scientists on friction and weather. In the animation clinic, participants will use storyboard to create a movie which will be shown during the World Cup Film Festival.
Moms in Biz! The Parenting Skills that can Help a Business Thrive or even Soar
By Lisa Ballou
I was incredibly inspired by the advice and wisdom shared by so many of the working moms in our community. It is not surprising that a lot of the women I spoke with garnered their most valuable business skills from mothering–and vice versa. Mothers are our heroes, our role models and our support system. But let’s not forget that mothers are human too. We are doing it all the best we can–some days, it’s remarkable how well it works and some days we just fall short. For each individual, the notion of work life balance is different–but one thing is for certain, when we let go of unrealistic expectations, it is that much easier.
In honor of Mother’s Day, take a deep breath and enjoy some of the tips from some incredible local entrepreneurs, businesswomen and valued employees who graciously shared their insights about how they do it all…
Dawn Greenberg, owner of Chappaqua’s brand new Aurora trade good store, and mother of two boys ages five and eight, says the advantage of being a mom is having all of her wonderful mom friends help her open a store that will carry beautiful things made primarily by moms around the globe who are all trying to make their families lives better. Julie Balber, a fellow Roaring Brook mom, and Melissa Cotto of Casa Tile make up her core team. Dawn estimates that women create 90% of fair trade goods.
“The mascot for the store is a wooden figure from Papua New Guinea that I always referred to as grandma. She’ll be watching over Aurora.”
For Dr. Maria Briones, balancing the responsibilities of motherhood and medicine on a daily basis brings out the best of each role for her and helps her appreciate both jobs more. She explained, “When I see my patients, it brings out the mother in me. Medicine and motherhood can both be humbling. As a mother, I am humbled by my children’s unconditional love and as a Dr., by my patients appreciation expressed in a multitude of ways. My children and my patients both have complete trust in me. They each look to me for encouragement, for better health and for confidence to lead a successful life.”
As a child psychologist, Dr. Melissa Camhy’s experiences as a mother are integrally related to her work. She has a great appreciation of the profound influence the peer culture exerts on children and understands how challenging it is to be a child and teen in today’s high speed, technologically-driven world. “I feel an increased sense of empathy when counseling parents. Once you’ve been through the trenches of raising children, you develop the kind of on the job training that facilitates a strong, positive working alliance with parents which, in turn, enhances one’s ability to treat their children,” said Dr. Camhy, mother of three children ages 21, 18, and 14.
Susan Pecker of The Camp Connection notes that one of the overlapping skills of being a camp advisor and being a mom is knowing how to listen and think about which questions to ask that will give the most information to do her job the best way possible. “Sometimes parents confide in me not only about their child’s strengths but also what they hope their child can “gain” from a camp experience and that is when the “mommy” in me comes out; I need to be compassionate and non-judgmental.” The bottom line is that whether being a mother or camp advisor, the goal is the same: creating successful, independent and self-confident children through positive, learning experiences.
“Being a mother is the most difficult job,” says Yulia Omelich, CEO, of COUTUREDossier in Chappaqua. “If you know how to run a family unit, you will be successful running your own business.” The primary motherly qualities that Yulia feels impact her business the most are loyalty and integrity. “You must be faithful to each client. Sometimes, I see that my clients are not sure if they want to part with their treasures. They are not ready, and I help them understand that. We are in the sales business but we are not here to make a quick sale.” Yulia aims to understand her clients’ needs and concerns first. “Honesty always pays off, helps your goodwill and your bottom line in a long-run.”
“Motherhood taught me how to negotiate and think “outside the box” to craft a solution so that everyone wins!” explained Susan Biggar, a licensed Real Estate Salesperson at Prudential Douglas Elliman. Susan has worked in sales for 18 years, before, during and after having her three sons, who are now ages 18, 16 and 13.
Biggar says that sales taught her how to listen and work toward a solution. “A bit of humor helps too. Those are the skills I bring everyday to buyers and sellers in the real estate market.”
Chappaqua dermatologist Lydia Evans, M.D., says that being a mother has taught her to be more patient and open-minded. “I quickly learned that what was helpful and effective in raising one child was not always applicable to my other children.” This is an excellent reminder for
a physician.
Whether she is educating someone about his or her skin condition or designing a treatment plan, Dr. Evans carefully considers the person in front of her. An individual’s needs, both physical and psychological, are just that–individual. Each person needs to be cared for and treated accordingly.
She will be applying that basic principle too at Oasis Day Spa, where she has begun to offer med spa services including Botox, Restalyne, Juvederm or Sculptra treatments while relaxing in a beautiful spa setting.
