The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Happenings

Think Fit for Kids

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PHOTO BY JODI BUREN, TRIPP STREET STUDIO

The 9th annual Think Fit For Kids event, which supports pediatric brain cancer research, took place once again at Club Fit in Briarcliff on March 3rd. As always, the event brought the community together for a fun-filled day of fitness, while raising funds to support novel pediatric brain cancer research. Since the 2018 event, A Kid’s Brain Tumor Cure Foundation has merged with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the largest pediatric brain tumor foundation in the country, in order to serve more families and find more promising treatments for children battling brain tumors.  This merger would not have been possible without the success of Think Fit For Kids, which has raised close to $2 million over the last nine years. Think Fit For Kids funds are currently funding two clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and an on-going research project at the Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as the first ever privately funded pediatric brain cancer research project at the National Cancer Institute. The non-profit is excited for this opportunity as it finally gives pediatric brain tumor research the recognition it deserves from the government. “None of this would be possible without the community support of the annual Think Fit For Kids event. The community’s generosity has given hope to kids battling brain tumors who have run out of treatment options,” noted Kim Gilman, a Chappaqua resident and co-founder of the Think Fit For Kids event. To find out additional information or to donate, please visit thinkfitforkids.org.

Fashion Funds the Cure

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PHOTOS BY RICK MAUPIN

The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (NPCF) will be holding their inaugural event Fashion Funds the Cure at The Westchester on Saturday, March 23. The Fashion Funds the Cure events started 16 years ago in Tampa at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium. This year, they plan on having at least 13 shows across the country. The event at The Westchester will feature a fashion show, food, cocktail reception and a silent auction. The NPCF funds clinical trials by collaborating with a network of hospitals including The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore to fast-track less toxic and more targeted treatments to end childhood cancer. With 43 children diagnosed with cancer per day and more than 95 percent of those who survive childhood cancer having a significant health issue by the time they are 45 as a result of being treated with drugs designed for adults, NPCF hopes to discover safer and more effective treatments for children with cancer. To learn more about the event or to purchase tickets, visit NationalPCF.org.

Calling all Mini Chefs

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 New Fiddleheads Cooking Studio Ignites Culinary Curiosity For the Littlest Food Explorers

PHOTO COURTESY OF RENANA SHVIL

Fiddleheads Cooking Studio has been transforming children’s attitudes towards food through its unique approach to cooking education and kitchen science since 2016. With a mission of “growing the next generation of food explorers,” the studio is differentiated by a belief that children of all ages can be joyful participants in the kitchen. Having enjoyed success in Pound Ridge, Fiddleheads is moving to a new, expanded studio in Mount Kisco this March. The studio offers after-school programming, birthday parties, mini camps and private in-home instruction for both children and adults all in a rustic, remote farm-like setting.

With more than ten years of experience as a cooking instructor, owner Renana Shvil, explains her philosophy saying, “Talking with children about making healthier choices for meals and snacks should be a constant, engaging process. From getting acquainted to the bare ingredients to enjoying the finished product, each activity represents a learning opportunity.” Fiddleheads Cooking Studio is the result of that vision, born by melding Renana’s passion for food education with her background as a preschool instructor.

During lessons, Renana guides students through an exploration of healthy, delicious seasonal ingredients. Children discuss the items laid before them and are encouraged to touch, smell and taste everything. As they work together to create the dish, students learn how to use kitchen tools safely and they enjoy eating the final product as a community, sharing their thoughts about the meal’s flavor and texture.

To celebrate the launch of the new studio location, Fiddleheads will host a special series of $1 March classes leading up to the official launch of the Spring term in April. To learn more and view the full schedule, visit fiddleheadscookingstudio.com. Classes will be offered for children ages 18 months to 16 years. Family cooking classes and adult classes are also available.

Spotlight on Science in the Schools

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Regeneron Finalists & 5th Annual STEM Fest Showcases How Science Reigns Supreme

Kumar and Singh Named Regeneron Finalists

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science & the Public has named 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The competition, known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search from 1942-1997 and the Intel Science Talent Search from 1998-2016, is designed to engage and inspire the next generation of scientific leaders. Alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, found successful companies and invent groundbreaking medical treatments.

