The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

In and Around Town

The Harlem Wizards are Coming to Town!

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Chappaqua’s favorite day of hoops and alley oops is back on Sunday, January 26that 1:30 pm. Come watch the beloved teachers of the Chappaqua Challengers as they take on the Harlem Wizards! This annual highly anticipated event, hosted by the Chappaqua School Foundation, is the definition of local family fun. Not only an opportunity to support your schools, it’s guaranteed laughs as the tables are turned and the kids cheer on their teachers.

Make this event even more memorable by purchasing the coveted Benchwarmer or Courtside Plus VIP seats! Both include premier seating, a meet & greet with the Wizards, a souvenir lanyard, team poster and discount on team jerseys.  The newly introduced Benchwarmer seats, however, is the only way to watch the action straight from the Wizards bench and includes a half-court photo opp.

Don’t miss out on the fun and purchase tickets today.

Courtesy of the Chappaqua School Foundation

Chappaqua Teens Get into the Right Zone

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Decoupage-project14Who better to run a teen activity than a teen?

That’s the thinking at the Chappaqua Library’s Teen Zone, where several Horace Greeley High School students are running programs for their peers and middle-schoolers.

For Girl Scout Kate Rosenberg, sharing her love of crocheting would have been part of her Gold Award project even it wasn’t a requirement.

“I’ve always loved to crochet, and regretted the fact a large percentage of the population has no idea what crocheting is, let alone how to do it. This seemed like the perfect way to spread something I love,” she says. “I chose the library because I wanted somewhere community-oriented. It seemed like the best way to have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people.”

Another Girl Scout, Lauren Berger, channeled her love of reading into a book group for middle-schoolers. Lucas Lande, an avid player of the card game Magic: The Gathering teaches skills and strategy to classmates.

“The kids know what they like and what their friends like, so whenever a student has an idea for a program, we’re very receptive,” says Donna Pesce, Teen Librarian.

“My goal was to get more middle-school kids reading. Many think that it is “uncool” to read for fun. I wanted to get kids excited about reading and get them reading more than just what they are assigned,” says Lauren, whose monthly book club is part of her Gold Award project.

Michael-Friedland-14Finding a regular time and place to play Magic: The Gathering wasn’t easy for Lucas and his fellow card- game players, so his Magic sessions in the Teen Zone really fill a need, he says. They’ve gotten so popular, he’s now holding them once a week instead of once a month. Both seasoned players and newcomers are welcome.

Student Initiated Programs

“It’s fun to teach new players. I usually suggest they play one deck exclusively until they’ve memorized each card and know what to do with it,” he says. His experience in the Teen Zone has inspired him to look into starting a Magic club at school, he notes.

Other student-initiated programs include anime festivals, decoupage projects and video gaming sessions. Some programs, started a year or two ago by Teen Zone alumni, have been so popular that a new crop of student leaders took them over.

A few times each school year, Michael Sayers, a page at the Library, holds court over middle- and high-schoolers playing Halo 4 and Forza on the library’s X-Box 360. The sessions were originally organized by then-Library Page Matt Jaselove, now a college student. Michael, a long-time gamer himself, enjoys watching the kids 
have fun.

“It used to be that you had to be in the same room with your friends if you were doing a multi-player game, so it was a social experience. These sessions are sort of harking back to those days,” he said.

During the summer of 2013, Teen Zone regulars decoupaged a coffee table to go with the couch in the TZ area. They enjoyed the experience so much that when the project’s coordinator, Claire Cohen left for college, current HGHS freshman Michael Friedland took it over.

“Building something as a group is fun and it’s great to see the completed project. It’s also fun teaching people how to do it,” says Michael, admitting that “getting people to listen” is the hardest part of running the program.

Alumna Cohen is scheduled to return to the Teen Zone this summer to run a series of duct-tape craft workshops. All things anime appeal to Junior Andrew Kihara so he organizes anime festivals, featuring a story-board/collage craft, origami, Japanese food and a notable film. “We used to go to the New York City Comic-Con, but then we decided to hold our own “convention” at the library,” says Andrew, who, with his mother, screens the movie in advance to make sure it’s a winner. Many participants do both the origami, a traditional Japanese craft, and the 
contemporary storyboard project.

