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College

Now, Can You Spell … Perspicacious?

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The 9th Annual Spelling Bee Raises over $22,000 to Benefit the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund

Senior Scholarship SHARE Members (L-R): Niamh O’Connor, Jordan Ratner and Olivia Ruggiero PHOTO BY SABRA STAUDENMAIER

The eve of Election Day in Chappaqua was quiet, dark and rainy. Students were still acclimating to losing light early in the night, since time had fallen behind by an hour the day before. Schools would be closed the following day for voting that had been anticipated for two long years. The streets were calm, yet the Horace Greeley High School gymnasium was alive with eagerness and anticipation.

Students, faculty, parents and community members were gathered together in a united purpose. It wasn’t for a basketball game or a wrestling match. The words that best suit this event were not Lay-Up or Pinfall. They were words like “crustacean”, “tinnitus”, “chrysanthemum”, “pharaoh” and “perspicacious”.

The mascot of the night was not a Quaker; it was a Bumble Bee. The event taking place was the 9th Annual Spelling Bee. The excitement in the gym was palpable.

The “Bee” is an upbeat and lively event enjoyed by participants and spectators alike. It is organized and run by Horace Greeley High School’s SHARE (Students Have a Responsibility Everywhere) student community service volunteer group. The proceeds raised benefit the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund (HGSF), which is an organization that helps Greeley graduates fund their post-secondary education. Competing teams were comprised of families, students, members of the community and faculty. There are no restrictions on who can participate, all are welcome.

There were two energized and playful four-feet-tall bumble bees buzzing around, generating enthusiasm. There were balloons, refreshments and prizes. A row of tables crossed the middle of the gymnasium floor displaying white boards, markers and bumble bee-shaped erasers for each team. Two feet in front of these tables were chairs facing the contestants; they were seats for the judges. Behind the contestants was a single microphone for the word pronouncer and a projection screen for the words to be displayed. Along the back wall was an animated crowd cheering in the stands.

The Horace Greeley Spelling Bee showcased students working together to create a fun and inclusive event with the goal of helping their fellow students pay for college.

The Hip Bees (L-R): Beth Reilly, Annalise Curtin & Lisa Bisceglia
PHOTOS BY SABRA STAUDENMAIER

The over 60 teams were distinguished and recognizable in their cleverly themed costumes such as The Bee Gees, The Hip Bees, The Vocabulary Vampires and many more. The building excitement suddenly gave way to silence as a pause for the national anthem marked the official start of the competition.  Finally, the 9th annual HGSF Spelling Bee was underway.

The event was divided into rounds. Representatives from the School Faculty competed first, followed by competitors from the Middle School level, the High School level and then the Community.  Lastly, there was a championship round between the winners from all competing levels to determine who would earn the ultimate prize of the trophy and winning title.

Hmm (L-R): Helen Harrison, Maria Sanderleaf & Michelle Ramahlo

Words were called out by the pronouncer, then written on white boards by the contestants. Judges held up green or red cards to indicate if the word was spelled correctly or not. At the end of each round the judges would display a number to show how many words each team spelled right. Ties moved onto a sudden death elimination. Prizes, such as bee themed water bottles and stuffed animals, were given to the winners of each section and awarded to teams with the best costumes.

As the closing round drew to completion, the tension in the gym heightened. The pronouncer’s voice called over the microphone with a final “Boards Up!” The two remaining contestants raised their white boards, but only one showed the word “CATARRH” spelled correctly. The 9th Annual Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund Spelling Bee was over. Team Hmm, a trio of Chappaqua teachers and previous winners Helen Harrison, Michelle Ramahlo and Maria Sanderleaf, was awarded the coveted trophy and the title of Queen Bees.

The Spelling Bee requires skill to win; “effervescent”, “bourgeoisie” and “cayenne” are not easy words. But this event is about so much more than determining who is the best speller. The competition was ultimately created in support of a cause close to our town’s heart: education. Seth Berk, a second-year competitor who doesn’t consider himself a particularly skilled speller, remarked that he was “very happy to humble himself in support of the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund; a great cause.” In total, over $22,000 was raised, making it the most successful Bee to date.

Ironically, the HGSF Annual Spelling Bee can be summarized with a word that is not difficult to spell: “Community”.

Congratulations to the participants and the winners and especially to the SHARE students who did an un“bee”lievable job organizing this very special event.

