The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

Caramoor Fall ‘23 – Spring ‘24 Highlights: A Preview of the Adventurous Programming!

by

The Pacifica Quartet performing April 14th Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Caramoor’s longstanding commitment to adventurous programming – encompassing an expansive range of genres and outstanding artists – continues indoors all year round in the intimate setting of the Rosen House Music Room. Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 season tickets are on sale now. Highlights include the Emmet Cohen Trio with special guest Lucy Yeghiazaryan presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center (Sept 29), genre-bending South African cellist Abel Selaocoe (Oct 22); a benefit concert with Juno Award-winning and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Allison Russell (Dec 2); superlative period-instrument ensemble The English Concert led by Harry Bicket (Dec 8); Grammy-winning baritone Will Liverman (March 24); dynamic saxophonist and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin with her quartet (April 19); and Chopin International Competition-winning pianist Seong-Jin Cho (May 15).

Allison Russell performing December 2nd
Photo courtesy of Caramoor

Also highly anticipated: the multi-Grammy winning Pacifica Quartet (April 14); a holiday program featuring TENET Vocal Artists (Dec 10); two programs from this season’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, the Abeo Quartet (Nov 12 & May 5); American Roots music from Alisa Amador (Nov 3) and Jake Blount (May 11); jazz from the Emmet Cohen Trio with special guest Lucy Yeghiazaryan (Sep 29); cabaret singer Carole J. Bufford (Oct 20); performances by young artists from Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars and Schwab Vocal Rising Stars programs, and more.

Caramoor will also present a lively celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, for the third year as a free outdoor community event. Expect traditional music, dance, arts & crafts, and storytelling at this event in which loved ones are honored. Featured artists include the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (Oct 15).

Emmet Cohen performing September 29th Photo courtesy of Caramoor

December will mark the return of Caramoor’s series of Holiday Tea Musicales, featuring holiday music followed by tea service. As always, Caramoor’s grounds are open to explore and enjoy for free, from Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Info and tickets at caramoor.org.

Information Presented in Partnership with Caramoor

Behind the Scenes of Horace Greeley’s First Science Olympiad Invitational

by

Chloe Ng and Erin Song

Over the past few years, Science Olympiad has become a major extracurricular activity for many students in Chappaqua. Science Olympiad is considered the premier team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to 6,000 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states. Teams of 15 students compete in pairs in 23 different topics, called “events”, which cover a wide array of science areas. The competition not only gives students opportunities to learn about areas of science that would not normally be covered in traditional school curriculum, but also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and problem-solving in STEM fields.

After witnessing the impact of COVID-19 on Science Olympiad tournaments, Chloe Ng and Erin Song, longtime Science Olympiad competitors as well as current rising seniors at Horace Greeley High School, founded the Horace Greeley Invitational (“HG Invitational”) in summer 2022. HG Invitational is an online tournament for the middle school division that acts as practice run for teams preparing for their regional and state tournaments.  It was one of the few sanctioned Science Olympiad tournaments in New York State this year. One of the most unique characteristics of the invitational was that home-schooled students were able to compete as well, an opportunity usually not provided.

“We wanted to create a competition that replicated the Science Olympiad tournament experience that we missed out during the COVID-19 pandemic while also providing an opportunity for competitors to gain a deeper understanding of their Science Olympiad events,” says HG Invitational Co-Organizer Chloe Ng.

Ng and Song spent about nine months organizing and preparing to host the tournament. In addition, they managed a team of sixteen other Horace Greeley students who volunteered to help write and grade tests and act as event supervisors for over 20 different events.

One major challenge of creating HG Invitational, according to HG Invitational Co-Organizer Erin Song, was that “We had to build the tournament from scratch.” This type of tournament had never been done in the Westchester area before, so the team had to figure out everything, from competition week logistics to team finances, on their own.

Although the planning process was challenging, Song and Ng’s hard work paid off, as the tournament was a massive success. Over 500 students participated from schools in New York, California, Washington, and more. It also raised over $2,000 from tournament fees for Horace Greeley High School’s Science Olympiad academic team, of which Ng and Song are captains.

