The Inside Press

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Armonk Cover Stories

Trump Wins, Locals React

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If there was one common theme among Armonk residents and locals Wednesday, after Donald Trump’s election night win over Chappaqua’s Hillary Clinton, it was shock. Speaking to Inside Press the day after the election at Tazza Café in the hamlet, here is what a few of our neighbors had to say.

election-reaction-liza“I had more confidence in our country to look at the bigger picture, instead of thinking about our nation as just a nation. I wish that people had thought about humanity and voted for someone who believed in climate change and would work to give us a better shot to improve our current situation,” Liza Scher, a 17-year-old senior at Byram Hills High School (though too young to vote, she preferred Clinton).

election-monica“I just feel like this country is going back. We’re taking back a lot of the progress we just made. I was just very stunned because I really thought she was going to win,” Monica Aguirre, a 20-year-old Bedford resident who supported Clinton. Aguirre said she was afraid of the impact Trump’s election would have on executive orders issued by President Obama to stop deportations of immigrants who entered the country illegally.

election-joe“I didn’t like either one of them. I voted for Gary Johnson. Out of the two of them, I was glad it was Trump,” Joe Souerzoef, a Mamaroneck resident. Souerzoef said he doesn’t trust Clinton and doesn’t believe Trump is a true conservative. He would have preferred Florida Senator Marco Rubio or Texas Senator Ted Cruz win the Republican nomination.

“I think the morning after people need to recognize that we have a new president. Enough mourning, for those who mourn, and it’s time to come to grips with the reality and maybe find and see what positives there are about it,” Gideon, an Armonk resident. A Republican, Gideon crossed party lines to vote for Clinton. However, he hopes that Trump’s election and Republican control of the Senate will break the gridlock that Washington has seen since 2010, when Republicans took control of the House of Representatives.

Byram Schools Enter the Future

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The future is looking bright for members of the Byram Hills School District. The District’s Building Technology Coordinators (Rekha Singh, Al Lovelace, Dawn Seines, and Joanna Nash), along with Byram Hills Director of Technology Dr. Andrew Taylor, are rolling out a series of educational developments in the coming years, hoping to boost their science and technology footprint. These advancements include a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) education initiative that employs coding, robotics, and 3D modeling to encourage interactive, hands-on learning, as well as a classroom re-purposing to allow for technological advancements to be utilized throughout the school day.

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The robotics element is one of the most innovative in recent years. “Our goal at Byram Hills is to develop the leaders of tomorrow,” Dr. Taylor explains, “and to do that we need to develop students that can think creatively, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively.” Hence, their plan. The middle school classrooms, which will use this approach, the BOT Spot (Best of Tech Spot), the most, will incorporate an interactive projector, which casts images onto the floor, set up as challenges for the robot to complete. The task is then to program the robot to complete the challenge set forth for the student. For example, if the floor projects a set of apple trees, “one challenge could be for the robot to water the apple trees,” Taylor explains. “[The students] will program the robot to go up and down the rows on the board, and water each one.” Other challenges include creating a robot that will turn lights on and off, or one that will pick something up and carry it to a student. “It’s all about problem solving,” Taylor comments, “[and] coming up with a scenario and designing and programming a robot to help solve the problem.” Taylor points out that both elements of coding and robotics are part of a major update to the Middle School Technology Curriculum.

Robot. Photos by Matt Smith
Robot. Photos by Matt Smith

Fueled by a transition to using cloud-based, wireless Google ChromeBook computers for teaching purposes in 2014 –“we didn’t really need these computer labs anymore, and we wanted to think of new ways of using them,” notes Taylor–the room’s repurposing equips each classroom with a state-of-the-art projector called Span by Nureva, which casts images onto a large whiteboard, up to 40 feet in length, for students to embellish and interact with. The technology is such that large groups of students can add to the board simply by walking up to it and drawing on it with their finger. With the drag of one’s pinky, the board can shift and expand, allowing for multiple users to work on one problem, or in one area, simultaneously. Additionally, given that the content is online, it can also be viewed or edited on any projector or device in the classroom.

