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Four Outstanding Firefighters Honored at Mid-Westchester Elks Awards Dinner

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June 12, 2019, Armonk, NY — Colorful accolades and honorary plaques were presented to four exemplary community firefighters by fellow firefighters and by Elks leader James Comstock of the Mid-Westchester Elks Lodge #535. Last year the Elks honored police officers; this year the focus was on recognizing the contributions of outstanding firefighters.

Dozens of Elks members together with family and friends gathered to honor the recipients and enjoy the lovely ceremony and a delicious home cooked dinner–all of which took place during the 2019 First Responders Appreciation Awards Dinner at the Armonk American Legion Post 1097.

From Left: 1st Lt. William Sullivan Jr. and his daughter Shannon. To the right of Sullivan, White Plains Firefighter Richard Constantino with his three children and Armonk Fire Dept.’s Ex-Chief Mitch Sime and Firefighter Buddy Schultz.
The honorees were called up in the order of most years of service. Ex Chief Mitch Sime, for 62 years of service with the Armonk Fire Department, received the honor for his immense dedication to the department and for his guidance and leadership to numerous firefighters spanning decades of his professional and big-hearted service.

Next, Armonk Fire Department’s firefighter Buddy Schultz, was honored for 52 years of service and called “another staple in our community, a huge asset to the firehouse, a top daytime ambulance driver who ensures people receive life-saving care in a timely manner. Not only is he a firefighter but also serves as a commissioner too to make sure the firehouse runs smoothly.” Firefighter Schultz was also described as one of the department’s top drivers and trainers. “He makes sure everyone stays safe in the process.”

Westchester Fire Emerald Society Pipe & Drum outside of American Legion Post 1097 in Armonk.

A decorated Marine and 3rd generation firefighter, 1st Lt. William Sullivan, Jr., of the Portchester Fire Department, was honored for his 50 years of service, and also for his many public service and educational accomplishments–including being a nationally certified fire instructor and investigator. After fighting the North Vietnamese army in the Marine unit, Delta Company one Battalion Five, for 10 months and nine days, Sullivan was wounded three times in combat. Following honorable discharges, he became the recipient of two Purple Hearts. His public service includes being the last founding member of the Westchester Fire Emerald Society Pipe & Drum, which escorted the recipients into the lodge (and who later performed Amazing Grace).

A fourth honoree, Richard Constantino, a firefighter for the City of White Plains, “currently oversees medical equipment inventory and deployment  as well as communicating EMS protocols,” related a fellow firefighter who said the award was forthcoming after Constantino “was instrumental in two life-saving actions” including ones involving stabilizing a young adult following a drug overdose and another, saving the life of a 4-year-old child with CPR following a food choking incident. “He is a positive role model and mentor for his children as well as for the firefighters he works with.”

Prior to the awards, Elks leader Anthony Gilberti explained the role the Elks play in U.S. history. These honors took place just two days before June 14, the formal, national observation of Flag Day. The Elks is the nation’s only fraternal body to formally observe Flag Day, he said. After explaining the evolution of the U.S. Flag, Gilberti read that “upon its scrolls is written the story of Americans, the epic, the mightiest, and noblest of all history.”

The evening ended with everyone enjoying a slice of the delicious strawberry shortcake from the DiMare Bakery in Stamford.

Strong Showing at Upstate Science Competition for Byram Hills Teens

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L-R: Emma Lucchino, Joshua Freedman, Renner Kwittken

Byram Hills High School’s Joshua Freedman won the top prize and a $2,000 scholarship and Renner Kwittken finished fourth at the Upstate New York Junior Science and Humanities Symposium last month.

The strong finish allows both seniors in the high school’s three-year Authentic Science Research Program to advance to the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico in late April.

At the regional competition held on March 27 and 28 at the University at Albany, Joshua and Renner were among the six finalists who competed by giving 12-minute presentations on their research. Joshua competed in the biomedical science category; Renner’s work was in the biochemistry category.

“I am very proud of them both,” said Stephanie Greenwald, Director of the Byram Hills Authentic Science Research Program. “They worked extremely hard at articulating complex scientific research so the public can understand the work they’re passionate about. It’s always nice to see more students in the science research program being recognized for their outstanding work.”

Joshua’s research focused on targeting nanoparticles for cancer diagnosis and treatment. His project involved creating a novel targeted anti-cancer nanoparticle that binds to a receptor only expressed in cancer. He found that his nanoparticle specifically bound to cancer cells in vitro. In the future, this could allow doctors to create sharper and more accurate images of tumors.

Renner’s work also involved nanoparticles. The goal of his research was to enhance the delivery of nanoparticles, small medicines that are less than the width of a strand of hair. He synthesized three novel nanoparticles and improved their delivery using a standard FDA-approved chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide. His results were found in mice models and could potentially work in clinical trials, moving nanoparticles into the forefront of anti-cancer therapy.

In New Mexico, Joshua will compete with an oral presentation. Renner will be a poster presenter.