Meadow Zhang, a test creator and grader for the invitational, explains that her main goal was to “give students a variety of question types to prepare them for Regionals and States.” Zhang mentioned that the HG Invitational was well run and the team was thoughtful to make it intuitive and well designed.

In some ways, Ng comments, organizing this tournament was like creating a startup. “We had an idea, pitched it to school administrators who had to sign off for it to be sanctioned by New York State Science Olympiad, raised capital to jumpstart the tournament, and had customers (middle school Science Olympiad teams) for whom we had to provide a good experience,” says Ng. “In many ways, this was not just about Science for me but also gave me insights into business management and administration.” Incidentally, the Seven Bridges Middle School Science Olympiad Team which placed 1st in the HG Invitational did amazingly well this past season, placing 2nd in the New York State tournament, thereby earning a spot for the National Tournament for the first time in all of Chappaqua Central School District history.

Song and Ng are looking forward to repeating their Invitational tournament in 2024 and have been thinking about ways to improve the student experience even more. For next year, “Setting a timeline is one of our main goals,” the two have stated.  Additionally, Song says, “We look forward to potentially expanding our team. We also hope to inspire Greeley’s incoming underclassmen so they can pick up after we leave and make the HG Invitational an annual tradition at Greeley.” Ultimately, the pair is excited for the future of the Science Olympiad in both the middle schools and high schools!

A #1 Spot At Regional Tournament for the PMS Science Olympiad Team

by

The Pleasantville Middle School Science Olympiad team participated in a springtime Lower Hudson Regional Tournament. Competing against 30 teams throughout the region, the Pleasantville A Team ranked 1st overall. Across the 18 qualifying events, Pleasantville achieved 27 Top Ten finishes.

The 39 students who competed on March 4 were:

8th graders: Miikko Cascardo, Caitlin Chiong, Julian Giebelhaus, Prerna Gupta, Julian Jacinto, Siya Kapoor, Neave Traymore, Marco Schares Suarez, Carla Schober-Gonzalez, Yasmina Shouery, and James Vukelj

7th graders: Lexie Boyce, Alec Cochran, Aiden Crowder, Nick Davidson, Caydence Liu, Akshay Malhotra, Lea Nasr, Elias Neuman, Connor O’Brien, Ryan O’Malley, Cameron Pattinson, Nehla Sauthoff, Alex Sayed, Myla Silver, and Xander Tsilikoudis

6th graders: Aryan Bhat, Asher Dundas, Ean Freitas, Anton Gardner, Jordan Herst, Wyatt Marzec, Tanvir Matharu, Nihal Matharu, Thomas O’Brien, Praneeth Pothuganti, Dante Ramsey Lavoie, Colin Rhatigan, and Kellan White

The Science Olympiad program is coordinated by parent volunteers Lana Pattinson and Dr. Kristine Cochran, and PMS teachers Jake Sablosky and Leanne Benson. They all also coach a challenge (or two).

Also serving as coaches are Dr. Lisa Brown, Artie Carlucci, Dr. William Cochran, Katie Cusack, Dr. Bill Cusack, Dr. Scott Crowder, Yasmine Falk, Sonia Fujimori, Allyson Kwan, Dr. Christian Lavoie, Dr. J.D. Lewis, Dr. Gaurav Malhotra, John Marzec, Chloe O’Brien, Ross Pattinson, Mary Ellen Santare, Charyl Santiamo, Angela Sgobbo, Prashanth Suresh, and Jonathan White.

In addition, multiple students from PHS coach the team, including Dana Balin, Camilla Browand, Megan Chiong, Evan Cochran, Harshini Pothuganti, and Hanifa Thein.

For more information on Science Olympiad please contact Ms. Benson at PMS, BensonL@pleasantvilleschools.org.

