The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

‘Ready, Willing and Able’ and Branching Out at the Sheptin Tutoring Group

by

Many of you know me and my company as academic support and test prep experts. I can say that my team is the best in Northern Westchester, bar none. From the Regents to SATs to ACTs to APs, we are ready, willing and able. And, as I write this article, I am planning an SAT program for students in the United Kingdom and opening registration for our well-received finals program for Greeley students.

In my practice, I wear two hats. Yes, Math is my superpower: Mrs. Goldberg, my 7th grade math teacher who recognized this talent, would be proud. But did you know that I have visited over 120 universities and colleges both in the United States and abroad? I am a professional member of the IECA, the premier qualifying organization whose members ethically guide students through all aspects of college planning. Our expertise is peerless. I am proud to be a card-carrying member. Mid-May will bring me to Chicago, where I will visit three schools and attend an annual IECA conference. After the frenetic first three weeks of June, I intend to visit five colleges in the Boston area.

After a tutoring session, the conversation often turns to college. Kids tell me schools they’ve recently visited and I try to offer some other interesting ideas. Too many of our students only consider a handful of schools that just do not have the bandwidth to accept everyone from our local schools. In my travels, I have encountered gems that are academically just as engaging and will provide unparalleled opportunities. Do a little digging or hire someone like me to do the legwork and you will be rewarded.

Since I have seen universities abroad (ask me about Uppsala University or the University of Bristol!) I’ve been asking my students and their families to put European universities on their list. Most European degrees programs are three years in duration –and some are free of charge–even to Americans! And classes are conducted entirely in English!

To wit: a three-year Bachelors Degree at the University of Amsterdam will set you back 30,000 Euros (for all three years!). You can’t even get that inexpensive an education at a SUNY.

While a full international education may not be an option for everyone, think about the advantages of an it, cost aside. Immersing your student in an entirely different culture, especially in our intertwined global economy, shows employers that a student can be independent, open and willing to take calculated risks. In most countries, international students with a student visa can work during the academic year and into the summer. It would make your child unique!

Perhaps the rah-rah of the Saturday football game is not available abroad, and Greek life is not a “thing.” However, every university I have ever visited has robust Student Unions, replete with societies (clubs) for everything imaginable under the sun. From Harry Potter Societies, to Jewish Societies, to Rowing Societies, you can find them all abroad.

So, if you see me, let’s talk about college. Whether you want to explore programs here in the US or abroad, to quote Frances McDormand, “I have something to say.”

Sheptin Tutoring Group, LLC

914-232-3743

alan@sheptin.com

Chappaqua: 175 King St., Chappaqua, NY

Manhattan: 157 E. 86 street, New York, NY

Exhibit Opening Reception: Mary Ellis – So Far Pop Art to Abstract Expressionism

by

This exhibition represents the fusion of Mary Ellis’ process over a 15 year time span.  In her evolution from Pop Art to Abstract Expressionism, Ellis has merged her graphic and Fine Art skills into one expression, a continuous emerging of style, composition and technique.

ABOUT MARY ELLIS

For over 40 years, Mary Ellis has been internationally recognized for her Pop Art icons that appear on thousands of gift products. She is a graphic artist and an Abstract Expressionist painter. Ellis grew up in Croton, and now lives in Briarcliff Manor. She received her BFA degree from Pratt Institute. Having studied under Alex Katz, Richard Linder, Mercedes Matter, and Robert Mallory, Mary developed her own unique style.

A number of years ago products that Mary was making for retail consumption had grown dramatically, taking time away from Ellis’ painting. Something inside told her she needed to return to her passion for painting if she wanted to be happy and fulfilled as an artist. She began painting with, intensity, commitment, and discipline, something that had been missing for a long time. This retrospective, Mary Ellis-So Far, represents the fusion of Ellis’ process over a 15 year time span. In her evolution from Pop Art to Abstract Expressionism, Ellis has merged her graphic and Fine Art skills into one expression, a continuous emerging of style, composition and technique.

