The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

Mount Kisco Child Care Center’s Dawn Meyerski Receives Child Care Council Award

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Dawn with pre-k girlsTarrytown–Dawn Meyerski, Executive Director of Mount Kisco Child Care Center, was one of four Joey Award honorees for 2015 at a recent breakfast event for the Child Care Council of Westchester. The Champions for Children and Joey Awards were presented to individuals and organizations who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to bright futures for children by creating or funding life-changing programs and initiatives. The Awards Breakfast is The Council’s annual opportunity to thank those who work so hard to prepare children for learning and success in school and acknowledge professional care providers and community leaders who make outstanding contributions to child care and quality of life for children and working parents.

Ms. Meyerski began her career with MKCCC in 1983, when she was Head Teacher for the Preschool Program. She left in 1988 to become Lead Teacher for the Astor Early Childhood Programs/Head Start in Poughkeepsie, New York and in 1996 she was named Assistant Director/Teacher at the Precious People Early Learning Center in Westfield, New Jersey. Ms. Meyerski returned to Mount Kisco Child Care Center in 1998 as the Program Director and was named Executive Director in January 2014.

Dawn’s commitment to ensuring high quality care and education for children in the community, regardless of ability to pay, is paramount. She works tirelessly as an advocate for all children (and their families), helping them maximize their full potential in every aspect of development. Dawn is the Co-President of the Westchester Early Childhood Directors Association and was recently invited to join the Advisory Board of “Parents As Teachers,” a collaboration with the Bedford Central School District and Neighbor’s Link to help low-income area Hispanic/Latino families prepare their children for kindergarten.


Mount Kisco Child Care Center (MKCCC) is a non-profit, NAEYC-accredited childcare facility serving families in Northern Westchester communities since 1971. MKCCC provides exceptional and affordable early care and education to a diverse group of children from three months to eleven years of age. Our experienced and professional teachers, along with our curriculum and innovative programs, such as JEWEL (MKCCC’s Intergenerational Program) and Feed Me Fresh (MKCCC’s garden-to-table, sustainable nutrition program) create a childhood experience like no other. MKCCC is located at 95 Radio Circle, Mount Kisco, NY. For additional information, please visit www.mkccc.org. or call (914) 241-2135. Follow MKCCC on www.facebook.com/MKCCC and www.twitter.com/MKCCC10549 for the latest news and updates.

Adieu to Chappaqua Schools’ Retirees

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teachers apple2015 Retirees of the Chappaqua Central School District

Education Center

Theresa Markley – Secretary to the Superintendent/District Clerk

Horace Greeley High School

Beth Aviv – English

Elise Chadwick – English

Sally Cochran – Library

Gerard Furey – English

Michele Glenn – Assistant Principal

Louise Hazebrouck – English

H. Davis Knobloch – Music

Juan Lesende – Maintenance Laborer

Christine Louth – Staff Developer

Vita Materasso – Foreign Language

Jane Perito – Senior Office Assistant

Sue Pojer – Social Studies

Lisbeth Rath – Social Studies

Charles Sehulster – Science

Robert E. Bell Middle School

Colleen Harris – English

Seven Bridges Middle School

Anthony Castagna – Head Custodian

Christine DiDomenico – Physical Education

Barbara Nicoletti – Computer Aide

Robert E. Bell/Seven Bridges

Genevieve Hanlon – Staff Developer


Douglas Grafflin Elementary School

Brian Hiller – Music

Eileen Kelly – 1st Grade

Jane Kleinman – 4th Grade

Jean Porcaro – Library Assistant

Barbara Widder – 4th Grade

Roaring Brook Elementary School

Odette Potter – 3rd Grade

Ann Winters – 3rd Grade

Joanne Wynne – 4th Grade

Roaring Brook/Douglas Grafflin

Winifred Burckhard – Computer Aide

Westorchard Elementary School

Miriam Fernandez – 4th Grade

Janet Madalon – 4th Grade

Since Reported to The Inside Press:
Bell/Horace Greeley High School
Effective June 30th
Francesca Hagadus – Foreign Language

SPOTLIGHT THEATRE Presents “Follies”

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folliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a 1971 reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the “Weismann’s Follies,” a musical revue (based on the Ziegfeld Follies), that played in that theatre between the World Wars. It focuses on two couples, Buddy and Sally Durant Plummer and Benjamin and Phyllis Rogers Stone, who are attending the reunion. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls in the Follies. Both couples are deeply unhappy with their marriages. Buddy, a traveling salesman, is having an affair with a girl on the road; Sally is still as much in love with Ben as she was years ago; and Ben is so self-absorbed that Phyllis feels emotionally abandoned. Several of the former showgirls perform their old numbers, sometimes accompanied by the ghosts of their former selves.
It sets the stage for a parade of brilliant pastiche numbers, including “Losing My Mind,” “I’m Still Here,” and “Broadway Baby.”
Surreal, sophisticated, compelling, heart-wrenching and epic in scope, FOLLIES uses the musical theatre as a metaphor for the collapse of American innocence and naïveté in the post-Kennedy years.
Tickets $16.00 / 20.00
June 26 and 27 at 8 p.m.
June 28 at 4 p.m.
Order Tickets:
https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=2cd61508fee4d31210451cec5fc86536

