The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Chappaqua School Foundation

A Fresh Take on Learning in a Time of COVID

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Outdoor Classroom at Robert E. Bell Middle School
Outdoor Classroom at Robert E. Bell Middle School

 

 

 

 

In 2017, Robert E. Bell Middle School’s Student Leadership Council Advisors, Justin Olive and Meredith Green, challenged students to apply for a Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF) grant that would have a meaningful impact on the entire student body. They rose to that challenge with a proposal to transform the courtyard space, which had undergone a recent renovation, into a functional learning environment. The grant noted that forming “an alternative classroom environment centered on outdoor collaboration would be a refreshing change of pace” and would also help parents’, students’ and teachers’ concerns regarding “the isolating nature of devices.” The outdoor classroom was installed at the start of the 2020 school year and the goals that prompted its creation are timelier than ever due to the widely-felt impact of COVID-19.

Today, Olive is in a new role as staff developer & K-12 science coordinator and is looking at the space with fresh eyes. “This year, it’s even harder to create an environment where students have the freedom to move around and collaborate. This space will provide us with that opportunity,” he said. Outfitted with a variety of equipment including whiteboards, yoga mats, and crazy creek chairs, the courtyard now appeals to both form and function. As Green says, “These days, we are constantly reimagining what school looks like and having opportunities for outdoor learning experiences are invaluable. Kids are enjoying using it during lunch time and we foresee it becoming a useful space for us in the middle of this pandemic.”

As teachers and administrators forge a new path to learning, they are leveraging every resource available in new and inventive ways. Strategic partnerships between the schools, community and foundations such as CSF have never been more impactful.

– courtesy of the Chappaqua School Foundation

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

Three Key Organizations Supporting Education in the Chappaqua School District

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Chappaqua School Foundation

The mission of the Chappaqua School Foundation (CSF) is to enhance the education of Chappaqua’s students by fostering innovation and funding meaningful initiatives beyond the scope of the school budget. CSF connects Chappaqua Central School District educators’ creativity, imagination and dedication with community support, engagement and investment. The result: CSF empowers educators to improve the quality of education by making innovation possible throughout the district. Since 1993, CSF has invested nearly 4 million dollars through the funding of over 340 educational grants positively impacting every school, every grade and every student in the District. chappaquaschoolfoundation.org.

Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund

Photo by Grace Bennett

Sending a child to college can be a significant financial challenge. Since its founding in 1946, the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund (HGSF) exists to make up “the difference” between the actual costs of college and all other financial resources available to students and their families (i.e. loans, scholarships, work-study, student and parent savings) by giving grants to Greeley students and alumni to cover these financial deficits. HGSF is a nonprofit organization whose Board of Directors is composed of community members. It is funded by caring neighbors and members of the New Castle community who want to ensure that every student can realize their dream of a college education. hgsf.org

Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program

Photo by Ari Bennett

The Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program (CSSP) was founded in 1968 when two longtime Chappaqua friends despaired over the educational crisis in New York City. Now entering its 51st year, CSSP offers a bridge between the Chappaqua community and students from under-resourced high schools in the Bronx. It is an academic enrichment home stay program during the month of July when 24 rising sophomores, juniors and seniors stay with two different host families and take courses in STEAM, Shakespeare studies, creative writing and film making. Afternoons are spent taking tennis and swim lessons and engaging in community service and other workshops and activities. Students have attended many wonderful colleges and universities, and have gone on to join the workforce in a multitude of professions.

CSSP recently hosted its first annual college transition day for CSSP students entering college in the fall; an active Alumni Association has  been formalizing a mentoring program between CSSP alumni and students in college. chappaquasummerscholarship.com 

Courtesy of the Chappaqua School Foundation, Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund and the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program.

Chappaqua School Foundation Spring Benefit – Friday, April 26th!

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CSF Spring Benefit and Raffle Tickets Now Available Online
April 26 at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club
 
 
Cocktails, Hors D’Oeuvres & Dinner
Silent Auction & Raffles
Grants Showcase Presented by Teachers & Students
Music by:
Horace Greeley Quaker Notes
Horace Greeley Stage Band
Total Entertainment
 
We hope you will join us for a wonderful community evening celebrating our schools.
 
 
Thank you to those families who have agreed to serve on our Benefit and Outreach Committees, our Spring Madness participants, our silent auction donors and our corporate sponsors.
 
The Chappaqua School Foundation Board

Chappaqua School Foundation
P.O. Box 202
Chappaqua, NY 10514
 
 
 

Spotlight on Community Day 2018: A Yearly Tradition Courtesy of the Rotary Club Filled with Fun for All

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Greeley senior Andrew Kassin said the event was a great opportunity to fundraise and raise awareness for the Matthew Larson Foundation, as he and other students sold T-shirts and sweatshirts in remembrance of their classmate, Casey Taub.

The aroma of roasted hot dogs and cotton candy competed with the sounds of guitar strums and cheering children at the 2018 Community Day. The Rotary Club-sponsored event brought more than 70 organizations to the heart of Chappaqua. Kids sporting butterfly face paint and their parents interested in various local groups lined the train station parking lot. The September 15th  event served not only as a community gathering but also as a chance for organizations to network and fundraise.

“We are here to support the community of Chappaqua,” attendee and Chappaqua resident Dara Dubs said. “It is also great to see old and new friends and our kids love going on the rides.”

While groups including the Chappaqua School Foundation and Chappaqua First Responders return to Community Day each year, Tea Town, and the Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors were a few of several organizations who participated in the event for the first time. This year’s Community Day also featured new activities for children, including a pony ride and a scavenger hunt.

But not only did little kids take advantage of what the 2018 event had to offer, Greeley students also attended, performed and volunteered at Community Day. Executives from Greeley’s largest community service organization, S.H.A.R.E, distributed T-shirts for A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure, adding to the bracelets, pins and flying discs that various non-profits and local businesses also circulated.

(L-R): Barbara Klein, George Furman, Donald Roane, Peter Davidson PHOTO BY MADELINE ROSENBERG

Greeley senior Andrew Kassin said the event was a great opportunity to fundraise and raise awareness for the Matthew Larson Foundation, as he and other students sold T-shirts and sweatshirts in remembrance of their classmate, Casey Taub.

“Jonathan Taub’s message has been to keep Casey in everyone’s mind, to keep honoring him and to never forget him,” Kassin said. “Being here is a great way to carry that on.”

As community members of all ages enjoyed the activities that local groups sponsored, Rotary Club of Chappaqua president Eileen Gallagher said Community Day also serves as a natural way to bring attention to the Rotary Club itself.   

“We look forward to more and more people coming each year,” Gallagher said. “We really want people to know we are here for them.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAWN GREENBERG
(L-R): Sarah Platkin, Catherine Zhu, Jordan Rattner, volunteers from S.H.A.R.E.
PHOTO BY MADELINE ROSENBERG