The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Illeana Baquero

Students in Byram Hills Global Scholars Program Working to Combat Homelessness with Midnight Run

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As a former student at Byram Hills High School, I was in constant awe of my peers who worked hard in the school’s two three-year programs, Authentic Science Research and Global Scholars. Students can choose to begin these programs as sophomores, working to conduct research on the current state of the social or scientific world and choose a particular subject they would like to delve into.         

Throughout the subsequent two years, they work with professionals in those fields. The goal is to contribute to their topic’s research or activism and make a concrete contribution to the world.

The work of rising seniors Ashley Weissman and Zoe Marcus left me no less impressed, as I learned about their work to combat homelessness in New York City. Having worked with the organization myself as a student in New York City, I was incredibly excited to hear about their passion for their work and genuine desire to make a difference, which was evident in a press release they sent out describing their project.

Weissman and Marcus explained their current efforts as well as future plans to get the Armonk community involved. After choosing their subject, they began to research ways to most effectively help those in need.

“When researching about homelessness, something that caught our attention was how most people donate things they think the homeless people would need, rather than what they actually need and want,” they wrote.

Outreach to ‘Midnight Run’

To get a better sense of how to most effectively aid those in need, they reached out to Midnight Run, a volunteer organization which seeks to take a more human approach to aiding the unhoused by organizing in-person, late night drop-offs of necessary goods. According to their website, Midnight Run organizes “over 1,000 relief missions per year, in which volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City.”

Dale Williams, the executive director of the organization, was once homeless himself, and explained to Weissman and Marcus that simple toiletries were one of the necessary items which many people overlooked when donating to relief organizations.

To begin making a change in their local community, Weissman and Marcus organized “mini lessons” to teach students at H. C. Crittenden Middle School about homelessness and Midnight Run. Then, they helped to create packages full of toiletries and necessary items to distribute during a run with the organization.

“We got these toiletries with our funding from the Changemaker presentation where different funders come together to give out money to help,” they said. “We are hoping to participate on a Midnight Run, and are just waiting to get the date.”

Their goal for the future is to get more people in Armonk involved with Midnight Run and the fight against homelessness. In the past, the organization has seen a shortage of volunteers to have been willing to participate in late-night runs to distribute goods, but Weissman and Marcus are hoping to increase those numbers by raising awareness with their project.

Over the remainder of their time in the program, Weissman and Marcus will work to “investigate global issues, analyze diverse perspectives, communicate ideas effectively in both English and a second language, and take action,” according to the program’s website.

Those looking to help them make a difference can find volunteer information at Midnight Run, where they describe the step-by-step process of organizing and executing a successful run. This begins with collecting and sorting clothes, assembling a crew of volunteers, reserving vehicles, which may include vans owned by the organization and loaned to volunteers by request, buying durable items such as toiletries, socks, and underwear, and more. The organization also lists information for their Saturday and Sunday morning breakfast runs. Visit MidnightRun.org to learn more.

The View from Inside

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Illeana Baquero

The first time I had the privilege of working with Inside Armonk was during the summer of 2022, when Grace Bennett graciously took me on as an intern which helped me gain some insight into the real world of journalism as I pitched story ideas, conducted interviews, wrote various articles, and had my first professional stories published. Having grown up in Bedford and graduated from Byram Hills High School in 2021, I had always seen the magazine come in and eagerly looked through it with my parents. That made me even more excited to contribute and see my name published in it. When Grace asked me to come on board as a guest editor for this spring edition, I was thrilled! While I knew it would be a challenge given my busy schedule as a sophomore at NYU studying Journalism and Politics, I knew it was also an experience I could not pass up.

The process of putting this magazine together has been stressful at times, but also incredibly rewarding. The creative freedom to think of story ideas, assign those ideas to our brilliant team of writers, contribute my own pieces, and work closely with Grace to bring everything together over the past few months has been a joy.

As we head into spring, my goal for this edition was to elicit the themes of hope and rebirth we find throughout this season. From our spotlight on the Byram Hills High School theatre department as it blooms back in the wake of the pandemic, to tips for planning your spring planting in order to create the most beautiful garden, to highlights of three local hiking destinations and the beautiful scenery that accompanies each, to personal reflections on Westchester life and developing a “green thumb,” each piece in this magazine was carefully selected and written with the Inside community in mind.

The experience of being ‘editor’ gave me a bird’s eye view of magazine work and I’m that much more excited about a future career in journalism. I am so proud of everything we have put together, and so grateful for this opportunity.

My hope for this season is that you all enjoy reading this edition as much as I enjoyed working on it!

