CSSP

Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Students Build Storage Shed As Thank You Gift for Community

August 24, 2019 by Stacey Pfeffer

A 10 foot by 12 foot shed built by hand from this year’s Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program (CSSP) students will soon be used to help with storage needs at Horace Greeley High School as construction continues at the high school. The shed was built as a way to give thanks to the Chappaqua community for supporting the program, now in its 51st year. Each summer Chappaqua invites 22-24 promising students from under resourced schools in the Bronx to join the community. The program is made possible because Chappaqua families open their homes up to host these students.

Although none of the students are construction workers several donned hard hats and worked with hammers nailing together the floor, walls and roof. “Over the years, the Chappaqua Central School District has been incredibly supportive of our program. We wanted to give thanks and this shed was the perfect way to do so. Our Bronx CSSP students have had a great time building it and we are grateful four our teachers, Mike DeBellis and Chris Stasi for making this happen,” commented Ellen Adnopoz, the Executive Director of CSSP.

“This is something I would never do in the Bronx,” commented Brian Nunez, a second-year student in the program. For three consecutive years, these specially selected students like Brian attend academic classes at one of the Chappaqua schools in the mornings and participate in a range of recreational and cultural activities in the afternoon. The program which is entirely run by volunteers seeks to broaden the students’ horizons and also help prepare them for college.

The shed will remain on the HGHS campus indefinitely.

Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program Celebrates 50th Anniversary and Leaves a Lasting Impact on Participants & Host Families

August 29, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Fifty years ago a group of concerned New Castle residents launched the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program (CSSP). They were passionate believers in civil rights and following the aftermath of the Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinations they were hoping to do something on a local level to help academically motivated students in New York City who didn’t have access to the same opportunities as students in Chappaqua. They wanted to share New Castle’s good schools and tranquil suburban setting with these students to offer them a path to academic success which would hopefully lead to subsequent careers at a time when New York City schools were facing an educational crisis.

From Shakespeare to Digital Storytelling

Little did they know that when they set out to create this program, it would still be in existence five decades later and now thriving as a non-profit that has hosted more than 400 students since its inception. Currently students in the program make a three-year commitment to participate in it each summer during the month of July. They are hosted by New Castle families who provide housing during the week while the students participate in an academic enrichment program that includes classes in diverse subjects such as Shakespeare with actors from the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel to digital storytelling at the Jacob Burns Film Center located in Pleasantville.

Originally the program took place at Horace Greeley High School during the school’s summer school program, where both CSSP and Chappaqua students attended classes taught by Greeley teachers. When the Board of Education decided to disband the summer school program in 2008, due to declining enrollment, CSSP had to overhaul the program. Curriculum changes were implemented along with sourcing their own instructors, under the leadership of then chairperson Diane Albert.

Nancy Stein, a Chappaqua resident who has been involved with CSSP for more than 40 years and is currently an ex-officio CSSP board member has seen the program morph over the years. “We’ve always been insistent that the classes that the children take introduce them to something new that they otherwise wouldn’t have experienced.”

Shaping the CSSP Program

Fran Alexander, a board member and creative writing instructor with CSSP, and a 30-year resident of Chappaqua was one of the people involved with the program when it was undergoing its transformation ten years ago. Although it was a lot more “labor intensive” for the CSSP board members, it also gave them a chance to shape the program and reach out to local institutions such as the Jacob Burns Film Center which resulted in a partnership with them.

Swimming and tennis lessons have always been a mainstay of the program since its inception. “These are social sports and we have had many students come back to us and say how glad they were to learn tennis. Many of the CSSP students have not had much exposure to swimming,” explained Stein. They take swim lessons at the Saw Mill Club and tennis lessons at the Seven Bridges Field Club. To help round out the experience this summer, they also participated in additional activities such as mini-golf and bowling.