North Castle Public Library
19 Whippoorwill Road East
Armonk, NY 10504
914-273-3887
www.northcastlelibrary.org

The End of an Era

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Saying Goodbye to Greeley’s Latest Retirees

By Lindsay Hand

During high school, you often wonder about the need for so much work. Will the endless hours of studying actually pay off? As a rising college sophomore, I’m surprised to be able to say yes, it does pay off. I was worried as I began my freshman year that I would be overwhelmed by the workload, but I soon found myself more than able to handle not only the work but extracurricular activities as well. And I realized that, despite the stress and pressure, Greeley really did prepare me for college. I learned how to study well, I learned how to manage my time, and most importantly, I learned how to write strong papers, arguably one of the most important skills one could have, no matter what their vocation. reitirees

All of this would not be possible without some incredible teachers, and Greeley is fortunate to be home to many. And so I salute a great number of them –11 teachers, one secretary, and one administrator, to be exact—who retired at the end of this past school year. These faculty members–Beth Aviv, Liz Rath, Sally Cochran, Jerry Furey, Elise Chadwick, Louise Hazebrouck, Davis Knobloch, Chris Louth, Vita Materasso, Chuck Sehulster, Sue Pojer, Jane Perito, and Michele Glenn–have all had an incredible impact in their combined 294 years at Greeley.

Former Greeley English teacher and assistant principal and new Seven Bridges Middle School principal Andrew Corsilia feels that this is an incredible loss for the district. These retirements hit him hard, since four of the retirees – Furey, Hazebrouck, Aviv, and Chadwick – were English teachers with whom he worked for many years. He recalls Furey’s “incredibly warm, welcoming spirit” upon their first meeting back in 1997 and Chadwick’s constant support of him throughout their years working together.

More than anything, these teachers are taking with them “decades of teaching experience and an incredible wealth of content knowledge,” says Corsilia. “They defined the [English] department when I started teaching. Personally and professionally, it’s a big loss for me.”

He also elaborates on the many contributions the retiring teachers have made to the Greeley community beyond the classroom, highlighting Mrs. Materasso’s Sunshine Club, which celebrates and supports teachers, and Mr. Sehulster’s Project Challenge, which helps form a community with some of the freshmen. “It’s sad,” Corsilia adds. “It feels like a loss.”

Though I am no longer a Greeley student, I personally feel that loss. I was fortunate to work individually with Mr. Furey as one of his Independent Literary Analysis students, where we shared our love of books and the deeper meanings within them. He has since become a friend and mentor, always excited to see me and hear about my college experiences (and give me new books to read!), an example of how many teachers in this district care so deeply about their current and former students.

In his 40 years of teaching, Mr. Furey has touched the lives of thousands of students and has enjoyed working with his wonderful colleagues. He says one of his favorite things about the English department at Greeley was that “the teachers all teach differently, but in the end it all comes together,” creating students with varied and exceptional writing skills. Furey and the other retirees have shaped Greeley over the past few decades and their impacts will continue long after their retirements.

I, like many other Greeley graduates, was fortunate to have some truly phenomenal teachers during high school, who instilled in me important lessons and skills that eased my transition to college. While the retirees have all been so important to Greeley, Greeley and the Chappaqua community have also been important to them.

“It’s more than leaving a job,” explains Corsilia about the feeling at the June retirement dinner, which celebrated the retiring teachers. “You understood the impact that they have had on the school and how Greeley has become a home for them.”

Lindsay Hand has been writing and editing for Inside Chappaqua since eighth grade. She is now a sophomore Communication major at Cornell University.

Editor’s Note: A list of retirees from all the schools in the district will be posted soon too!

“…and the Crowd Went Wild.”

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Article and Photo by Dawn Evans Greenberg

With a warm-up act of über hip band, Echosmith, and an army of young volunteers escorting the press and manning walkie talkies like old hands–plus a diverse crowd representing every color, age and background–it was clear on Saturday that Hillary Clinton’s official campaign kickoff on Roosevelt Island was pure 21st century.

Arriving by tram to one of Manhattan’s gems is always a thrill, but on Saturday morning, even more so–crammed in with excited Hillary fans some from as far away as Texas. The new FDR Park is still under construction but looked beautiful against the Manhattan skyline with the UN in view just across the river.

With no further adieu, no warm up speeches, no Cuomo or DeBlasio in sight, Secretary Clinton was announced…and the crowd went wild. Toddlers waved flags from dads’ shoulders and many wondered if they were watching history being made. hillary rally crowd

Clinton spoke of her most passionate causes: preschool for all children, womens’ and immigration rights and inclusion for all members of society. The poignant story of her own mother, abandoned as a child, held the crowd rapt. Dorothy Rodham credited the kindness of others with her survival; a lesson the Secretary made clear she embraces.

The Secretary ended to rapturous applause as she rallied her base for the long fight ahead. Fight is a word that came up often, even in the campaign’s Spotify playlist. One has the sense that she is 100% ready for it.

Dawn Greenberg is the founder and executive director of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and the executive director of the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce. In her spare time, she’s an avid follower of politics.