– Illeana

INSIDE PRESS SPRING PICKS: Five Local Events to Check Out

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Sunday March 12 – Sunday June 25:

Miniature Worlds: Joseph Cornell, Ray Johnson, Yayoi 

“The exhibit explores the friendships between Joseph Cornell and two pioneering artists–Ray Johnson and Yayoi Kusama–and brings their works together for the first time. By delving into the visual conversations, deep resonances, and shared sensibilities that emerged from these two relationships, the exhibition offers a rare snapshot of the role social networks and sociality play in the process of artmaking.” katonahmuseum.org

Text & Image courtesy of Katonah Museum of Art

 
Saturday March 18:

Sugaring-Off Party at the Trailside Nature Museum at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation

“Enjoy winter’s sweet rewards at this annual celebration that offers food, music and sugaring demonstrations all day; free.” parks.westchestergov.com/sugaring-at-westchester-county-parks

Text courtesy of Westchester County Parks. Image courtesy of Trailside Nature Museum

 
Friday March 24, 6:30 pm – 8 pm: One Night Only:

Charles Addams: The Artist, The Addams Family, and more with Kevin Miserocchi at the Rye Arts Center

“Kevin Miserocchi, Trustee of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, has an exclusive, personal, revealing treasury of stories to tell about both the creative and personal life of one of the most iconic artists in cartooning, pop culture, and the American art catalog. Hear Kevin spill the tea on Addams’ life from his early days as a featured cartoonist in syndicated newspapers and The New Yorker to decades of television, film, and now Netflix fame. So, what was the message Charles Addams was sending through Gomez and Morticia? And what was it like on the Black Carpet at the Netflix “Wednesday” premier in Hollywood? Come find out.”

There is a $5 fee for admission. Registration is required. ryeartscenter.org

Text and image courtesy of Rye Arts Center

Saturday April 15 – Sunday April 16:

Flower Show: Celebrate Spring! at Lyndhurst

“The Flower Show returns on April 15tth and 16th, 2023 to celebrate Lyndhurst’s spring season with a weekend-long expression of floral design and all things botanical! The mansion is transformed into a wonderland of color, texture, and fragrance as each floral designer handcrafts a display to highlight and harmonize with the opulent interiors of the historic mansion. Visitors take advantage of this rare opportunity to experience the Lyndhurst mansion awash with flowers and to walk through the home without a guided tour.

Tickets for this weekend are for general admission with timed entry. You may enter the mansion within the one-hour time frame of your chosen time slot. Your ticket includes admission to our Welcome Center tent where our local botanical market, free workshops, and food by Geordanes of Irvington are located.”

lyndhurst.org

Text and image courtesy of Lyndhurst Mansion

Saturday April 22:

Green Ossining’s 13th Annual Earth Day Festival

“In our 13th year,  the Festival will continue running from 10 a.m. -5 p.m., on the beautiful banks of the Hudson River. As we honor the 53rd  anniversary of Earth Day, we remain keenly aware of the great challenges affecting our natural environment, our planet, and life as we know it.  Educational opportunities will include renewable energy solutions, local resilience and the importance of supporting our local economy as well as the organizations that will help toward that, using and wasting less, being more resourceful, and being a more conscious consumer, among other things.” greenossining.org

Text and image courtesy of Green Ossining

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! Byram Hills High School’s Theater Community Thrives in the Wake of the Pandemic

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When Kyle Banks took over the Byram Hills High School theatre department in 2021, he was stepping into a whole new world in more ways than one.

Aside from adjusting to his new roles as choir director at the high school, co-teacher of the H. C. Crittenden Middle School choir, and director of the Varley Players, the BHHS Jazz Choir, and the Byram Beat a cappella club, Banks was also adjusting to the world of the performing arts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was completely uncharted territory,” he said. “We always did things a certain way, and then suddenly we just couldn’t do them that way anymore, and we had to come up with completely new strategies.”

As the pandemic surged, forcing students into at-home learning, those new strategies included virtual rehearsals, maintaining 12 feet of social distance during in-person rehearsals, and masking during performances. The adjustments made putting together collaborative performances even more complicated. It left the company struggling to find their familiar groove.

Despite the challenges they were facing, the Varley Players persisted.

The Varley Players Persevere

“It speaks to how badly the arts are needed in a time like that,” Banks explains. “We as the production team and the students were all still so committed to making it happen, and I think it was really appreciated by everybody in the community both on-stage, behind the scenes, and in the audience.”

Banks was thankful to have the support of multiple previous leaders within the department, such as former director John Anthony Lopez, who he worked with for a year prior to Lopez’s retirement from the district in 2021. He also credits former assistant director James Gulick and other Varley Players leaders who remained on board through the pandemic, including Susan Pieratti and Danielle Brooks, for guiding him through the transition. Banks’ background as a music director at other school districts and as a theatre performer himself further prepared him to tackle this new challenge.

Some of the changes implemented, such as the extended rehearsal period allotted to the company during the production of their Winter 2021 musical Fiddler on the Roof, did allow them to put on a fantastic show despite COVID restrictions.