(L-R): Raimatou Abdouloye, Javaughn Headley, Stefan Laroche, Ellen Adnopoz, Nancy Stein, Nancy Silver, Vera Abrafi Kyeremeh, Joshua Oppong-Peprah

Although the program only lasts four weeks with the students rotating between host families for two week sessions, its impact is long lasting for both the CSSP students and their host families. Many keep in touch throughout the year and even through college and beyond. Ellen Adnopoz, a CSSP co-chair, points out how much the alumni are still dedicated to the program. Ten alumni spoke at this year’s orientation and several showed up to cheer the students on and participate in another summer ritual, the softball game. “We just can’t seem to separate from CSSP participants and that’s exactly the way we like it.” Some alums have even gone on to serve on the board.

A Formative Experience for All Involved

Vera Abrafi Kyeremeh is a third year CSSP student who attends Collegiate Institute for Math and Science, one of two Bronx high schools that the majority of CSSP students attend. She recently emigrated from Ghana and was reunited with her mother after 13 years apart. “CSSP is a huge opportunity for me. It opened my eyes and made me realize that there is more to life than just going to school. The host families care so much. Two weeks may seem like nothing but getting a place to sleep and waking up and seeing their faces and getting picked up by your family–that builds a connection. They interact with you and ask how your day went and that’s where the connections are made.”

Melissa Labelson Levine, a Millwood resident has hosted Vera for the past three years. Although hosting the same student each summer is not typical, Vera and the Levine family share a special bond. “It has been amazing and she is part of our family. This program has really helped her blossom. When she first came to us she was very introverted but this year she is much more outgoing and she has mentored and taken the first year CSSP students under her wing.” Levine stays in touch with Vera throughout the school year and she has come up for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and other events.

Samantha Mortlock has also provided her home as a host family for two years and now serves as a CSSP board member.

“I was absolutely drawn to CSSP because of the opportunity to expose my family to people who don’t come from the same background. To be able to welcome these students into our home is a very great gift for my family. It has helped open our eyes to what is going on only 20 miles away from us.”

Many of the students don’t feel supported or safe in their schools. The issue of school safety was apparent in a recent film screening that the CSSP students unveiled at the culmination of their film class that they took at the Jacob Burns Film Center. The students were asked to develop films that focused on various topics and one was people’s perceptions of the Bronx. In the short film, the CSSP students addressed the positives and negatives of their neighborhoods.

“To give the CSSP students an opportunity where they are completely supported and completely safe for a month and have all the resources to just be able to learn and diversify their experience is amazing. It is great for the students but it also is a really great and eye opening experience for the families,” explained Mortlock.

Nancy Silver has been a CSSP board member for more than two decades and is a co-chair of the program. “This summer I realized that the magic of having these young people at our home impacts all of us and never grows old. While driving on July 4th, one of the students that we hosted had never seen fireworks before and was amazed by the beauty of seeing something so incredible for the first time. We take so much for granted. Everyone says we change lives giving these kids a wonderful summer for three years but the power of this program is far greater for all of us who live in Chappaqua.”

This year, Mortlock was charged with recruiting additional host families. Although she has two young children of her own (ages 5 ½ and 7), she reached out to several families in her daughter’s class and was able to secure additional host families. “Many had never heard of the program.

I think the default is when you have young kids, you think you can’t add any more to your plate. But it really is only two weeks and a minor inconvenience relative to the amount that you are giving to these students and what your family will get out of it.”

Even the youngest children involved with CSSP gain benefits by being part of a host family. Reese Gilvar, an incoming third grader at Roaring Brook Elementary has enjoyed hosting Raimatou and playing Monopoly with her. “My mom is teaching me to be kind and open to other people and to not go on devices when you have guests.”

Ket Hollingsworth, a first year CSSP student feels that living with a host family was a great experience. “It was scary at first but it taught me some important things like how to conduct yourself and make social connections. It also taught me that impressions count. I can’t leave my room a mess for my host family but I do at home,” he laughed.