Exhibit on Display: June 8th to June 30th

Opening Reception: June 8th 6-9pm

Gallery Hours: Thursday-Sunday 10am-4pm

Mary is dedicating a generous portion of the proceeds from this show to establish an Art Supply Fund for children at Bethany Arts Community. Contact BAC to help this fund grow.

Ossining Jazz Festival: The Improvisor’s Art

by

The third annual Ossining Jazz Festival will take place on the evenings of Friday and Saturday June 8 and June 9. The event, which will feature four different musical acts performing at the Ossining Elks Lodge, is an excellent opportunity for audiences to enjoy a range of top-notch practitioners of jazz, a.k.a. America’s Great Musical Idiom and the Improvisor’s Art, in an intimate setting.

This year’s Ossining Jazz Festival features a night each of Contemporary and Latin jazz, two crowd-pleasing styles.

Ted Daniel, a renowned jazz trumpeter, Ossining native and Artistic Director of the OJF comments “Ossining has a rich musical heritage, and so it is only fitting that we showcase a spectrum of the artists and sounds that have inspired us. The only way we keep this wonderful musical art alive is by giving audiences a chance to experience it right as often as possible.” Michelle Concha Herko, Executive Director of the OJF adds “Our festival is one way of accomplishing this, and we’re pleased to back for our third year.”

The double bill on Friday, June 7 at the Elks Club, dedicated to hard bop or straight-ahead jazz, will feature the Rory Stuart Quartet at 7:30 PM and drummer Abe Speller and his band at 9 PM. The lineup on Saturday, June 8 includes Michael Tate and 3D Rhythm of Life at 7:30 PM and Nelson Riveros at 9 PM. Tickets are $20 for one band only, $35 for a one-night festival pass and $60 for a two-day festival pass.

The Friday night performances of the Ossining Jazz Festival are sponsored by the Cortlandt School of Performing Arts in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

More information can be found at the festival’s website, ossiningjazzfestival.com

Catching Up with District 40’s State Senator Pete Harckham

by

Publisher’s Note: The Inside Press has offered forums to many of our political representatives over the years. For our June Father’s Day edition, we hoped to gain a sense of our new state Senator Pete Harckham*. We sent him a number of key questions to answer. And here are his responses! – Grace

1. What were your two or three (or more!) most important goals during your campaign and how are you working to meet them?

My most important goals were:

1) Codifying Roe v Wade into NY law by passing the Reproductive Health Act

2) Enacting common sense gun safety measures such as the Red Flag Bill

3) Passing the Child Victim’s Act

4) Making the Property Tax Cap Permanent

With the support of the Democratic conference, I was able to meet the first three within the first 30 days of my term. Permanent property tax cap relief was passed as part of the state budget on April 1st.

Although election reform was a longer-term goal, we accomplished much of it in February including merging two primary dates into one, saving taxpayers money and early voting, which was fully funded in the state budget.

2. What new goals/agendas have emerged since your campaign and why?

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse, fighting opioid addiction and other forms of substance abuse are major goals. Like many states, New York is currently suffering from an epidemic of opioid abuse which is devastating individual lives, families and communities.

I fought for and won $100 million in substance abuse funding in the state budget, as well as an increase from 14 to 28 days, the minimum stay in an inpatient substance abuse facility before an insurance company review. We also eliminated multiple co-pays at outpatient substance abuse care visits. Now, patients will pay only a single co-pay every time they go for outpatient treatment, regardless of the number of doctors or providers they meet with.

Another major goal I have is saving as many jobs of current Indian Point workers during the decommissioning as possible.

3. What has surprised you the most since beginning your service as state Senator? Can you describe an event that moved you or an interaction with a constituent that enlightened you?

The most surprising thing thus far has been the frenetic pace in Albany. Everyone wants a piece of you at the same time and walking from my office to the Senate chamber can be like walking through a crowded market where everyone is calling out to get your attention. Fortunately we have a terrific team to share the load.

I’ve been deeply moved by the veterans I’ve met with across the district. One group of veterans I met has made it their mission to seek out homeless veterans, provide them with housing and connect them with services they need. It’s how they help each other rebuild their lives. Veterans’ personal stories and their determination to assist each other continue to inspire me. That is why we increased funding to expand the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer to Peer PTSD program.