Through the genius of technology, too, those students still seated while others are up working at the board will also be able to contribute to the lesson through a software connection in their ChromeBooks–which Taylor can only see as an invaluable advantage. “If I have a typical interactive whiteboard in a classroom, I can have a couple students up there, but the rest of the class is kind of passive. With this new [advancement], I can have 30 students up at the board and have students contributing [to the lesson] from their seats. It’s great.”

He adds that these new developments may also encourage new teaching styles, noting that teachers are devising creative ways to utilize the boards while giving their lessons.

With this technology, “we’re looking to create more interactive lessons and games that engage and involve students,” comments Taylor, on the subject. “With such large boards, we can empower students to be active learners in the classroom. [It’s about] making learning fun.”

While this initiative brings about exciting changes that are no doubt cause for celebration, Taylor’s fully aware that it’s not all without its fair share of challenges: “We’re shifting the education [model] and changing the structural strategies,” he says of the initiatives. “Moving to a new model of learning is difficult, and takes time. It’s not going to happen overnight.” Taylor also acknowledges “not all of this type of technology is made for schools–some are made for homes–so there’s [also] some adjustment we have make in that regard as well.”

Dr. Andrew Taylor demonstrates the new technology.
Dr. Andrew Taylor demonstrates the new technology.

But all in all, he’s ready to enact the new system. “We’re doing things that haven’t been done in schools ever before,” he says, with a smile, extending his thanks to the Byram Hills Education Foundation for all their financial support: “We couldn’t have done it without them.” Additionally, on the subject of next steps, Taylor mentions “Phase 2,” which involves bringing this new technology into the three on-campus libraries, as well as building an additional classroom, deemed Hub21, to allow these connections to be accessed from a central location. “We are combining research-based learning strategies with modern technology…some of it will work, and some of it may not,” Taylor says, summarizing his objectives. “But we’re thoughtful in our planning and excited about where we’re headed…and where the future will take us.”

The Byram Hills Central School District is located at 10 MacDonald Avenue in Armonk. For more information, visit www.bryamhills.org

Matt Smith is a writer and regular contributor to The Inside Press. For further information or inquiry, please visit www.mattsmiththeatre.com.

Human Rights Conference Teaches Middle Schoolers: How to Become an Upstander

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Students from the Paideia School 15 in Yonkers with Sheila Arnold PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELLE MCCAFFREY
Students from the Paideia School 15 in Yonkers with Sheila Arnold PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELLE MCCAFFREY

“Betsy Costner” sings a spiritual hymn about freedom as she walks out into the audience of seventh grade students from all corners of Westchester in the auditorium of the Yonkers Riverfront Public Library. Dressed in slave garb, Sheila Arnold who plays “Betsy Costner” a slave from Gastonia, North Carolina, recounts her story working on tobacco and cotton plantations.

Although her story is full of heartbreaking pain, she is able to capture the audience’s attention immediately and relate it to discrimination or struggles that these students might be facing today. Her story kicks off the Second Annual Human Rights Institute for Middle School Student Leaders, which students from 19 public and private middle school students attended earlier this month.

The conference is organized by the White Plains-based Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC). The conference’s central themes are respecting the individual and how to be an upstander.
humanrights_2The conference for middle school students was conceptualized after the HHREC noticed that their high school conferences were very well-received, and they felt there was a need to target a younger population. In its inaugural year in 2015, the conference was attended by ten middle schools and 100 students. This year the conference had more than doubled to 200 students participating.

In an election year when racial tensions were at an all time high, a conference like this seems like it should be a mandatory requirement for all students. Millie Jasper, the Executive Director of the HHREC explains the genesis of the conference:

“Why run a day of human rights workshops for middle school students? We feel that students imitate prejudiced and bigoted behavior, and often do not recognize this behavior in themselves. If they see an injustice, they often don’t want to speak up. The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center wants to lay the foundation for encouraging students to be upstanders rather than bystanders.”