“Nothing teaches you how to juggle better than motherhood and no one juggles better than a working mother/grandmother,” says Andrea Moss, executive director, Granite Real Estate Tax Consultants. She has a 31 year-old daughter and a 27 year-old son as well as a one year-old granddaughter. She is the type of wife and mother who attempts to do everything for everyone and in the office that role is not any different. “Like my children, my coworkers look to me for sage advice, constant support, and thoughtful opinions on both a professional level and personal one. Handling difficult situations and uncomfortable conversations are responsibilities that typically fall on my shoulders. What prepares you for that better than motherhood? Nothing.”
Yona Strougo, Sales Associate with Houlihan Lawrence, reveals that the biggest lesson her two boys have taught her over the last 14 years is patience. “I still haven’t mastered patience, but it is a great lesson to learn. I find that some clients…both buyers and sellers require a lot of my patience. Many times it will take a ton of visits to find the perfect home for a buyer. When it comes to selling these days patience is key…many homes are taking longer to sell. I have got to have patience with dealing with my kids and when I go to work the same holds true for my clients.”
Le Jardin du Roi’s manager Wendy Egan is a single mother. Her five year-old daughter Brady has taught her a very important skill when it comes to feeding other children who frequent the restaurant. “I can relate to the children who are fussy eaters. I try to cater to their needs by making suggestions to the parents about what the children may like to eat.” Often Brady will accompany Wendy to work at the restaurant, where she enjoys trying to help her mom and the rest of the staff do their job.
While teaching full time, working on a Master’s degree four nights a week, tutoring students for the SATs and ACTs, all the while in her 3rd trimester, Kelli MacDonald thought, “Having kids can’t be harder than this.” The college advisor and math specialist for College Prep, NY, soon learned otherwise raising her two girls, now two and four. “I thought my education would give me the best insight on how to do my job, and yet being a mother has taught me something unavailable in the classroom: Patience. Persistence. Consistency. Compassion. It doesn’t matter if they’re 4 or 17, nothing compares to the look on their face when they achieve an important goal and start to realize their potential!”
Lynn Puro owner of MARCH Boutique, says motherhood taught her to understand the necessity of good time management. She spends her days balancing her work with the never-ending task of keeping her family’s busy schedule on track. “At MARCH, we appreciate and cater to new moms’ busy schedules. We outfit them in everything from something to wear to tomorrow night’s important dinner to a cute top for the weekend, or even a whole new wardrobe for the upcoming season.”
Motherhood has played an important role in the daily business life of Oasis Day Spa’s owner Marti Schoenberg. She feels that no one knows how to multi-task better than a mother. “Whether I’m evaluating new massage therapists, new retail products, or designing the aesthetics of the spa décor, a small business owners work is never done, just like my job at home.” In fact, just last week Marti was in Chicago for a trade show, yet was still mothering her children a thousand miles away. “Being able to balance the many roles I play is just another part of being ‘Spa Momma’ at work and home.”
At The Perennial Chef, “our unforgettable moms contribute discipline, organization, responsibility and empathy to the daily life of the business,” explains partner Francoise Jarry. Here’s what some of them bring to the table: Susana reports to the kitchen at 4:30 a.m. Juggling a schedule for her husband and parents, she brings her organization and communication skills to the kitchen team. At 7 a.m., Rochelle reports to the store where she takes charge of the daily operations with the same discipline and sense of responsibility she used to raise her three boys. For Leslie, being a working mom is all about multitasking and caring. In her own words, “caring for our customer’s health is the reason why she gets up every morning and rushes to her greenhouse where she grows the organic greens and produce which will be used in The Perennial Chef’s dishes.”
Sheila Siderow, owner of Siderow Realty Group, moved to Chappaqua in 1972, with three small children. When she went to work as a realtor, she says taxis were her best friend to carpool her children. Her other tips for creating balance include: Establish rules: home at 3 o’clock when children come home from school (she would leave for appointments but not before a good snack and some chatting with the kids). No phone calls at dinnertime or after 9 p.m., and charity to others. Sheila also offers these words of wisdom, “Be creative, have a sky is the limit attitude, make mistakes and learn. Finally? Have a good laugh.”
Two moms at William Raveis Real Estate, Cindy Glynn and Danae Richards, together offered these thoughts about how parenting enhance their day to day work.
The old joke says that kids don’t come with directions. As a Mom, however, your values are the roadmap to all of your decisions regarding your child: this is true of your business intuitions as well.
We all try to be a “Supermom,” but in reality that is not possible on a daily basis as a Mom or a business person. It is important to gain confidence in your ability to mother on a very realistic basis. In your business, setting realistic attainable goals will set you up for success.