Two Horace Greeley Seniors were selected for this prestigious recognition, Chirag Kumar and Aditi Singh. Chirag Kumar’s project is titled “A Machine Learning Approach to Estimating the Error in Satellite Sea Surface Temperature Measurements.” Aditi Singh’s research is titled “Descriptive and normative accounts of color localization performance in visual short-term memory.” Senior Anna Zhang was selected in earlier competition as a Science Talent Search Scholar for her work, “Design and Analysis of an Artificial Intelligence Based System for Real-Time Detection of Texting and Driving.”

Kumar and Singh will travel to Washington, D.C. from March 7-13, 2019, where they will undergo a scrupulous judging process and compete with the other finalists for more than $1.8 million in awards. They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists, meet with members of Congress and display their projects to the public at the National Geographic Society on March 10.

Fifth Annual STEM Fest Engages Young Scientists

More than 250 Chappaqua School district students, from elementary school through high school, will showcase their work at the Fifth Annual Chappaqua STEM Fest on Saturday, March 23rd. The event is at Bell Middle School, 50 Senter Street, Chappaqua, NY, from 9 am to 1 pm. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Chappaqua STEM Fest will feature student designed experiments, inventions and research. In addition, local and national companies will run hands-on activities at the STEM Fest. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the fifth year of the Chappaqua STEM Fest,” said Lori Morton, Chair of the Chappaqua PTA STEM Committee. “The enthusiasm of our students is infectious. Their discoveries and inventions are brilliant and the event is packed with fun and informative STEM demonstrations and hands-on experiences!”

“This event is a terrific opportunity for our students to learn from, and teach, each other. Some students will wish to explore specific areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and others will be able to showcase a particular field of knowledge or skill related to those fields.  They will amaze, and be amazed by, one another and have a great time as well,” said Dr. Christina Ackerman, Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District.

A Note From New Castle Town Hall: The Pusheen Cats – Chappaqua’s First Lego League Champions

The Town Board was honored to welcome the Pusheen Cats. They are Chappaqua’s home team which won the overall championship at the 3rd Hudson Valley FLL (First Lego League) STEM championship held at the Bell School on January 19th. The Pusheen Cats developed an innovative habitat for human habitation on Mars. Their idea has won the praise of several NASA scientists! The team competed with 24 other teams at the Dutchess Community College on February 9th. Congrats to The Pusheen Cats!

Pete Harckham Celebrates Historic Win

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Pete Harckham celebrates his victory over Senator Terrence Murphy at the Mt. Kisco Holiday Inn on Election Night.

On November 6th, Pete Harckham became the first Democrat elected State Senator in NY SD40 since 1914. According to his campaign, he won by a 3,000 vote margin, a little better than 51% of the vote in a 60% turnout (one of the largest vote counts of any state Senate race) or about 118,000 voters. Murphy conceded after serving the district for two terms. From his campaign: a letter Harckham sent to his supporters…

“Thank you to everyone who made this possible! This is your win! I am honored to have earned the support of voters throughout this district with an overwhelming turnout. Thank you to all the Volunteers, Democratic committees, Indivisibles, Independents, my family, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Robert Kesten and many others.

I want to thank Sen. Murphy for his graciousness yesterday and for his service to our district. I wish him and his family all the best. In Albany, I will work hard to represent everybody, not just those who voted for me. I will be accountable for the words I say, the tone I set and the tenor of the work our office does in the community. We have an ambitious legislative agenda to pass in the first 30 days of 2019, including the Reproductive Health Act, Child Victims Act and Red Flag Bill…

“Our nation is dangerously divided… I believe our diversity is our greatest strength and appreciate the support of African American, Hispanic American, Muslim Americans, Jewish Americans our LGBTQ Brothers and sisters–and all Americans throughout the Hudson Valley…”