Steve Goldberg, HHREC Co-Director of Education and the Social Studies Chairman in the New Rochelle School District, helped tailor the program to a younger audience; he hopes the conference will help students be “catalysts in their school buildings,” and learn to be upstanders when they see injustice rather than passive bystanders.

After the presentation by Arnold, students broke out into small-group workshops which were designed to open conversation regarding the themes, “Respecting the Individual and How to Be an Upstander.” The workshops are facilitated by middle school teachers and high school juniors and seniors who were past participants in the HHREC Human Rights Institute for High School Leaders. The conference for the high school leaders is now in its 15th year.

Sami Davidson, a facilitator who is a junior at Somers High School felt it was an honor to be chosen as a facilitator by HHREC. Davidson attended a day-long training session at HHREC and worked on a lesson plan for her workshop which focused on civil rights with a social studies teacher. Davidson “hopes to show kids that there is more than one side to each story and that they need to think of things in a historical context.” At the conference’s conclusion, the students regroup and develop action plans to address injustices.  For example, some schools have started Amnesty International chapters or created anti-bullying programs.

Students at Seven Bridges Middle School in Chappaqua also got to see Arnold perform at their school earlier. Arnold has been performing in Chappaqua schools for the past five years and will be at Bell this spring. She said she considers herself a “hors d’oeuvres” that helps to get kids interested in history and humanize it for them.“If I’ve done my job right, there are kids that will leave my performances and start talking and want more information. They will never be able to look at a textbook the same way again because they are now seeing history through a person’s perspective.”  For more information about the HHREC and membership, please visit www.hhrecyny.org

Stacey Pfeffer lives with her husband and three young children in Chappaqua. She has written for New York Family Magazine, Westchester Parent, Westchester Family Magazine, Kveller.com and Inside Armonk.

Caring for Caregivers

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marian-loreal-mainIn 2002, Marian Hamilton, a guidebook writer, community volunteer, and mother of two teenage daughters, took on a new role. Her husband, Ken Hamilton, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer, and she became his primary caregiver. Ken’s illness and her role as a caregiver left a lasting impact on Hamilton, and in 2005, she founded the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center at Northern Westchester Hospital.

“People do not consider the physical, emotional, and financial toll that illness can take on the caregiver,” states Hamilton, who gained 20 pounds, went on anti-depressants, and wound up in the hospital, several times from exhaustion and depression. Hamilton’s husband was in four different hospitals in the New York metropolitan area. In addition to that non-stop stress, they had two teenage daughters at home.

When Ken passed away in 2004, Hamilton needed a change. The author of The Best of Westchester and The Best Things in New York Are Free was an active community volunteer who was serving on the Mount Kisco Child Care Board and co-chairing the Armonk Outdoor Art Show. But she needed to do something different; she decided to find a way to give caregivers the help that she couldn’t find throughout her husband’s illness.

Hamilton understood, firsthand, that caregivers need guidance and sounding boards, help navigating the hospital and medical world, and need to escape the sounds and smells of the hospital, even momentarily. In 2005, she approached Joel Seligman, President of the Northern Westchester Hospital. She made a presentation to his administrative team. She said, “They saw a need to help hospitals take care of families, but they were not financially equipped to do it.” Hamilton quickly implemented a fundraising campaign, and within six months she raised approximately $500,000 towards this project.

In January 2006, Hamilton and three volunteers started working with families. While the center was not yet built, they were able to implement a program to help families in need. Today, 10 years later, there is a physical center with over 30 volunteers and two social workers employed by the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center. In the past 10 years, volunteers and social workers have interacted with over 50,000 families. “We make connections with families so that they do not feel isolated, we provide an extra set of ears during meetings with the medical team, we provide information on healthcare proxies and living wills, we help caregivers speak to children about illness, and we provide family meetings to help with care plans,” says Hamilton. And this is just a handful of the services that the center provides. They also offer bereavement counseling, support for caregivers with patients living at home, and a “Stay in Touch Program,” designed to follow up with caregivers after patients leave the hospital. “We don’t want caregivers to feel isolated,” stresses Hamilton.

