The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

Anti-Bullying Musical on Tour Makes a Stop at the Robert E. Bell Middle School

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On March 7th, Random Farms Kids’ Theater will be bringing its 2012-2013 cast to the Bell Middle School to perform The New Kid, a 55-minute musical about students at a middle school dealing with peer pressure, hazing, bullying and the importance of staying true to oneself.  The show, which features young actors ranging from 11 to 14 years old, travels to local schools and includes a Q&A session with actors and student audience, following the performance. The core themes of The New Kid are meant to help younger students identify and address issues of character development that will give them the strength later in life to deal with personal differences – no matter what they are.

The New Kid was written for grades 2-8 and has been performed at over 80 area schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in the last four years.  Random Farms casts the show each Spring for the next school year.  This year’s cast includes two Chappaqua middle school students–Elana Cantor, a 7th grader at Bell Middle School, and Jordan Feinerman, an 8th grader at Seven Bridges Middle School.  Both girls are thoroughly enjoying touring with The New Kid, as they get to combine their love of musical theater with the added bonus of imparting important life lessons to their peers.

If you have any questions about or are interested in booking The New Kid, please contact Anya Wallach at anya@randomfarms.com.

Former Yankee Homer Bush Talks to Temple Beth El Middle School Students

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Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester was honored to host Homer Bush, former major league baseball player and member of the 1998 World Champion New York Yankees.

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“Mr. Bush was inspiring,” noted fifth grader Jake Meyrowitz. Following a film highlighting his baseball career, Mr. Bush spoke to Temple Beth El middle schoolers about his road to becoming a professional athlete and his time with the New York Yankees. In heartfelt and sincere terms, Mr. Bush spoke to the audience about his childhood, growing up in East St. Louis with his seven siblings and single mother and his drive to achieve athletic success. After his presentation, Mr. Bush graciously stayed for pictures and autographs and spoke informally with the attendees.

“As a die-hard Yankees fan, it was truly inspiring for me to see Homer Bush share the lessons of his life to our youth,” stated Temple Beth El’s Assitsant Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman. “He spoke beautifully about the need to plan, the need to work hard, and the need to be part of a team, which are such vital skills for our kids to learn.” Fifth grader Ryan Raicht said that Mr. Bush’s message of “always having a plan and working hard to realize it” was something that he would always remember.

This event, organized and sponsored by the Temple Beth El Junior Youth Committee, was intended to teach Temple Beth El middle schoolers about sportsmanship, achievement, and pursuing dreams. Temple Beth El’s Junior Youth Committee was formed to encourage kindergartners through eighth graders to become more involved and interested in events at Temple Beth El.

One Dozen Museums Under One Roof!

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Sample the riches of the art museums, historic sites, nature centers and other cultural institutions catering to families at the Chappaqua Library’s annual “Museums @ the Library Day” on Saturday, March 2nd from 1-4 pm.  Both adults and children of all ages are welcome to attend this open-house-style afternoon and partake of the hands-on activities on offer.  There will be live animals visiting, as well as origami, colonial crafts and games, Hudson River-themed crafts, mask-making, paper “quilts” and more.

This year’s participating institutions are Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, Hudson River Museum, Jacob Burns Film Center, John Jay Homestead, Katonah Museum, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, New Castle Historic Society, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Van Cortlandt Manor, Westchester Children’s Museum,  Westmoreland Sanctuary and the Wolf Conservation Sanctuary.

The program is free and open to the public.

The Chappaqua Library is located at 195 S. Greeley Avenue.  For further information, call the Children’s room at 914.238.4779×3 or visit our website:  www.chappaqualibrary.org.

It’s Gold And Silver For World Cup Gymnasts

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wordcupChappaqua, New York, February 1, 2013 – World Cup Gymnastics announced today that their gymnasts, Katherine Colella took home the 1st place all-around medal and Justin Valentino took home the 2nd place all-around medal at the prestigious 2013 Sand Dollar Whitlow Invitational which took place January 25-27, 2013 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

Competing in the Level 5 Senior event, Colella, who is from Pleasantville, NY scored 36.975 all-around to earn the first place medal.  She also earned first place on Floor with a 9.400 for her incredible performance and took home the 2nd place trophy for Vault with a 9.525.    Ossining native, Valentino scored 36.925 to earn the 2nd place all-around medal in the Level 6 Junior event.  She also took home two 2nd place medals for Vault and Beam with scores of 9.600 and 9.475 respectively.

There were also some great individual performances.  In the Level 6 Junior event, Brianna Ferrari of Valhalla had a spectacular Vault and earned the 1st place medal with a score of 9.475.  She also tied for 3rd place on Floor with a 9.250.  Her teammate Aubree Glover from Millwood tied for 3rd place on bars with a 9.000.

“It was exciting to see the girls do so well at such a large Meet where they competed not only with gymnasts nationally, but also from across the world,” stated Matt Maucione, girls team coach.

World Cup Gymnastics is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.

How to Save A Life: Opportunity to Learn via CVAC

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By Steven Bernstein

savelifeThis past Saturday, I had the privilege to learn CPR from Joe Gentilesco, an EMT with the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps.  The CVAC is a volunteer ambulance service that has provided free emergency care to Chappaqua and New Castle residents for over 75 years.

The class consisted of a detail oriented video, with hands on practice observed and directed by EMT Joe Gentilesco.  Joe has been a member of the CVAC for four years.

Joe feels it is good for everyone to know how to perform CPR:  “A person with knowledge of CPR doubles a person’s chance between life and death.”

The course highlighted key points for when to administer CPR, and the steps to perform it properly.  After seeing the video display when and where to perform CPR, the participants were given dummies to practice with.

Along with the rest of the class, I learned the proper rate to administer chest compressions to stimulate a steady heartbeat.  This simple technique can keep the person stable until help arrives to provide further treatment.

The class also covered how to properly assist adults and infants who are choking.  The dummies clearly highlighted the proper places to administer pressure so that the person choking will be able to regain the ability to breathe.  Joe instructed others on the amount of pressure to administer on a person based on their age and size.

The class was enlightening to all who attended it:  “Now I know what to do when someone is choking, and now I’ll be prepared,” said Maddy Bergstron.  Maddy decided to take the course after witnessing someone perform CPR on a child who was choking at a summer camp she had worked at the previous year.

The Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps offers CPR and other medical courses throughout the year.  CVAC can arrange classes for those who wish to learn proper CPR techniques. For those interested in learning more, email cvaccpr@gmail.com, to arrange for a class that can teach the skills that can double the chances of saving the life of a loved one.

Steven Bernstein graduated from Western New England University with a degree in Creative Writing.  He’s written and edited articles for Western New England University’s alumni magazine, “The Communicator.”  He taught creative writing at Duggan Middle School, and is currently a freelance writer for Inside Chappaqua.