However, for the students who had regularly taken part in theatrical productions and other extracurricular activities at Byram Hills, not being able to see their peers in-person or come together as a group without masks and social distance was yet another obstacle. Across the board, Banks describes, it was tough for the kids to acclimate to a COVID-era social world. He notes that having the theatre department up and running, in whatever capacity they could, helped students find a sense of belonging, a consistent social circle, and alleviate some of the stress and uncertainty of the time.

Now, the company has been able to return to normal rehearsals without social distancing and masking. Banks says that the change has been a breath of fresh air, and has made everyone involved in the production process even more grateful for the opportunity to perform together for the first time in nearly two years.

“It was huge,” he said. “The energy that it brought to the production and to everybody involved was really incredible, and since then it’s been a lot of the same; everybody’s super grateful to be back to normal, to feel like we can do these things again without having to worry too much.”

Returning to full performances after a nearly two-year break didn’t come without an adjustment period of its own. Both the students and the production team had to re-acclimate to demanding, in-person rehearsal schedules and working together as a group once again, as many in the cast, crew, and production team felt “out of practice.”

On Meeting the Challenges

Regardless, Banks says, each member was more than willing to put in the work required to get back into the swing of things.

“We all realize how much we were missing because of the pandemic, so to be back doing that again, whether it’s a bit challenging or not, it’s worth it,” he said.“It is such a community and it provides such an outlet, and it can be a huge stress reliever, even though sometimes it gets stressful.”

Whether it be getting involved on the production side to sing, dance, act, work together as a team, and step outside oneself for a few hours, or on the viewers’ side to escape the day’s worries and enjoy a live show, the arts played a powerful role in getting people through the height of the pandemic.

“There’s something indescribable about the feeling you get when you put on a show with the people that you care about so much in the company. I think it’s really helping everybody, on my side, on the production team side, for the cast, and providing these artistic experiences for audiences as well,” Banks explained.

In the future, Banks looks forward to welcoming new faces to the Varley Players and expanding the program even more. He looks forward to students becoming more involved in the process of putting on a show and taking ownership of more of the aspects that make it up, both on the cast and crew side.

He describes a slight dip in participation during the COVID years, as many were out of school, unavailable, or uncomfortable participating in certain group activities, but also finds that numbers have been steadily increasing in the time since.

“If I ask any number of people who do theatre at Byram Hills what the most important thing is to them, the first thing that comes up is the sense of community and family that comes with it,” Banks said.

That family persists beyond students’ four years at the school, as evidenced by their upcoming spring production of Freaky Friday: The Musical, with music and lyrics by Byram Hills High School alumnus Tom Kitt.

“It’s a really fun show, the cast is really excited about it and so is the production team. The energy has been really electric since we started the process,” Banks said.

Audiences can come enjoy the show on March 9th, 10th, and 11th.

The Chappaqua Fire Department Wants your Help!

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Fire Chief’s All-Important Call for Volunteers

Photos courtesy of the Chappaqua Fire Dept.

Chief Paul Eiden spoke to The Inside Press about the continuing and pressing need for firefighting volunteers from the community. He also provided valuable suggestions as to how Chappaqua residents can get involved. Fortunately, volunteers have joined throughout the summer to help the department respond to emergencies in the area. But while volunteers of any age over 16 are encouraged to join, Chief Eiden noted that adults who will not be attending school during the academic year are at this juncture the ideal candidates.

“The adults are the key because of the longevity we hope to obtain by bringing in folks who are out of school,” he explained. For those who would like to get involved, Eiden explains that no experience is required: “The only thing they really have to provide is their time.”

“The initial training at the fire academy is long,” he went on. “It’s north of 130 hours over a period of a couple of months, but we provide residents with any kind of training they need before they go to the academy, and then any type of support they need for skill refreshers.”

Intrigued? What You Need to Know

So what does that 130-hour training process look like?

Eiden describes the time commitment as a few nights during the week as well as every Saturday. Once that training process is completed, the fire department follows the New York State Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) requirements which allow their firefighters to qualify for pension credits.

For points to be allotted to the firefighters for alarm response, volunteers must make at least 10% of the alarm calls that the department receives per year. Eiden explained that given the number of alarm calls the Chappaqua Fire Department receives, this amounts to about 45 to 50 alarm calls per firefighter in a year, or about three to four per month.

“You know that there are people who will drop whatever they’re doing to help you at a moment’s notice, and you would do the same for them. It sounds very cliche to use the phrase ‘brotherhood and sisterhood’, but it really is true.”
– Chappaqua Fire Chief Paul Eiden

However, Eiden also noted that 95% of the Chappaqua Fire Department membership far exceeds this minimum, with each firefighter responding to about 30-50% of alarms per year. This allows the department to send multiple trucks on calls and alarms, which Eiden says is a “really good feeling as a chief, to know that I’ve got these folks coming in ready to work and able to do what we need to be done when there’s an emergency.”