12 Student-Athlete Seniors from Byram Hills High School Set to Play Their Sport in College

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The Byram Hills High School seniors who have committed to playing their sport in college next year. From left, in front row: Malorie Lipstein, Christopher Draper, Matthew Turk, J.J. Bancone. In back row from left: Ryan Steeg, Nick Weitzman, Luke Simon, Antonio Aversa, Daniel DiSano, Brian Glat, Skylar Sinon and Tristan Gibson.

Through hard work, dedication and hours of practice and play, a dozen Byram Hills High School student-athletes have risen to the top of their game. Now, these seniors are taking their athletic ability to the next level, and have committed to playing their sport in college next year.

“It’s absolutely spectacular for Byram Hills, a school of our size, to have 12 athletes that are committed to bringing their passions and their talents to the collegiate level,” said Rob Castagna, Director of Health Education, Physical Education and Athletics at Byram Hills. “We’re extremely proud.”

Byram Hills honored the dozen athletes at a ceremonial College Signing Day in the high school gym in early May, as fellow classmates, teammates, family members and school officials cheered them on.

Before the students signed a symbolic letter of intent to play next year, each was introduced by the boys varsity soccer coach, Matt Allen. He highlighted the students’ athletic accomplishments, and put each on the spot with a personal question.

Their achievements drew repeated applause, while the athletes and the crowd shared some laughs during the question-and-answer period, highlighted by a little gentle ribbing and some unvarnished honesty.

The student-athletes are:

Byram Hills High School seniors sign their ceremonial letters of intent to play their sport in college next year as their proud parents watch and capture the moment with their cameras.

Antonio Aversa, Fairleigh Dickinson University, football. Coach Allen described Aversa an imposing figure on both the football field and the baseball diamond. In football this year, he scored nine touchdowns, and had over 500 yards receiving, 34 receptions and needed to be double-teamed many times. “He’s going to be a dangerous weapon for F.D.U. next year,” Coach Allen said.

J.J. Bancone, Denison University, football. This season, Bancone rushed 316 yards and caught 38 passes for 316 yards. On defense, he had 45 tackles and two interceptions. Coach Allen called him a true all-around player who plays with a lot of emotion.

Daniel DiSano, Union College, baseball. Coach Allen said Union is getting an exceptional outfielder next year in DiSano.

“He currently bats leadoff for the team and is batting .500, leading the team in hits, stolen bases and is also riding a perfect fielding percentage, where last year he made 41 putouts without an error. He’s a professional whose main attribute is his all-around skill,” Coach Allen said.

Christopher Draper, Bates College, swimming. This year for Byram Hills, Coach Allen said, Draper was “a driving force in leading the team to the state championships for the first time in 10 seasons. At the N.S.C.A. Junior National Championships, Draper finished second in both the 200 IM and 200 fly and he is recognized as one of top 70 swimmers in all of New York State.”

Tristan Gibson, New Jersey Institute of Technology, fencing. “Gibson is currently nationally ranked in the United States and was chosen for the 2016-17 All-American team, which currently recognizes the top 300 fencers in the United States,” Coach Allen said. “Just recently, he placed 3rd in the Division 1 Regionals, competing against some of the best fencers in the world.”

Brian Glat, MIT, swimming. Coach Allen joked that Glat found just a little bit of time to swim while he was busy earning a 4.539 GPA and a near-perfect ACT score of 35.

He noted that Glat is a four-time state qualifier, a Journal News First Team All-Star, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, has broken four school records and was recently named a Con Edison Athlete of the Week award winner.

Malorie Lipstein, Duke University, cheerleading. “Lipstein is one of the few athletes here at Byram Hills who successfully marketed herself to a college program,” Coach Allen said. “She wasn’t truly, actively recruited. She sent videos of herself training. She did this all by herself and sent it off to the coaches at Duke University. She did it privately.”

Lipstein cheered throughout high school. “It’s something that makes me really happy that I wanted to continue,” she said. For the tryouts, she said: “I reached out to the coach and did my tryout through 25 different videos. They compared that with the live tryouts and we did it all through email.”

Luke Simon, Fordham University, football. Coach Allen noted how much Simon has grown since freshman year, due to hard work and a love of the weight room. This past season, he had 54 tackles–32 solo, 5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.

Skylar Sinon, Ithaca College, basketball. “Sinon will graduate as arguably the most celebrated basketball player in our school’s history,” Coach Allen said. He cited Sinon’s achievements: All-Section selection for four years, All-State the last three. He shattered the school’s all-time scoring record by over 500 points, with a total of 1,657 points. He has a career record of 90-25, and was a Con Edison award winner this past season.