Also in Albany, Byram Hills senior Emma Lucchino won third place as a poster presenter. She analyzed the relationship between the bacteria living in our gut and in our immune system.

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!

Memories Made during Huge Turnout at the 6th Annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

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PHOTO BY BO SANDERS

The sixth annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival was held on Saturday, September 29th at the Robert E. Bell Middle School’s grounds. With a bright blue sky above, smiling faces all around, overjoyed kids playing and browsing their favorite books, the festival was a special and memorable day for the approximate 7,000 local book lovers as well as visitors from as far away as Boston, Albany, Maryland and New York City.

The goal of this year’s festival was to attract people from all backgrounds and expose children to authors and books about different cultures. The festival showcased a diverse group of 95 authors. The festival exceeded its expectations as the kids were quite eager to learn about the unique culture and diversity around them through the pages of books and conversations with the authors.

The event saw a huge turnout this year. Dawn Greenberg, the event organizer, said “The police estimated there were at least 7,000 attendees. Last year we had about 6,000. We worked very hard to get the word out throughout schools in Westchester County, lower Connecticut and New York City. Our goal was to have every child in the area attend and get a book.” The festival sold more than 9,000 books.

Rye Brook resident Michael Barnett attended the book festival with his two daughters. He stated “I’ve been to this book festival several times. This is the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen. We did notice a lot of books with characters of different races and ethnicities and I think it’s great.”

Inside Chappaqua asked several authors and illustrators “What does diversity at the festival mean to you?”

Torrey Maldonado, who was voted a “Top 10 Latino Author” and best Middle Grade and Young Adult novelist for African Americans, uses his students and his experiences in his work. He said “Being here at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is amazing. I feel like I am more at an amusement park. Because every book is a different journey, different thrill ride.  You can get elementary, early childhood books or just enjoy something fun and thrilling at that level. I have met a lot of different people here from different places so it seems to be like the United Nations, but about books.”

Jerry Craft, an illustrator and author who has won five African American Literary awards, said  “It’s showing the crowd different kinds of books that they may not necessarily be familiar with. Whether it is boys having books that have female characters, African American characters or Latino characters. That’s something I always try to vary in my work.”

John Parry is an illustrator. “I think diversity represents all of us. For me, most of my book focuses on Latino culture or other different cultures.  Growing up, all my friends were from different backgrounds and different families and learning from each one of those families is so important. I think that helps to influence me in my work. Having the background I have is a very positive thing for me. So, I celebrate those things. Like diversity, the more the merrier, and everyone is invited to the party.”

Vivek Agastya is a Chappaqua resident who thinks it is important for his kids to be exposed to diversity in literature: “As the dad to two Chappaqua girls that are part of a minority community, I think it’s helpful for my kids to be able to experience literature that has a diverse theme. The diversity theme of the festival gives me a chance to expose them to that.”

MORE PHOTOS BY BO SANDERS

 

 

Sandy Hook Victim’s Mother Scarlett Lewis Explains to Students How Love Empowers

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Sandy Hook Victim’s Mothers Scarlett Lewis Presented the Keynote Address at the 17th Annual Human Rights Institute held by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

March 15, 2019, New Rochelle– Held at Iona College, The Human Rights Institute for High School Student Leaders promotes student awareness of human rights issues on both local and global levels, and empowers students to become Upstanders by creating and implementing Action Plans of their own.

Almost 500 high school students and 45 teachers from 44 high schools* attended.

Scarlett Lewis addressing students   Will Landin Photography

Millie Jasper, Executive Director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center gave the opening remarks, followed by a rousing speech by Westchester County Executive George Latimer.

Scarlett Lewis, mother of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis and founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, delivered the keynote speech.

“Scarlett Lewis emphasized the importance of empowering youth by choosing love over angry thoughts, inspiring bravery, and being an Upstander. This message reflects what we try to promote through our annual Human Rights Institute, to inspire students to make a difference and to take positive action for change,” said Julie Scallero, Co-Director of Education at The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.

The students then broke up into small groups to workshop key topics of interest such as DACA, the #MeToo movement, Human Trafficking and more.**

Will Landin Photography

Judith Altmann, Holocaust survivor and member of the Speakers Bureau at the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, also relayed her story of survival to the students.

Judith Altmann, Holocaust Survivor and member of the Speakers Bureau for the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center   Will Landin Photography

The following Student Leader Awards were issued:
2018 Richard A. Berman Leadership Award to Elena Cohen of Somers High School
2018 Neil Ginsberg Student “Upstander” Award to Hannah Sophia Soloway of Walter Panas High School
2018 Andy Cahn Student “Community Service” Award to Anuk DeSilva of Walter Panas High School.

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center hosts the Institute to enhance the teaching and learning of the lessons of the Holocaust to support the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect.

For more information please contact Millie Jasper, Executive Director, at (914) 696-0738 or mjasper@hhrecny.org.

 

George Latimer, Millie Jasper, Joseph Kaidanow