The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Chappaqua library

To all that’s Life Affirming

by

If I had to name my most heart wrenching moments in 18 years of publishing locally, it has been unquestionably reporting or covering the loss of a young life. But they have ironically felt the most meaningful, if only in some tiny, immeasurable way, when sharing the memories of a precious son or daughter provided even the smallest degree of comfort to a grieving parent–and to a community of family, friends, and neighbors in mourning too.

You’ll learn about the remarkable life of a young lady, Linda Zhang, her unyielding passion to save our planet and the impact she had on all those who knew her.

I met Linda’s warm and wonderful parents at an event at the Chappaqua Library earlier this summer when a first Linda Zhang writing award was presented. Writing was another passion of Linda’s. Pamela Brown’s article about Linda and the foundation formed in her honor: www.lindazhangfoundation.org

As we went to press, news came of another devastating loss to the community, that of Danielle Taylor Leventhal, an immensely talented artist described by her family and friends as “a beautiful ray of sunshine and a strong-willed woman.” Danielle’s mom, Jennifer, had sent me her family’s poignant words in a story I then posted about this brilliant, joy-filled young lady. https://www.theinsidepress.com/in-remembrance-of-danielle-taylor-leventhal/

A packed service at Temple Beth El led by Rabbi Jaffe–the remembrances by her family and friends – conveyed the enormity of the love for Danielle and her legacy.

If this letter column feels ‘heavy’ for back- to-school editions, as spotlighted by various stories, I hope you might see it as life affirming instead, because learning more about these two wonderful souls really has been.

Please enjoy all the articles assembled with gratitude and with a hopeful but watchful eye over ‘everything Covid’.  Speaking of gratitude, please don’t miss our stories about the Byram Hills Education Foundation ‘funding our student’s futures’, the New Castle United for Youth ‘EXPERIENCE’, as told by two interns, and one of Byram Hill’s student Anika Bobra who has created a remarkable podcast devoted to promoting gratitude widely.

Personal and family enrichment via fabulous local options are always something to be grateful for.  So, do help celebrate ‘comeback’ events –  Community Day in New Castle, the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, Feed Me Fresh: An Edible Evening. and the Armonk Outdoor Art Show!

Do visit the Chappaqua Library’s new Teen and Children’s Rooms! Do feel inspired by Chappaqua’s Edward Lewis, the new director of Caramoor, and partake in any of its ever exciting programming. And also by Hammond’s executive director Elizabeth Hammer who kindly provided me with a fascinating private tour of this small gem of a Museum and its lush Japanese sculpture gardens.

Finally, I’m well into a second decade supporting the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. Please consider attending/supporting its upcoming annual fundraiser honoring Andrew Greenspan.  https://hhrecny.org/inspire_events/

Here’s also my ‘welcome back’ to you, and my wish to you for love and happiness and to all that’s life affirming.

A Visit Inside the Chappaqua Library’s Spacious New Teen & Children’s Rooms

by

Cathy Paulsen, head of Young Adult Services, Chappaqua Library, and Katherine Whymark, president, Friends of the Chappaqua Library  Photo by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

“Kids come to the library to see other kids; they want to hang out, so we decided teens were going to have their own space,” related Cathy Paulsen on a recent tour of the new Teen Room, and the new Children’s Room, too. Paulson heads young adult services at the Chappaqua Library. A new Teen Room followed a strategic planning decision to meet the challenge of creating an optimal space for the pre-teens and teens who descend into library spaces after school. “There are groups of kids who come; many are middle schoolers from Bell who make heavy use of the library. I can have 200 kids here at times.”

Instrumental has been the support from Friends of the Chappaqua Library. According to Katherine Whymark, Friends’ President, “While the library was still not open to the public during the pandemic shutdown, the Teen Room approached the Friends in the fall of 2020 to complete the project with new technology… and, we said yes.” The now new and inviting space with comfortable seating comes “complete with smart boards hooked up so the kids can work on assignments,” said Paulsen.  