The host families play a crucial role in the success of the program. “Every one of the kids that comes to the program is just as bright as the kids in Chappaqua. I think the big difference for them is family. Sitting down to a table and eating dinner with the expectation of you participating, that’s what the host families are all about,” explains Stein who will soon be honored in a 50th anniversary celebration for CSSP at the Mount Kisco Country Club on November 4th. Tickets are available at www.chappaquasummerscholarship.com/50th-anniversary

Stein, who organized housing for the students for many years recounts how she still keeps in touch with some of the students she hosted more than thirty years ago. Some of them have become engineers, lawyers, technology consultants and educators. In fact, students from the CSSP program have attended wonderful colleges such as Babson, Brandeis, City College, Dartmouth, Fordham, Howard, Hunter, RPI, SUNY Albany, Binghamton and Stony Brook, Trinity, UVM, Vassar and Wesleyan.

Left CSSP graduate Vera Abrafi Kyeremeh with host family member Meri Levine on right
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA LABELSON LEVINE

What’s on the Horizon for CSSP

As the program looks toward the future, CSSP is looking at ways to ensure a successful college admissions process. This year Alexander and Young Adult author Phyllis Shalant, who co-teach the creative writing class planned a personal essay session utilizing the top five college essays published by The New York Times. “Our class analyzed why they were chosen.” Alexander finds it very rewarding to work with the students over a three-year period “Not only do I see them grow up but also their writing matures.” Alexander hopes that the class is preparing them to write a great college essay.

In recent years, the program has made a concerted effort to offer more college counseling. Students are offered college essay help, SAT preparation and tours of local colleges such as Manhattanville and once admitted, a generous book stipend. “Some of our CSSP students are the first generation in their families to attend college and we want to help them succeed in college and ensure their graduation,” explains Adnopoz. “To that end, we are making college success more of a focus.”

This past August, CSSP organized its first annual college transition day for students entering college this fall and rising sophomores. The half-day workshop featured a facilitator from the Posse Foundation, a national preeminent college success program. The workshop focused on topics such as high school versus college expectations, navigating imposter syndrome, understanding Myers Briggs types and work styles, selecting courses, time management, managing stress and navigating campus resources and financial aid.

In the coming months, CSSP hopes to begin a formal mentoring program and also a Young Leadership Circle in New York City where CSSP alumni can brainstorm about professional development, network and potentially advise college students on careers.

CSSP students have in different years also heard keynote addresses at graduation from an array of inspiring and noteworthy speakers including this year’s Carlos Lejnieks of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Essex, Sussex and Union Counties NJ, who emphasized the importance of mentoring. Last year, alum Kenneth Padilla addressed the graduates. In past years, Chappaqua’s Bill and Hillary Clinton have each respectively addressed the graduates, too.

Adnopoz is proud of her involvement with the program. “It’s one of the best things about living in Chappaqua. As far as we know, we are the only community in Westchester doing this type of program.” Fellow board member Stein agrees and is hoping that the program continues to thrive. “It would be very sad if CSSP didn’t exist anymore in Chappaqua.”

CSSP is at its heart a grassroots initiative, financially supported through contributions from the Chappaqua community and beyond, primarily from two annual appeal letters. The November 4th event will be the first time the CSSP board has organized a fundraising event of this magnitude. The goal is to help CSSP continue thriving for another 50 years.

For more information, visit chappaquasummerscholarship.com

What CSSP Means to Me: Alumni Perspectives

Inside Chappaqua asked CSSP alumni what the program means to them. It is clear from their responses that this four-week program has a long-lasting impact and was a formative experience for them.

Mary Diaz

J.D. Candidate, Fordham University School of Law

CSSP Student: 2005-2008

Diaz is currently a rising second year law student at Fordham University School of Law where she is a Stein Scholar and involved with the Fordham Environmental Law Review, Moot Court, and the Latin American Law Student Association. Before law school, she was a paralegal with the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York for three years in the Securities and Commodities Fraud unit.