New Title from Long Time Journalist & Inside Press Contributor Pamela Brown: Faithful Love

by

Faithful Love is a contemporary romance novel that brings readers into the lives of Candace Crestworth, a beautiful, high-powered prosecutor, and Corey Matthews, a charming detective who ends up on the other side of the law. In the opinion of Candace, it’s the wrong side. But they find themselves attracted to each other and it becomes a story of love, adventure, heartbreak, and loss. There is also a suspenseful subplot involving a criminal investigation that brings the entire storyline to a riveting climax.

Available on Amazon

Pamela was inspired to write the book by her father, who was a detective. His line of work always intrigued her, plus she pursued a law degree, so she centered the story on two unforgettable characters who work in the exciting world of these two fields. You’ll find a blend of fast-paced action and danger along with emotional scenes of heartbreak that show the complexity of life but also highlight the power of love.

Saint Joseph’s Medical Center and Saint Pio Foundation Announce A Margherita for a Smile Community Initiative

by

Saint Joseph’s Medical Center President and CEO Michael Spicer joined with Saint Pio Foundation Founder and CEO Luciano Lamonarca and Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano on May 25 to announce an exciting and unique community initiative called A Margherita for a Smile. Hollywood actor Joe Mantegna (“The Godfather: Part III,” “Criminal Minds”) attended the ceremony via video.

The A Margherita for a Smile initiative aims to provide a minimum of 1,000 authentic Margherita pizzas each year to community residents and patients in South West Yonkers. To celebrate the announcement, two pizza trucks were stationed behind Saint Joseph’s Medical Center’s Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation Family Health Center to serve Margherita pizzas to patients of the center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with a red ribbon attached between the two pizza trucks.

The initiative is available on the following two websites:

https://pizzaforasmile.org/
https://www.saintpiofoundation.org/smile

Michael Spicer, President and CEO of Saint Joseph’s Medical Center stated: “We are delighted to partner with Saint Pio Foundation on this initiative. In addition to our on-site patient food pantry at our Family Health Center and our monthly mobile food distributions with Feeding Westchester, it is unique to be able to offer our patients and members of the community a hot meal and an authentic Margherita pizza experience. Saint Pio’s Foundation and Saint Joseph’s Medical Center share the same mission, to help those in need. So, it is only fitting that we have partnered with them on this initiative to benefit our patients and the community we serve.”

“By launching this initiative, the Saint Pio Foundation intends to change the way we bring nourishment to those in need. We strive to feed not only the body but also the soul of those who are hungry. A Margherita Pizza delivers both experiences perfectly, and we could not be prouder to borrow from our Italian culture and cuisine to help Saint Joseph’s Medical Center’s patients that face significant health challenges,” said Saint Pio Foundation Founder and CEO Luciano Lamonarca.

“During his lifetime, Saint Pio set up a medical clinic for the poor that eventually became a large hospital called the Home for the Relief of Suffering, much like the Sisters of Charity did with Saint Joseph’s. We appreciate the Saint Pio Foundation’s collaboration with Saint Joseph’s to bring smiles and nourishment to people in need. This effort truly embraces the spirit of Saint Pio’s ministry and his life’s work,” said Mayor Mike Spano.

About the Saint Pio Foundation

Based in Tuckahoe, the Saint Pio Foundation is a national not-for-profit organization that promotes the legacy of Saint Pio, the popular modern Saint of the Roman Catholic Church, by supporting healthcare, educational, social, religious, and cultural initiatives that influence and advance the public’s knowledge of the teachings, legacy, and importance of Saint Pio.

About Saint Joseph’s Medical Center

Since 1888, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center has served Yonkers and the surrounding communities of Westchester and New York City with patient-centered, quality-focused inpatient and outpatient care, including specialized programs such  as orthopedics, cardiology, family medicine, geriatrics; and wound care; advanced emergency treatment; state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging and ambulatory surgery; inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services; and a network of primary care services serving Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan. Its Saint Vincent’s Hospital Westchester division in Harrison offers a comprehensive range of mental health, addiction and residential programs serving Westchester and The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.  Please visit us on the web at saintjosephs.org and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

News courtesy of the Saint Po Foundation and Saint Joseph’s Medical Center