“The smart boards we funded have already been put to great use; one is wall mounted and permanent to the Teen space,” added Whymark. “The other is mobile and can be moved and used throughout the library, by all departments.

The new space continues to evolve and may include a café’ and even one novel item: sewing machines! “Kids are really into repurposing things,” said Paulsen. We can work with WLS (the Westchester Library System), and teach them how to sew.” 

The Friends funding covered $15,000 of technology for the new Teen Room, including eight new chromebooks, three drawing pads and two Google Jamboards (identical to the tools used at the middle and high school).  

A new garden–located outside the room’s slider doors–drew teens planting seeds with help from staff and community garden volunteers. The kids help maintain the garden which produces potatoes, squash, flowers, cilantro, basil, parsley and more.

The Teen Room and its initiatives are just one aspect of funding from the Friends, a non-profit 501c3 group and fundraising arm of the library which generously approved over $60,000 for new furniture and technology tools for the renovated Chappaqua Library.

Wall-mounted Jamboard in new Teen Room and 4 of 8 Chromebooks for teens to use.

The Friends fundraise year-round to support initiatives for the library that are above and beyond the operating budget. The current construction has been going on since 2018, as part of the bond for all the Chappaqua School buildings. The Chappaqua Library building is a school district building, but it is run independently.

Chappaqua Library Children’s Room

Children’s Room Highlights

The Friends’ funding has included over $35,000 for the new Children’s Room, including the custom service desk, two built-in benches, and reupholstering two couches and a chair. According to Robbin Friedman, head of children’s services: “The children’s room staff are so delighted to sit at our beautiful new service desk in our light-filled room, thanks to the Friends. With refurbished couches and a brand-new window-seat bench, we look forward to seeing the community enjoy our new space as much as we do.”

A remaining $10,000 was allocated to new study room furniture, including a conference table, eight chairs, and a glass white board. The new study room is adjacent to the new Teen Room, and the furniture is in the process of being ordered. With more and more patrons wanting to sit outdoors, the Friends also funded four new outdoor tables and 16 new chairs, along with a rented tent for the courtyard during the summer. The gated courtyard is open to all library patrons, and access is available from the library gallery. 

The Daniel Silva Interview

The Friends were back to active fundraising with a first virtual author interview fundraiser. The event held July 20 featured The Cellist, Daniel Silva’s new spy novel. Ronni Diamondstein, Chappaqua Library Board President, interviewed Silva. “This opens the possibility of more virtual author fundraisers in the future, as well as hybrid events (blended virtual and in-person attendance),” said Whymark.

Looking Ahead

At press time, a pop-up book market was planned for the train parking lot in August.

The Friends Annual Book Sale is returning April 25, 2022, promising over 30 miles of used books to purchase!

The library is now open to the public Monday –Thursday, 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Come see all the new furniture and new spaces!

DANIEL SILVA in Chappaqua on July 20! Register and Save the Date

by

Excitement Builds for Friends of Chappaqua Library First Time Virtual Fundraiser Featuring Internationally Renowned Author Daniel Silva on July 20

Chappaqua Library Board President Ronni Diamondstein to Moderate

Daniel Silva   Photo By Marco Grob

Chappaqua, NY–Whether you are a long-time avid reader of Daniel Silva’s wildly popular Gabriel Allon series, or new to this internationally renowned author’s New York Times best-selling titles, everyone is invited to register for and enjoy a Friends of the Chappaqua Library first time virtual fundraiser featuring an interview with Silva on July 20.

Chappaqua Library board president Ronni Diamondstein, a long-time journalist as well, will be moderating the event and interviewing Silva about his writing career and his latest title, The Cellist, a thriller with plot twists galore surrounding Russian money laundering and a secret plot to undermine Western democracy. 