It has been 10 years since I have graduated from the program and the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program continues to be a second family and home away from home. CSSP has been with me every step of the way and through every stage of my life from my teenage days to my college days to study abroad days, relationships, my first job out of college, through adulting, and the law school application process. As the first person in my family to graduate from college having CSSP as a resource has been invaluable. I know that I can always count on CSSP and I am forever grateful for all that CSSP has done.

The Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program is an invaluable program that truly changes lives. It determined where I went to college thanks to a host brother who spoke to me about a fantastic liberal arts university I had never heard of, which ended up giving me the best four years of my life. CSSP is a reflection of the power of access to information and knowledge for the underprivileged. It provided and continues to provide a network that does not exist for people of my means. CSSP welcomed me, a stranger, with open arms, and has offered nothing but love, acceptance, support, inspiration, and guidance. I truly do not know where I would be without the program.

Taralyn R. Frasqueri-Molina

Senior Product Portfolio Manager – Legendary Digital Networks

Molina leads teams who build things in the geek and gamer digital streaming space for this California-based company.

CSSP Student: 1992-1994

CSSP taught me there was much more in the world than what was in my own hometown. For some of us attending the program, it may have been the furthest away from home we’d ever gone, and it encouraged us to go even further. CSSP showed me that you never know where you are going to find the things you are going to fall in love with–in three years of summer school, in the homes of strangers, in the faces of new friends, in your own backyard with a new set of eyes. You go, and you return forever changed.

I’d like to think that 24 years later I’m not exaggerating till things become mythic, but CSSP was a profound experience for me. I attribute a lot of that to Mrs. Stein. It was accidental we even met in the first place, as I remember it. My assigned host family became unexpectedly unavailable. And in that coincidental moment, the golden thread that would stretch between us over decades, was designed. I didn’t know it then, I wonder if she did, but Mrs. Stein would become a singularity in my life, a catalyst for irreversible change. Her absolute belief in the strength I already had inside, her unwavering trust that I could make the right decisions and figure out my own path, became part of the foundation, started by my mother, that I continue to use (even in my 40s!) to grow through struggle into illuminated understanding and compassionate action.

Dr. Peter Mercredi, PhD.

Senior Scientist in the Department of Therapeutics Products and Quality at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Facility

CSSP Student: 2000-2002

Dr. Mercredi obtained his Bachelor’s degree from CCNY and his doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Outside of the lab, Peter enjoys biking, hiking, running and spending time with his wife and daughter.

As a 2002 CSSP alum, Dr. Mercredi always reflects on the opportunities he was afforded that otherwise would not be possible. “I had met so many wonderful families and friends during my summer escapes from the Big Apple. These adventurers were filled with learning and new experiences that contributed to my success in a very competitive world. I loved all my host families and enjoyed learning from the many teachers, especially Mr. Furey. One of the many things I will always remember is the welcoming smiling faces from all the organizers as we unloaded from the MetroNorth each Sunday evening. The leadership from people like Mrs. Linda Peterson, Mrs. Nancy Stein, to current board chairs Mrs. Ellen Adnopoz and Mrs. Nancy Silver, are what make this program so successful after a half century.

Alan Salas

Environmental Engineer, Arcadis

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Salas has been working as a water resources engineer at Arcadis for five years supporting coastal resiliency efforts in NYC.

CSSP Student: 2006-2008

One of my greatest accomplishments as an engineer was being part of a team that helped to build a floodwall and levee at a wastewater treatment plant deeply affected by Superstorm Sandy. In my personal life, I recently moved to the DC metro area and married my college sweetheart this past spring.

CSSP means family to me. I’m still in touch with my host parents, some of whom have become friends and mentors. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the program. They have helped me achieve significant milestones and continue to provide support to this day.