If you treat each child as an individual and realize that not all children are the same and their needs and wants differ, this easily adapts to your clients as well! Lastly, listen to your children. At the end of their school day and your work day, the first 20 minutes at the end of the day will tune you into to what is going on with their lives. In business, listen to your clients’ desires, make notes and revisit often.
Finally, when Meg Nakamura, General Manager, of the newly opened World Seido Karate in Elmsford, first heard about this story, her thought immediately went to her own mother. “I know, I am biased, but I really feel like my mother goes above and beyond.” When her father founded Seido Karate 35 years ago, her mother was her dad’s rock. “My mom has been nothing but selfless–whether it comes to helping with my father’s business, being a good wife, or taking care of us kids.” She will probably hate that I wrote this because she doesn’t like getting attention, but it was important to me that she gets some recognition for a lifetime of amazing accomplishments.”
TARP Initiative Spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S
By Vicki de Vries
What do three teachers–Alissa Stoever, Lilli Ross, and Paul Bianchi–beside different subjects and grade levels, have in common?
In a word: TARP, short for “Teacher Action Research Project,” a cutting-edge program that Dr. Lyn McKay, newly elected Superintendent of Schools, initiated when she was Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction as a way of engaging teachers in educational research projects. Three teachers explained why TARP is quickly proving to be the “killer app” for educational progress on a practical level…
Supercharging the Classroom
In keeping with the “lifelong learning” mantra characterizing the award-winning Chappaqua School District, teachers selected for the TARP program, now in its third year of operation, create a research question they answer in their classrooms.
Alissa Stoever, a kindergarten teacher for four years at West Orchard School, says TARP allowed her to consider new ways of improving her teaching: “My students were blossoming and growing as learners and problem solvers,” but something was missing in Playland.
During their unstructured, 40-minute playtime, her typically curious five year olds went back and forth from the housekeeping center to the block center to the writing center and so on in an aimless fashion. “Their maturity level and social interaction skills did not match up to their academic performance,” and students would switch centers as often as five times, or, on average, spend only eight minutes per center.
This wasted time became the focus of Stoever’s “action research” question “How can play time become more productive?” Designing a “workshop model” to help students develop their language and higher level thinking skills proved to be the answer. Students would sit on a carpet and listen as she explained a strategy for them to consider using during play time.
One successful strategy utilized the simple rhyme “When you think you’re done, you’ve only just begun,” which the class used in their writing center. “It was as if a light bulb went on when they applied this rhyme to what they could do at the centers,” said Stoever, who collected data to track how many times students were changing centers. The results were remarkable. Many students were able to stay at the same center for an entire play period, while others, for as long as a week.
A Great Learning Experience
“Some things I did were not always highly successful, but I learned from them,” said Lilli Ross, a 5th grade special education teacher at Seven Bridges School, where she provides collaborative support in math, reading, and writing and co-teaches math in a fully inclusive classroom. Ross’s first-year project focused on how to help special education students develop self-management techniques. “I learned how resilient students are about learning new things,” said Ross.
“What do powerful writers do?” became her new research question, which she answered by using a variety of approaches to connect basic writing skills with real-world events, including inviting a local journalist to speak. As a result, “my students began to see themselves through a new lens,” said Ross. “Engaging in action research is rigorous and time consuming, but when you see the effect on the kids, it’s definitely worth it.”
New Ways to Revitalize Teaching
For Paul Bianchi, a physics teachers for 26 years, 13 at Horace Greeley High School, TARP has revitalized his teaching approach: “This is what most teaching will be like in 10 years. Technology has made it possible to rethink what happens in the classroom.”
Still in his first-year research project, Bianchi enjoys answering the question “How does making class notes available online affect student performance?” by daily posting his course notes on Blackboard, Greeley’s online software portal for class assignments and documents. “Students discuss online notes and solve physics problems in small groups, and I can spend more time helping the students.”
Bianchi is already planning for next year’s research question: “Where will I take this?” A likely answer may be linked to technology. Bianchi waxed philosophical: “It’s easy to lose a bit of idealism and the excitement that first attracted you to your work. TARP has made me feel a great deal of enthusiasm in my work.”
Another attractive feature of TARP is sharing research findings with other TARP participants and staff developers, who meet every six to eight weeks as a group. Core groups of three teachers from different grade levels meet every month. “It’s amazing how much cross-fertilization takes place,” said Ross, “and it’s contagious!”
Vicki de Vries is a writer, editor and educator who thinks this TARP should be cloned.