“Silva’s books are amazingly popular; women all over the world have fallen in love with Gabriel Allon!” said Diamondstein, in a pre-event interview with the Inside Press. “It will be fascinating to speak with him about the writing process. He is prescient with a real knack for tying things to current events.”

The event also represents a wonderful opportunity for the Friends’ group to catch up on a shortfall of about $60,000 following the cancellation of three years of the Chappaqua Friends Annual Used Book Sales–the first year due to construction, and for two years, due to Covid, related Katherine Whymark, a Greeley grad who has headed the Friends since 2015. The bond had been approved for the school district, Whymark explained, and construction started for the new Children’s Room in the fall of 2018. The Children’s Room was moved to the theatre during construction. Meanwhile, The Friends Annual Used Book Sale will be resuming in April 2022 (exact dates still to be determined).

“Things got really quiet from a fundraising standpoint,” lamented Whymark. “While in pandemic mode and still in lockdown, Joan Kuhn, director of programming for the Chappaqua Library, suggested a virtual fundraiser.” While in person author events are ultimately preferred, added Whymark, and expected to return this fall, if successful, the virtual option could prove useful in the future too, as needed, in the event of inclement weather, for example.

The Friends operates as a not-for-profit fundraising arm of the Chappaqua Library, providing funding for purchases outside the scope of what the budget might allow. Friends raise funds year-round for the library, and the funds are used for programs and furniture (most often). “We recently funded $58,000 of requested furniture and technology for the Children’s Room, Teen Room and outdoor courtyard,” said Whymark. “The money raised in this fundraiser will be used for 2022 book clubs run by the library.”

The Friends collaborated with Scattered Bookstore in Chappaqua to produce the event. For $32, you can pick up a signed book and attend the event. For $30, you can receive a signed book only–that’s for anyone who can’t make the event on 7/20, but would still like to purchase Silva’s signed book. A $5 option is available for anyone to watch and listen only without a book purchase. To register for the July 20 event, which begins at 7:30 p.m. (the event will not be recorded), please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daniel-silva-book-event-fundraiser-tickets-159917334051

Diamondstein, Whymark said, was given an advance copy of The Cellist so she could prepare her questions ahead of time. “Daniel Silva’s publicist wanted someone with journalism experience who was also very involved in the community,” she said, and Diamondstein as the head of the library board and a healthy list of publishing credits, easily fit the bill. Chappaqua Library Director Andrew Farber will welcome Silva to the Chappaqua Library as will Whymark who will also introduce Diamondstein as the moderator.

Diamondstein said those registering for the event and purchasing Silva’s new title are in for a treat. “His books are page turners in which the unexpected will happen,” she said. “And one is never disappointed with the outcome.”

41st Young Writers Contest Award Winners PLUS a First Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement to Erica Dunne

by

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang with Erica Dunne, the first recipient of the annual Linda Zhang Foundation Award for Writing Achievement. Photo by Leslie Fass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           The Young Writers Contest is sponsored annually by Friends of the Chappaqua Library.

Chappaqua, NY— A 41st Young Writers Contest Awards ceremony was held on June 2 at the Chappaqua Library. The annual writers’ contest held for middle and high school students was created to recognize and encourage emerging young writers in New Castle. Friends of the Chappaqua Library, the fundraising committee for the library, sponsors this contest. Membership donations and the annual Book Sale support the awards. The awards are divided into categories of non-fiction, fiction and poetry. 

Following the ceremony, the Friends also presented its first inaugural “Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement” to Greeley senior Erica Dunne who has won multiple awards in the Young Writers Contest in all three categories. The Linda J. Zhang Foundation, https://lindazhang.org/home/, was established by Linda Zhang’s parents Mingbao Zhang and Li Tang after Linda passed away last year. This first time writing award is made possible by the foundation, in its inaugural year, in remembrance of Linda. The foundation was also established in commemoration of Linda’s passion for the environment. Her parents have raised $32,000.00 thus far in her honor.