Josee Vedrine-Pauléus

Professor of Engineering at University of Puerto Rico-Humacao

CSSP Student: 1992-1994 and current Board Member

There’s so much emotion and good memories that CSSP brings to mind. CSSP has marked me for life. Host families taught me the importance of family time, especially around the dinner table. Mrs. Stein, the late Mrs. Peterson, and others provided me with compassionate feedback and encouragement to be my very best; the outdoor/recreational activities opened my world beyond academics and all this with my fellow CSSP classmates to cheer me along during those tough teenage years, WOW!

Recently our family returned home to Puerto Rico, after seven months of being uprooted as a result of Hurricane Maria. Our 6-year-old son never felt at home when we lived in Providence, RI, and constantly prayed for us to return. Upon opening our doors, I realized that ‘There’s really no place like home.”

As cliché as that saying may be, I want to parallel it to what CSSP meant to me. CSSP was an academic program but was also “home” during those three summers. The real gem and cornerstone of CSSP is the realization that an unknown could be welcomed into the home of an equally unknown and form a type of lifetime bond that is found only in a loving family setting. Once I understood that I was at “home,” the academic took care of its self, and I was able to thrive in every aspect, along with my fellow classmates, to exceed all expectations.

CSSP’s founders are true visionaries in the holistic approach taken to design an academically enriching program where the home and host families are at its core; yet I don’t think even they had an idea of the profound impact CSSP would have 50 years later on in so many lives.

I am blessed to have been a part, and grateful for so many who welcomed me “home” week after week, after week.

Snapshots from CSSP Graduation

CSSP celebrates 50th anniversary with cake

Graduation guest speaker, Carlos Lejnieks, CEO of Big Brother Big Sisters (Essex, Husdon, & Union Counties) with students

Sheptin Tutoring Services receives thanks

CSSP graduate Vera Abrafi Kyeremeh with her famliy and host family members

Host family Kristin Miles with her daughter and student, Adamaris Lopez

Gratitude for creative writing teachers Phyllis Shalant and Fran Alexander
PHOTOS BY CAROLYN SIMPSON/DOUBLEVISION PHOTOGRAPHY

CSSP Alumna Pays It Forward

August 16, 2014 by The Inside Press

By Kate Stone Lombardi

She was 15 years old when she left home in the South Bronx and boarded a train for Chappaqua.

Taralyn Frasqueri-Molina was heading to her first summer as a Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program (CSSP) student. She was excited, nervous and remembers being struck by the density of trees. At the time, she’d never been north of White Plains.

Now fast forward to this summer, 22 years later. Taralyn (who prefers her nickname “TL”) is chatting from her cell phone in Los Angeles. An earlier conversation had been postponed–she was busy bidding on one of the biggest contracts of her career. By the time we connected, TL, an independent contractor, had won the job and would be working on a digital project for Disney.

But before describing her work as a woman of color in the male-dominated technology field, her career path, or even her transformation from a girl who grew up in the projects in the Bronx to a businesswoman in LA, TL wanted to talk about CSSP.

The program, she said, helped lay the groundwork for her success. It wasn’t just the academic skills she gained. The personal connections were also key. Her relationship with her CSSP host mother, Nancy Stein, who TL describes as “my second mother” has given her strength and support throughout her years in the program.

This year, TL decided it was time to pay it forward. Every graduating senior from CSSP will receive a $100 gift card to Amazon from TL, to be used for books, supplies, or anything else a student would want.

“It’s time to give back,” she said. “I thought, ‘Taralyn, you did not get here by yourself. Now that you’re in a position where you’re not struggling, you need to look at how you got there.’”

Other CSSP alumni have volunteered, served on the Board, and supported the organization, but TL’s gift was a particular delight.

In a keynote address to the 2014 graduates of the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship program, Secretary Clinton first offered a formula for personal success. She then emphasized the importance of passing along acts of kindness to the kids back in their own communities “so they can turn out to be just as sassy as you all are here.” Ari Bennett Photo

“I was overwhelmed by her generosity, thoughtfulness and commitment and caring to our program and students,” commented Diane Albert, Chair of CSSP.

The Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program is primarily an academic program for scholastically promising students in the Bronx. The focus is heavily on college readiness. Students attend classes at Horace Greeley High in the morning, and participate in recreational and cultural activities in the evening.

Local families host the teenagers. For both TL and Nancy Stein, the connection was immediate. “She was understanding, compassionate and beyond her years,” Ms. Stein said.  “She intrigued me right from the beginning.”

TL had her struggles. Her mother, with whom she was deeply close, became terminally ill, and passed away in 1994. But even as her health declined, TL’s mother insisted that her daughter stay in CSSP. “She was big on education,” TL explained.

TL’s path hasn’t always been straightforward. After graduating from Ithaca College, she sampled several careers. TL taught martial arts. She went to the Los Angeles Police Department police academy, but decided against becoming an officer. She worked at a temp agency. After a stint in post-production at Playboy TV, she landed at Disney. Over six years, she worked her way from media scheduler to project manager, overseeing eight teams in the animation studios. Now, as an independent contractor, Disney is her client.

TL’s gift to each CSSP graduate comes with a hand painted card featuring a violet, her mother’s favorite flower. She hopes this is just the beginning of her philanthropy.

“The program was a lifesaver and a safety net,” TL said. “My next step is to go bigger, because for me it’s not a big enough statement of what CSSP has meant to me.”

Kate Stone Lombardi, a journalist and author, was a CSSP host mom for many happy summers.

Hillary Clinton Reminds CSSP Grads to “Pay Kindnesses Forward”

August 4, 2014 by The Inside Press

Following Seven Teens’ Fun and Heartfelt Speeches

By Grace Bennett
Photos by Ari Bennett

Like any teenager anxious about culinary choices in a new environment, Jejomar Ysit was taking no chances. “I packed an ample supply of Twizzlers and Doritos …just in case,” the Dewitt Clinton High School student (in an Einstein Honors program) quipped to a delighted gathering of host families, alumni, board members, and friends of the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program. His remarks were also directed to a beaming town resident in the front row: Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, a second Clinton to graciously address and meet with the kids on their momentous event. In 2005, her husband Bill Clinton was keynote speaker for graduation from CCSP, now in its 46th year.

Ysit said he grew both accustomed to delicious food along with “the sound of crickets and birds” replacing urban ones amidst all the “green sights and green hills.”

Jhannelle Robinson, a student at the Collegiate Institute of Math and Science, said she regarded the CSSP as a “home away from home.” She proudly read a poem she had prepared.

“Life,” she read, “was less like a circle than like a spiral looping around but still moving forward.”

Carlos Salas, a Bronx High School of Science student, captured everyone’s heart as he proceeded to explain how he became an adept swimmer after first arriving in Chappaqua as a non swimmer (he now does cannonballs in the deep end!). Clinton, in her remarks, and in a nod to Carlos, later offered a metaphor in his overcoming such a key challenge. She likened swimming as a perfect metaphor for “moving forward.”

The students’ attachment to the program, the host families, the teachers, the staff, and, most of all the kids to each other, was palpable too. Said Faith Matthew, a student at DeWitt Clinton High School and in the Macy Honors Program there: “I feel like crying now that it’s come to an end.” Added Katherine Puntiel, a student at the High School of Fashion Industries: “All of you are what make CSSP so significant. I will always carry each one of you inside me.”

Collegiate Institute of Math and Science student Amna Aslam’s talk was sweetly self deprecating and love filled. “The CSSP people have a knack for picking weirdos like me,” she said, with a wink. “The empathy and caring (of CSSP, et al) is so adorable.”
The program brochure was especially beautiful this year, with stunning full page portraits of each of the graduates opposite which was a statement from each one, including graduating student Christopher Carter, also from the Collegiate Institute of Math and Science. “This program makes staying away from home a dream, with strangers that we call “Host Families,” stated Carter.
The early evening (a delicious reception followed) at the New Castle Community Center also included tributes to teachers and staff—and later, some half dozen alumni rose to briefly state “what they are doing today.”