I’ve also been moved by the courage of parents who have lost sons and daughters to the scourge of opioid abuse and who now serve as community prevention and treatment advocates. Their personal stories of loss are heartbreaking yet they have dedicated their lives to ending this tragic epidemic and helping others who are suffering. Their selflessness and determination is deeply moving.

4. What are the biggest challenges facing the district? How do you plan to meet them?

The biggest challenges are:

1) Indian Point closure, which will greatly impact the workers and the economic well-being of the surrounding communities. I have introduced legislation to require the decommissioning entity to hire existing workers first.

2) High property taxes. We need to reform the way we fund education in New York to take the burden off of property tax payers.

3) Metro-North capital upgrades and service improvements. We must insure that capital investments from congestion pricing are spent expeditiously and wisely.

5. Our June theme is ‘Play and Explore!’ Can you tell us a little about how you spend your downtime?

I do not really have much downtime in this job but when I do, I spend it with my partner Jin-Hee and my daughters Emma and Kate, as well as hiking with our dogs.

*State Sen. Pete Harckham represents some 308,000 constituents in New York State Senate District 40, which includes parts of Northern Westchester (Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, North Salem, Peekskill, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Sleepy Hollow, Somers, Yorktown), Putnam (Brewster, Carmel, Patterson, Southeast) and Dutchess (Beekman, Pawling).

The Ossining Children’s Center: A Rich History of Celebrating Women

by

BY HOWARD MILBERT

Ossining Children’s Center has a keen eye on the future, but they are also celebrating their rich history–a history of women’s empowerment. The Ossining Children’s Center was founded by the women’s association of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1895 as the Christ Child Day Nursery and Bethany Home. At that time, Ossining was home to many widowed immigrant women who wanted to work to support their families, but “day care” did  not exist.

The story of Ossining Children’s Center began nearly 120 years ago as a response to the needs of working immigrant mothers. It is now a crucial resource for all families, providing nurturing and educational care for children 6 weeks to 12 years old.  Through the years, the community has generously supported our mission to keep high quality childcare affordable for working families.

We’ve aimed to support women of every socioeconomic status since our inception an we know that families and mothers have to make difficult choices regarding their careers and we do our best to provide an inclusive environment for all women.

OCC’s Fearless Females & Female Supporters

Edith Baker played a leadership role over the course of 60 years of involvement with OCC, in seeing the Center through difficult times and running pivotal projects in the Center’s history. She served as board president four different times. In 1948, Edith Baker was among the Board members who believed strongly that the childcare program was an important service to the community. Edith, herself, was a working mother and had served as treasurer of her father’s company for many years. When the existence of the child care program was threatened, Edith spearheaded the “Sponsoring Committee” which took over responsibility for running the child care center. A special campaign raised the needed funds, the Board of Education gave the use of space in Park School, and the Ossining Children’s Center was incorporated as a separate entity.  Although Edith passed away in 2004, her legacy lives on.

Jessica Yanqui-Zhinin found herself pregnant at 17. She wanted to finish high school and to go college. When she was accepted to SUNY Binghamton, she did not anticipate she would be able to attend, but Jessica didn’t want to be another statistic. Fortunately, she found the Ossining Children’s Center. At OCC, she not only found a village but an extended family. When Jessica dropped her daughter Nube off in morning, she knew Nube was in loving hands. The caring teachers gave Jessica constant support helping with everything. The office door was always open offering more shoulders to lean on. Ossining Children’s Center gave Jessica the stability and support to earn dual masters’ degrees. She is now a teacher at Ossining High School.

Left to right at OCC to kick off the capital campaign: Assemblywoman Sandy Galef; OCC Executive Director Howard Milbert; OCC Board Member and Campaign Co-Chair Marilyn Wishnie; OCC Board Member Vanessa Pairis; Westchester County Executive George Latimer; and Capital Campaign Committee Member Richard Wishnie

The Future is Female

Child care is a vital factor in a woman’s ability to be a productive worker, and thereby being able to improve her family’s economic security. For more than 50 years, the Ossining Children’s Center (OCC) has been in the forefront of advocacy for public funding for child care.