A Welcoming Environment

“The best part about running festivals like these is you get to see the kids have fun playing with foreign traditions. They get to experience a lot of Japan’s meta culture and it’s always nice to see them excited to do something new,” he notes.

“We’re happy to provide an opportunity for our teen patrons to try out their ideas in a welcoming, comfortable environment,” says Pesce. “We like to have a variety of activities to appeal to as many interests as possible. Libraries today are really community activity centers–they’re not just for reading anymore,” she notes.

Most Teen Zone programs are scheduled for Friday afternoons and occasionally Friday evenings. Pesce says it’s a good “decompression” day and the activities allow the students to make the transition from school mode to a generally less-structured weekend schedule.

From Student to Scientist – Greeley’s Science Research 
Program Turns Out Some of the Best and the Brightest

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President Obama making a speech to the 40 Intel Finalists.
President Obama making a speech to the 40 Intel Finalists.

By Amanda H. Cronin

The first image that may come to mind when you hear the words “science fair” is a lopsided, paper maché, volcano erupting “lava.” You know, the classic baking powder and vinegar experiment. But what is really going on at these science fairs is far more impressive and innovative.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, May 11-16. Horace Greeley High School Senior Alex Kaufman was among some 1,600 high school students from around the country participating in the fair for the ultimate prize: a scholarship worth $75,000.

ISEF, the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, provides a framework for aspiring young researchers, like Alex, to showcase their independent research and compete for more than $4 million in awards. Millions of students worldwide start out competing in local and school-sponsored science fairs, and if selected, go head-to-head in the final event with peers from over 70 countries, regions and territories. At a local fair in March, Alex was named one of the top ten researchers in Westchester and Putnam counties, which qualified him to advance to the final round.

Alex is part of Horace Greeley’s Science Research program, a three-year, application-based science course that allows students to independently explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) topics of their own choosing, be it climate change, cancer research or molecular biology.

Science teacher Trudy Gessler leads many of the classes for the program. “We have many talented and passionate students in Science Research,” said Dr. Gessler. “Their research and experiments are all conducted under the supervision of a research scientist/mentor, sometimes in a research lab and sometimes right here on campus.”

Alex Kaufman with his poster at Intel WESEF
Alex Kaufman with his poster at Intel WESEF

Alex’s interest is in the area of immunology. His project focuses on the Hepatitis B virus and constructing a special type of viral clone to function exactly like Hepatitis B, except that it causes cells to fluoresce upon infection. Alex conducted his research in the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease at The Rockefeller University in New York City.

Alex’s story is not the only success story in the program. This past year, 12 students received awards for their projects at various fairs and competitions. Junior Riya Verma’s poster was given 1st place in the Category of Medicine and Health at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. “I have always been interested in applications of computer science in medicine, and Science Research has given me an opportunity to pursue it,” said Riya.

Anubhav Guha’s award-winning project took him to the White House. Anubhav’s research deals with extending the lifetime of dye molecules. For his research Anubhav placed as a finalist in the Intel competition and semi-finalist in the Siemens competition. He even got to shake hands with President Obama!

“I’ve always been interested in science– its really satisfying and neat to be able to fully understand a topic, or to be able to find something completely new that no one else has ever found,” said Anubhav.

Mrs. Patricia Donovan heads up Greeley’s Science department. “Science education is more important today than it has ever been. It is important to have a good science education to be competitive in today’s world. As global citizens, we all need to understand how the elements of our surroundings function so that we can make sense of the information made available to us.”

As a fellow Greeley student and new Science Researcher, I asked Alex for some advice. “You have been provided an incredible opportunity. You may come out of this research experience knowing that you want to be a scientist for the rest of your life. You could also come out of it knowing that you never want to go near a pipette again! So go into this excited about what you will learn about your field and what you will learn about yourself. There are so many fascinating fields, so search long and hard for something that absolutely captivates you– it’s definitely out there!”