Marian Hamilton founded the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center in 2006.
Marian Hamilton founded the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center in 2006.

Hamilton, who currently works part-time as the overseer and as a volunteer at the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center, has taken her model to other hospitals as well. Now over 11 hospitals have their own fully independent caregiver centers. From White Plains Hospital in Westchester County to Mercy Medical in Iowa, hospitals are replicating Hamilton’s model to “provide more respite care for families.”

“We make connections with families so that they do not feel isolated, we provide an extra set of ears during meetings with the medical team, we provide information on healthcare proxies and living wills, we help caregivers speak to children about illness, and we provide family meetings to help with care plans,” says Hamilton.

Since its inception, the center has received seven awards, including the 2006 Planetree National Spirit of Caring Award for Best Program for Family Friends and Social Support and the 2014 Caregiver Action Network: Top Caregiver award for Excellence in Patient and Family Engagement. This year, Hamilton was personally honored with the 2016 L’Oreal Women of Worth Award. Hamilton, one of 6,200 nominees, is one of the top 10 honorees and earned a $10,000 grant for the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center.

Going forward, Hamilton hopes to continue to make a difference in the lives of caregivers, noting, “Caregivers are a silent population in this country. Over 65 million people–29 percent of the population– are currently providing care to a loved one.” That is an overwhelming number of people who would greatly benefit from a connection to the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center.

Deborah Notis is a writer and co-owner of gamechangernow.com, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors. Her writing can be found in the Inside publications as well as on suburbanmisfitmom.com.

Armonk House Rock and Roll is Here to Stay

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If you’re looking for a place where you can not only listen to live music, but also get up and dance, then check out Armonk House.

The bar and restaurant has live music most Friday and Saturday nights, and DJ’s on Thursdays. Owner Connie Petrovich, a warm, friendly woman who goes out of her way to make sure all her guests feel welcome, said she “grew up in the restaurant business” starting at age three when her parents bought George’s Lounge in Pelham. The former owner of the Parkway Grill in Yonkers, Petrovich acted as the general contractor when designing the space and even had a hand in dismantling the 200-year-old barn whose wood adorns some walls. Her sister Terry Petrovich helped pick out the antique fixtures which give the restaurant its eclectic charm.

ia16-703Exit 5, described by the band’s drummer Jeff Silverman as “a bunch of dads from the Bedford area playing five decades of rock,” was on tap for the bar and restaurant’s first anniversary bash in November, playing a mix of classic rock covers, pop, punk, and current indie favorites spanning the 60s through today. When they started their set with Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” our favorite, my husband and I knew we’d come to the right place. Joining Silverman were lead singer-guitarists Brian Belfiglio and Lee Davis, bassist Dave Wills, and Dan Paige on keyboard.

As on other nights when there’s music, while diners are still eating, they kept their ballads mellow, but then the center tables were pushed aside so the crowd had room to dance.
Cal Kramer, the drummer from Blond Ambition, another band that plays there, was at the one-year celebration with his wife. A realtor in his day job, Kramer has been a musician for 50 years as have most of the members of his group. “When I play music I feel like I go on vacation for three hours,” he said. Blond Ambition’s repertoire includes a wide range of classic rock “from Tom Petty to Fleetwood Mac and a lot of eclectic stuff,” he said. He looks forward to their next gig there scheduled for the night before Thanksgiving. “I like Connie, she’s getting good bands,” he said.

jazz-118Petrovich said she loves how the people of Armonk have embraced her.

Sam Sorentino, a musician who has played there and who helps schedule the bands, said that “word got out” and bands are now calling them to play.

The December lineup: Dec. 1 and 15 Dance Party Meetup group with DJ Joe, Dec. 3 Innuendo, Dec. 9 Night Train, Dec. 16 Bookends, Dec 17 The Little Black Dress, Dec. 22 Duke and Damien, Dec. 23 Group Therapy. There’s also a fundraiser for the Heavenly Production Foundation on Dec. 18. The music generally starts at 9:30 and there is usually no cover charge. Check the website www.armonkhouse.com for additional information and New Year’s Eve announcements.