Chappaqua Library director Andrew Farber thanked everyone involved in the event. The President of the Friends of the Chappaqua Library Katherine Whymark quoted from Star Wars giving the young writers hope to continue their writing endeavors.  “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you can see it you’ll never make it through the night.”

The recipients of the Young Writers Contest Awards were as follows:

High School

Non Fiction:

  • Alexa Troob, 1st place
  • Tuan Anh Dang, 1st place
  • Reshmita Nayudu, 1st place
  • Fiona Nelson, Ashlee Rothenberg, Honorable Mentions

Fiction:

  • Hudson Warm, 1st placew
  • Sumer Moudgill, 2nd place
  • Rene Hollister and Summer Moudgill, 3rd place
  • Angelique Wheeler and Luke Montano, Honorable Mentions

Poetry:

  • Claire Nam, 1st place
  • Angelique Wheeler, 2nd place
  • Marko Arbolda 3rd place
  • Devisi Goel and Mia Vieira , Honorable Mentions

 

Middle School:

Non Fiction:

  • Deven Amrute, 1st place
  • Idan Yedid 2nd place
  • Naveen Talla 3rd place
  • Jenna Rosenberg, Meadow Zhang and Noah Rock received Honorable Mention

  Fiction:

  • Logan Kreisberg, 1st Place
  • Meadow Zhang, 2nd Place
  • Nikhil Singhal, 3rd Place
  • Warren Fu and Austin Brennan, Honorable Mention

Poetry:

  • Aadhya Vihil, 1st Place
  • Eliza Fink, 2nd Place
  • Sophia Levenson, 3rd Place
  • Megan Slomsky, Honorable Mention

 

 

 

 

New Role for the Ever Versatile Ronni Diamondstein

by

Ronni Diamondstein and Maggie Mae  Photo by Carolyn Simpson

“It’s Cuomo time!” Ronni Diamondstein calls to her best friend and pet poodle. 

The sound of dog tags jingling signals the incoming arrival of Maggie Mae, the 13-year-old black and white parti toy poodle, who jumps up on the couch, snuggles up next to her mom and watches Governor Cuomo’s daily coronavirus briefings on the TV. 

The middle of March 2020 meant that quarantine was in full-swing and the only thing set in stone was Maggie Mae getting a treat at 11 a.m. right before Cuomo was about to start. 

If you know Diamondstein, then you know Maggie. The two of them have been inseparable ever since 2008, when the dynamic duo began. You’ve probably seen them in town on walks or maybe you’ve even seen Maggie painted on the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival mural. 

Although they were seemingly attached at the hip before, if this pandemic has done anything, it has brought the two of them even closer together. 

“We got into new routines…Having another living creature in the house is comforting,” 

Diamondstein said. “She’s good company, she’s funny and she has very good self-esteem. I like when she walks in town; she has a good sense of herself. She’s a lot like me in that she likes her alone time but she also likes to see people. And she’s also very curious.”

Maggie is basically a town celebrity. She loves walking around town and checking in on her favorite merchants, ensuring that everyone and everything is just the way it should be. She must’ve gotten that from her mom, for Diamondstein puts a lot of effort into making this town even greater than before.

The philosophy “make where you are  better because you’re there” is one that Diamondstein has tried to follow her whole life. Whether it be in Chappaqua, White Plains or the Netherlands, she has strived to make an impact wherever her time is spent. 

It’s safe to say that mission has been accomplished over and over and over, starting every single morning on Facebook. 

Social media these days can be a source of unwanted negative energy or controversial content, leaving many of us with the urge to drop our phones at the bottom of a lake and never see them ever again. But if you become friends with Diamondstein on Facebook…you might change your mind!

She starts each morning by posting an inspirational quote as a way of communicating her thoughts and getting her friends to think about certain things. You know what they say, a quote from Ronni a day keeps the doctors away! 

The quote that inspired her way of life? 

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  – John F. Kennedy

And inspire her way of life it did, even early on, as Diamondstein won her high school senior award for excellence in service. But her passion for helping her community didn’t stop there. It just got started. 