Alex, Riya, and Anubhav are truly inspirational. There’s no doubt that these science research students are some of the brightest “cells” in our student body. Their findings could potentially help people in meaningful ways and influence current scientific practices. Seeing their accomplishments makes me excited to hone in on my own science topic and gain experience through interacting with professionals in the field.

Science can be very daunting and complex. But it is fascinating and extremely important for our understanding of the world and how it works. It’s thrilling to know that right here at Greeley we have some of the best and the brightest.

To find out more about ISEF and the Siemens Competition visit: https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-isef and http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/competition.htm

Amanda H. Cronin is a freshman at Horace Greeley High School. She loves the six Fs: Food, Fashion, Football (Soccer), Friends, Family and Felines.

MHA’s 5K Run/Walk & 1-Mile Kids’ Race: Feel good, DO GOOD!

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MHA on the Move 2013 For Web Rosmarie F (21)On Sunday, May 4th, you can  go the extra kilometer for mental health in our community. Whether you run or walk or volunteer, your participation helps raise the money that makes mental health services more accessible to community members who need it most. With the data now showing that 1 in 5 live with a mental health condition, more effective help and better resources are essential.

The Mental Health Association of Westchester’s MHA on the move 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Kids’ Race is from 8am to noon at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, NY. Celebrating ten years, it’s an inspiring, fun, family-friendly community-wide event. Eight-time Emmy winner, WCBS’s Lou Young will kick off the event along with 10th Anniversary co-chairs Ann Mandel Laitman from Bedford, Amy Collins, of Somers and Randi Silverman, from Dobbs Ferry. Race Ambassadors include Chappaqua’s Cathy Gursha,  Seven Bridges Middle School librarian, Karen Baker, Nyna Giles,  Karen Bloom, Lori Zakalik and Dennis Noskin.

Children get their own fun warm-up and 1-Mile Kids’ Race (ages 4-12) plus ribbons for each runner and medals for the top three girls and boys. Everyone gets healthy food and a fun morning in the park. All participants receive a free t-shirt. Runners enjoy a race timed by the Taconic Road Runners with medals awarded in each age category as well as overall top male/female. Walkers get a 5K walk in the park.  Parking is free.  For more information and to register, visit www.mhawestchester.org

MHA is a community-based mental health agency that has been helping Westchester County residents for 68 years through direct services, professional and community education and advocacy. MHA supports 18,000 individuals annually through a comprehensive array of mental health services striving to help each individual to achieve their personal goals and to lead independent and healthy lives.

Photo credit:  Rosemarie Feichtl

 

 

Valentine’s Day, 2014: Snow Art!

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Following a Houlihan Lawrence office contest inviting staff to submit their favorite snow scene or snowman picture, “Snowy Peter,” a skiing snowman built by the Kimtis family won (submitted to IC by mom, Karen).
Following a Houlihan Lawrence office contest inviting staff to submit their favorite snow scene or snowman picture, “Snowy Peter,” a skiing snowman built by the Kimtis family won (submitted to IC by mom, Karen).

Getting plastered with mounds and mounds of thigh high fine soft snow on Valentine’s Day might have caused municipal and school headaches galore (including using up the allotted number of school closings), but it just brought out the snow artist in others. A call on Facebook for snow art submissions brought many works to our attention! Here’s a sampling.

Snow Igloo: By the Hessert boys of Chappaqua.
Snow Igloo: By the Hessert boys of Chappaqua.
Mr. Snow hears of the upcoming snow storm! By Colin, Liam & Ayden Dunne
Mr. Snow hears of the upcoming snow storm! By Colin, Liam & Ayden Dunne
Snow Dog by Katie Kim, a senior at Horace Greeley High School
Snow Dog by Katie Kim, a senior at Horace Greeley High School
“Snowman” by second grader Ava Fleisher
“Snowman” by second grader Ava Fleisher