Ryan Steeg, Oneonta, baseball. Coach Allen said that Steeg has established himself as one of the top pitchers in Westchester. He’s earned All-League honors as a junior. Last year, he led the team in innings with 45, had an ERA of 2.30 and 49 strikeouts. “So far, he’s lived up to his No. 1 pitcher status, with a 4-1 record on the mound, leading the team in innings and has an exceptional 1.40 ERA,” Coach Allen said of this season.

Matthew Turk, Dickinson College, track and field. Coach Allen said Dickinson College will be gaining “one of the most consistent runners in school history” from Byram Hills. This past year, Turk led the team to a top-five finish in the Westchester County Sectional Championship meet.

Nick Weitzman, Union College, tennis. Weitzman is a four-year varsity player, and is captain of the program this year. He’s compiled a 40-11 record and is becoming the second member of his family to play a sport for Union.

A Packing List

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For the longest time, what to read (not pack) was the bigger decision for Meaghan.

It’s the time of year when I start thinking less about what I’m putting in my backpack than what I’ll soon be taking out of it. On the last day of school every year, I dump the contents of my bag onto my bedroom carpet, going through the arduous process of deciding what to keep. Thank-you note? Definitely saving that. Less-than-stellar math test? Recycling bin. AP review book? Donate. That random sock? Long overdue for the laundry room. It’s a cathartic thing, seeing the contents of my year go from a chaotic jumble to a neat stack on my shelf.

But this year, my challenge won’t be fitting my memories into my home. My challenge will be fitting my home into my memory. At the end of my next first day of school, I’ll be coming home to a dorm and a roommate, not my house and family. That’s an overwhelming thought. So I’m doing what I always do when I feel overwhelmed: making a list.

One of the most important things about packing is knowing what not to pack. Take it from me, a notorious over-packer whose bulging suitcase always gets an eye roll from the airline attendant. It can sometimes be easy to think, “It wouldn’t hurt to bring this…and this…” and you get the idea. But overpacking can weigh you down in more ways than one. So when I leave for college in three short months, I’m hoping to do so with a light mental suitcase. (Sorry, Mom–you know my real luggage is still going to fill up your entire minivan.)

I’m leaving behind fear. It’s good to be scared every so often–but not of circumstances that are out of my control. In the words of one of my favorite pieces of writing, a 1997 Chicago Tribune column, “The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.” I can’t prepare for every possible disaster that might befall me in college, and I won’t expect the ones that do. But I won’t let that stop me from seeking out new experiences. All I can do is be flexible, rolling with whatever punches life throws my way.

I’m also leaving behind disillusionment.

As a senior, I’ve been more involved in our community than ever. Unfortunately, I’m still learning that involvement has almost as much to do with disappointment as it does with fulfillment.

One of the most difficult lessons of Chappaqua, or maybe anywhere, is learning that institutions, credos, and people will sometimes fail you. But from that disenchantment comes the satisfaction of discovering a sense of perseverance and happiness in spite of shortcomings.

What else am I packing? Sunscreen. Perspective. Shower shoes. Forgiveness. Pencils. Courage. Confidence. Character. My DeMarie dinosaur. My pocket Constitution. My train of thought (wouldn’t want to lose that). My memories of our town’s many wonderful people, who have shaped me in too many ways to count.

Also: patience.

And, of course, I’m leaving some empty space. After all, if the place you’re headed won’t add something worthwhile to who you are, why bother going? The last thing I want to do is waste my transformative college years re-teaching myself everything I’ve already been taught. I want my perceptions to be challenged and changed; I want to be inundated with new ideas that teach me different ways to be a better person. Here’s to open suitcases and open minds.

No matter what I pack, I know I’ll feel like I’m forgetting something. How can I possibly recall everything Chappaqua has meant to me? I’ve seen the daffodils burst open in front of Reader’s Digest and kicked a soccer ball through autumn leaves at Gedney. I’ve watched my classmates get puppies, braces, jobs, and college acceptance letters. So much has changed in the 17 years I’ve called this town home. While I can’t know what will change in the next four, I’ll always be grateful to have grown up here. That gratitude will be on my packing list for the rest of my life.

Paying for College 101

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Scott-Kahan-200x300By Scott Kahan

As a financial planner who has worked with many clients over the years figuring out how to pay for college, and as a parent who has sent two Greeley graduates to college, January 1st was never a date to look forward to. Just the uttering of the term FAFSA will send many parents into a panic.

For high school seniors who will be entering college in the fall of 2017, the quest for financial aid is beginning and FAFSA is a term you will get to know quickly.