Thanks to advocacy by Ossining Children’s Center families who spoke at the Northern Westchester 2019 Budget Hearing, Westchester County recently re-opened the “Title XX” Child Care Subsidy Program, which had been closed to new applicants since 2016. Title XX makes child care subsidies available to families who make slightly more than the income ceiling* for the Low-Income Child-Care Subsidy Program.

Currently, two Ossining families have applied for Title XX child care subsidies from the Westchester County Department of Social Services to help them to keep their children enrolled at OCC.

Last month, we announced a $17.8 million capital campaign to build a new child care and education center at 32 State Street. The Center, which has raise $12.8 million to date, is seeking support from the community to reach their campaign goal. This facility will serve an additional 50 children and bring all of the OCC’s programming to one central location. Over 75 of OCC’s Children participated in the choreographed dance in front of a large banner featuring a rendering of the new space. It’s a privilege to work in a town that truly values children and families. If you’d like to learn more about the programs and services offered by the Ossining Children’s Center, visit www.ossiningchildrenscenter.org

Dancing for Child Care!

More than 75 children from the Ossining Children’s Center (OCC) joined together on April 24 in a choreographed dance to kick off OCC’s capital campaign to build a new child care and education center.

The festive and exciting kickoff event, which was held at OCC’s current location at 90 South Highland Avenue, was attended by local, county and state officials including Westchester County Executive George Latimer, NYS Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg, Ossining Village Mayor Victoria Gearity and friends and supporters of the Ossining Children’s Center.

The campaign, which is titled Our Children. Our Future. The Ossining Children’s Center Campaign, is seeking to raise $17.8 million. To date, OCC has raised approximately $12.9 million. Groundbreaking for the new facility is scheduled for later this spring.

“It is a privilege to work in a town that truly values children and families,” said Howard Milbert, Executive Director, Ossining Children’s Center.

“It is so exciting that the children and teachers will have a facility worthy of the high-quality work of the Center,” said Campaign Co-Chair Rebecca Samberg.

“This new child care and education center will be a game changer for the entire community,” said Campaign Co-Chair Marilyn Wishnie.

Last August, OCC unveiled plans for the construction of a new 27,000-square-foot building that will enable it to consolidate its programs under one roof. Centrally located in downtown at 32 State Street, the new center will replace operations currently housed at two 120-year-old buildings OCC owns on South Highland Avenue, as well as space it rents at a nearby church.

The new 2.5-acre site at 32 State Street was acquired for $1.8 million and donated to OCC by a long-time generous benefactor. An existing building on the site has been removed. The new building will house all of OCC’s current programs while meeting the growing need for infant, toddler, preschool and after-school care in Ossining. The projected enrollment for the new facility is 200-222 children. OCC’s current enrollment is 148.

Designed by KG&D Architects of Mount Kisco, the attractive three-story building will include nine classrooms, five toddler and infant rooms, four outdoor play areas, staff and administrative offices, a multi-purpose room, conference room and kitchen. There will be 22 on-site parking spaces for parents, staff and visitors. Additional parking will be secured at a nearby off-site location.

The new facility will make childcare available to all income levels helping parents to maintain steady employment. Having the facility downtown will help anchor the State Street neighborhood, bring increased economic activity, and create job opportunities.

A new modern facility will also attract more families from a wide variety of income levels, allowing children from throughout the community to grow together, and enabling OCC to serve more families in need. For more information about the programs and services offered by the Ossining Children’s Center, visit www.ossiningchildrenscenter.org

*Income ceiling for families seeking a “Low Income” child care subsidy: $50,200 for a family of four. Income ceiling for Title XX: $55,475 for a family of four.

Howard Milbert, Executive Director of the Ossining Children’s Center, has spent his career advocating for children and parents, especially low-income working parents who are striving to improve their families’ economic situation. He is known throughout New York State as a public policy expert on and advocate for high quality child care.