After vacationing in the Netherlands, she ended up getting a job as a school librarian at an American international school where she started a gifted program. Working at one of those schools had always been a dream of hers. 

A few years later, she came back to the states and settled in Westchester, where she was a library media specialist in the White Plains schools for 20 years. Among other things, she has served as the Chairman of the Adult Education Committee at Temple Beth El, Board Member of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, League of Women Voters of New Castle and the New Castle Community Media Center, creative behind the Maggie Mae Pup Reporter Column, member of the New Castle Council for Race and Equity and the Katonah Museum Artists’ Association, provider of beautiful nature photos for local exhibits and more. 

“And now, the most amazing thing that I am doing, because libraries have been my life’s work…In 2017 I was elected to the Chappaqua Library Board and as of October, I’ve been the acting President…” Diamondstein said. 

Since January, Diamondstein has served as the President of the Chappaqua Library Board for the ‘21 year. 

“I’m very humbled to have this responsibility. I’ve worked very hard as a board member, in looking at really taking my responsibility seriously…I’m very optimistic about how things will go.” 

She pitched the idea of having MSNBC political analyst and author Rick Tyler speak at the library, offering to do the interview herself since she is a seasoned journalist. The idea was well-received and in January, she interviewed Tyler over Zoom about his new book. 

“I told Joan Kuhn, the program director, that she’s made one of my dreams come true. I always wanted to do what Barbara Walters did, interview people like that on television…I’m really excited about it.” 

Throughout the last year, the library has seen some major changes with their renovations and of course, the pandemic. With curbside pickup, new online book discussions and even a website feature that allows you to chat with a librarian, the library “has done a great job of connecting with the community.” 

Eventually, Diamondstein is hopeful that more kids and teenagers will gravitate toward coming back to the library due to a brand new teen area with new technology similar to the kind that is provided at school. 

Being in the book biz, her favorite one is a children’s book about a dog. It’s called Dominic by William Steig and it’s one she thinks every adult should read, saying “it’s just really a story about life.” She gives it as a gift often, even giving one to President Clinton at one point. 

Throughout the pandemic, while reading is probably an activity that was done to combat quarantine, Diamondstein has been keeping busy doing other things as well. Whether it’s baking her Amazing Double Chocolate Brownies, speaking to at least two friends daily or doing Facetime Pilates, she “just [took] one day at a time.” 

“Peonies”, one of Ronni’s favorite flowers that she photographed at the NYBG was an entry in the Katonah Museum of Art Artists Association Member Show in November 2019.
Photo by Ronni Diamondstein
© 2019 Ronni Diamondstein, All Rights Reserved

The way Diamondstein saw it was, “You had to find joy every day during this pandemic in the little things.” 

Perhaps the most important little thing to happen over these last months? 

Maggie Mae’s Bark Mitzvah! Mazel Tovs are in order in the Diamondstein household because Maggie Mae officially became a young lady in October during Temple Beth El’s Noah’s Bark service. People hopped onto the Zoom call with their pets and Maggie got to celebrate with her friends and family which hopefully made up for the fact that “she has noticed that people, nobody pets her when [she] goes for walks anymore…” 

While Diamondstein is lucky to be able to celebrate the little moments during these times, she also recognizes that there are others who are struggling. This past June for her birthday, she raised over $3,000 for Feeding Westchester to support her concern of food insecurity problems that only grew with the pandemic. In the past she has also helped fundraising efforts for the Amy Marie Crabtree Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

Although there are currently no longer daily Cuomo briefings for Maggie Mae to watch, at least there are three things we can still rely on: Diamondstein gets flowers every week from Whispering Pines in town, which remind her of her time in Holland, she has switched out the Brownie Starmite camera for her iPhone 11Pro but is still taking photos of flowers and she is still doing everything she can to make a mark where she lives. 

Which makes us wonder…what will she do next?