What is the FAFSA?

The short answer is that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, are the forms that are filed each year to be eligible for financial aid. Many parents tell me that since their child will not be eligible for aid, they don’t need to bother with the forms. Assuming that you have saved enough for college and will not need to borrow money, then you may not need to file the forms. On the other hand, if you are like many families that will either need financial aid and/or need to borrow, you will still need to file the FAFSA forms to be eligible for some of the loans offered for both parents and students.

Big Changes Coming

The main reason for the struggle each year is that when you file the forms in January, you have not even filed your tax returns, let alone received your W-2s, 1099s and other financial information needed from the prior year.

At the start of the 2017-2018 college year, the FAFSA forms can now be filed as of October 1, 2016. The good news is that since this is a transition year, you will use your 2015 financial information. For those with returning students, you will again use your 2015 financial information that you used when you filed earlier this year. If this is the first time you file the FAFSA, you should already have all the financial information you will need from 2015.

Going forward, you will use the prior year information. For example, for the 2018-2019 school year, the forms will be filed starting October 1, 2017, using 2016 information.

Get started early and don’t panic!

Scott M. Kahan, is a Certified Financial Planner® professional and President of Financial Asset Management Corporation, a fee-only wealth management firm located at 26 South Greeley Avenue in Chappaqua. Call Scott Kahan at 914-238-8900 or write to skahan@famcorporation.com.

Join the SToPP 5k to End Sexual Assault on College Campuses, October 17-18

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On October 17-18 The New Agenda Foundation launches its first annual SToPP 5k walk/run to raise awareness, empower campus peer leaders, and educate college administrators about ways to end campus sexual assault.

The SToPP 5k is a call to action to Stop. Think. Protect Peers against a rising tide of sexual violence on campus.  A Washington Post-Kaiser Foundation survey found that 20 percent of college women (and 5 percent of college men) reported being sexually assaulted.  A Journal of Adolescent Health study found that 19 percent of college women are assaulted freshman year.

The main event run will take place in New York City’s Battery Park, October 18th at 9:00 am.  Other college campuses across the nation will join in satellite local run/walks and awareness raising events, including the University of Rochester, University of Delaware and Cornell University. To join, host your own event or receive more information, go to SToPP5k.org.

The New Agenda president, Amy Siskind, called the recent Association of American Universities survey finding that more than 1 in 5 female undergrads at top schools suffer sexual attacks utterly appalling and hugely motivating. “This isn’t just a wake up call,” Siskind said. “It is a call to action.”

In a Huffington Post op-ed titled “The Secret Your Son Isn’t Telling You About Campus Sexual Assault,” Siskind said parents have largely abdicated their responsibility to have conversations with their sons about sexual consent.

“So instead, our media and social media, of which our teens consume more than 11 hours per day, are doing the teaching,” Siskind said. “Having a talk with our daughters — which of course we should continue to do — is not a solution to this epidemic.  Not to overstate the obvious; but college women aren’t doing the raping!”

Research continues to show an alarming lack of awareness about what constitutes rape and callousness about harm to victims. “There are troubling attitudes and beliefs about sexual violence that must be challenged to ensure colleges are safe places to learn and grow,” Siskind said. I’m pleased to see campaigns like New York’s “Enough is Enough”spread across campuses to educate students, parents, faculty and administrators.”

The legal and political environments are moving toward greater accountability, but faster progress is needed. Affirmative consent laws in California and New York make having sex without clear consent illegal. American Bar Association delegates passed three resolutions advocating for victims of campus sexual assault.

Finally, 124 colleges are under investigation by the Department of Education for mishandling cases of sexual assault, and the list is growing.  Colleges, under increasing scrutiny, are finally rethinking and revising their processes for handling sexual assault. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is sponsoring a bill, the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which will mandate that colleges create strict guidelines for handing sexual assault.

“The New Agenda Foundation’s SToPP 5k gives us a chance to raise awareness about the harsh realities of campus sexual assault,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “These alarming rates of campus violence are unacceptable and we have a responsibility to make sure our colleges and universities are safe for students. SToPP 5k has given us the unique opportunity to stand together, unified in our efforts to combat these crimes. As the school year gets underway, lets continue to have an open conversation about campus sexual assault because our students deserve real accountability without fear of their safety.”

Siskind said to underscore the SToPP5k mission, “Our rallying cry is “It ends here. It ends now!” October 17-18 New York City and nationwide. To sign up, host a race on your campus and access social media assets for promoting the SToPP 5k go to www.thenewagenda.net and www.stopp5k.org