“The minimum standards for the amount of time you have to give throughout the course of the year is not insurmountable,” Eiden ensures. “It’s definitely manageable within the family structure, whether or not you’ve got other activities outside of the work environment. We find a role for everybody.”

Even once volunteers begin responding to emergencies, Eiden finds that it is crucial for firefighters to continue practicing their skill set and keeping on top of drills and training. He uses the expression that “these skills are perishable,” particularly because Chappaqua does not receive as many emergency calls as a department in an urban environment would. As such, it is essential to regularly refresh the basics. One such opportunity is on Thursday nights when the firehouse hosts “house duty”.

House duty offers members an opportunity to run drills, training, and check their apparatus and equipment to make sure everything is functioning and properly in inventory. People come by to have their questions answered and to see what a volunteer fire department is all about. “For instance, Thursday night we’re going to have a drill we call ‘core competencies,’” Eiden said. “There are five or six different stations that each of the firefighters will go to: connecting a hydrant, putting up a ladder, starting a chainsaw.”

Working together so often, and in such stressful conditions, makes for a unique bond between members of the firehouse. Eiden says that “it really is a very large family… so that when you walk into that building you know that the person on your left and the person on your right have your back with whatever you need–whether it’s going out on an emergency or something going on at home.”

Indeed, the camaraderie between firefighters goes beyond just their time in the firehouse. Eiden tells a story of a time he was away on college visits with his daughter and had an electrical issue at his house. He called up another member of the firehouse, who used to be a general contractor, and he came over to Eiden’s house to resolve the problem while Eiden and his daughter were away.

“That kind of feeling is definetly what we are all about,” Eiden said. “You know that there are people who will drop whatever they’re doing to help you at a moment’s notice, and you would do the same for them. It sounds very cliche to use the phrase ‘brotherhood and sisterhood’, but it really is true.”

Eiden’s daughter is now a firefighter at Chappaqua Fire Department as well, and his son does the same in Mount Kisco. The chief expresses pride not only in his children becoming firefighters, but also in the relationships they are building as they grow within their departments and become leaders themselves. Outside of its work responding to emergencies, the firehouse reaches out to the community to spread fire prevention and safety tips.

Community Education Opportunities during Fire Prevention Month

October is Fire Prevention Month, which means that the Chappaqua Fire Department will visit the Chappaqua nursery schools to speak to the children and acclimate them to being around firefighters in case of an emergency.

And they make it fun and memorable, too. “We bring a couple of our firefighters, and we talk to the kids; the firefighters go from being in street clothes to being completely dressed including being on a tank of air where they sound like Darth Vader,” Eiden explained.

“The gist of that is so that the kids can see how they went from being just a regular person, who was talking to them and making them laugh, to being a firefighter, so that they’re not afraid if a firefighter has to come to their house for an emergency and they’re not all of a sudden intimidated by this person in weird clothing.”

As the firefighters go through the stages of getting into their gear for the children, they associate each step with things that the kids are familiar with. For example, they liken their protective clothing to hoods, raincoats, or boots one may wear when it rains. “We’ve found that really helps the kids have a better understanding of what’s going to happen when we show up,” Eiden said.

“Another thing we do is ask the teachers to emphasize when they’re doing the weekly recap note that goes out to the parents, fire drills in the home,” he went on. “In a corporate environment, we have fire drills in the office. Kids have fire drills at school. But how many families have a meeting place outside of the house in case a fire alarm goes off? Do the kids know they shouldn’t go back in to get their favorite toy or find the family dog? They have a job, and their job is to get out of the house.”

Teaching your children about what to do in case of an emergency, the location of fire extinguishers in the home, and setting up a meeting place outside of the home are key topics to discuss as a family to be prepared in case of an emergency. For more fire prevention insights, don’t miss the the Chappaqua Fire Department’s Open House, which is hosted on one of the first two weekends in October for Fire Prevention Month.

At the Open House, firefighters will start fires in a metal trough, so that residents can practice using a fire extinguisher to help put it out. Residents can also watch as firefighters use the jaws of life to cut up a car, simulating a car accident. They also offer activities for kids, including a fire hose with a nozzle on it and a spinning target which allows them to try using a fire hose.

Eiden says they also give out coloring books and “some take-home things so that if parents are really engaged, they can bring it home and extend those lessons.” Volunteer applications are available on the Chappaqua Fire Department’s website, and residents are always encouraged to get involved any way they can. Chief Eiden concluded: “What better thing to do then support your friends and neighbors in that way?”

Visit chappaquafd.org for more info.

Photos in this article are all courtesy of the Chappaqua Fire Department.