The pulse of the pride in their accomplishments beat stronger than any urban to suburban distinctions.

When CSSP Executive Director Diane Albert introduced Sec. Clinton, she noted Clinton’s lifelong efforts and tireless commitment as “a fierce advocate of human rights, women’s rights and rights of children.”

Then, in an address marked with humor, spontaneity and a clear goal to mentor, Clinton took many of the kids’ own words to heart. Almost immediately, she jumped on the first speaker’s tribute to our wildlife noting her appreciation too, ahem, for all the mice, raccoons, deer—and sometimes a hawk or an eagle. “You just come to expect and get used to it.” She praised CSSP for its “extraordinary level of understanding, commitment and wisdom.” She offered that she was here to experience a little of what her husband did nine years ago. “I’ll be able to go home and tell him how impressed I am too.”

CSSP, Clinton noted, “breaks down artificial barriers that exist and prevent us from getting to know each other.” One Bronx resident who broke through such barriers, she offered to cheers, sits on the Supreme Court–Sonya Sotomayor!” “She is a woman who made up her mind that she would be the best she could be.”

Clinton commended the student’s host families—and their own. “They (the host families) took a chance, believed in you and your potential,” she said. “You have families who came from Antigua, Jamaica, Pakistan and the Philippines. They have found a home here and now you have another home here in Chappaqua.”

Rely on all their lessons, she told the teens, and “pass it forward” to kids back in their own communities “so they can turn out to be just as sassy as you all are here.” She urged the kids to “keep going out of your comfort zone. Envision where you want to be and bolster those skills that will serve you well.” She returned to the swimming metaphor to note, if you keep moving, something big will happen.
She reminded the kids to embrace whatever makes each of them unique. “The world doesn’t need a carbon copy of someone else; we need you, the uniqueness of YOU.”

“Obviously, you can’t just jump into the deep end; everybody needs a starting point, but don’t be afraid to keep trying,” she said, “and don’t worry about getting knocked down either. The difference between those who keep going and those who don’t is those who just get back up.” She amplified that message sharing some personal history. Clinton described her mother as having a “miserable childhood, and that with her sister (Clinton’s aunt) at ages 5 and 7, they were sent to live with paternal grandparents who she described as mean.
“When I was a little girl, I didn’t know any of this. I just knew she took care of me. When I learned about her life and I asked her how she came to be the great person she is, she said, ‘All along my life there was always someone who would show great kindness to me.’” The key, she said, is also to show kindness with a positive intention so as not to embarrass the receiving party. For example, one of her mom’s teachers was aware that she often didn’t have enough money to buy lunch food. She make a point of bringing extra food for her student, and so as not to embarrass her, would say, “Dorothy, I brought too much food today. Would you like some?”

From there, Clinton’s message was clear: “Remember how important kindness is, how significant it can be, and that if someone shows you a little love, support and kindness, it can make all the difference. Look for opportunities to pass on kindness building on what your families have done for you.”

For more information about CSSP, becoming a host family or donor, visit their site: www.chappaquasummerscholarship.org

Grace Bennett is Publisher and Editor of Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines. Ari Bennett, Greeley ’14, will be entering Union College in the fall with a passion for math and the digital arts.

Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program

August 15, 2012 by Sarah Ellen Rindsberg

Chappaqua is a community comprised of like-minded individuals who value education highly. Another facet of the community is its desire to provide some of the resources available to its students to those who might otherwise not have access. In 1968 the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program – CSSP was created to serve this need. Every year, a group of students from two high schools in the Bronx is invited to attend a college preparatory program for the summers following ninth, tenth and eleventh grades.

Participants reside in a Chappaqua household from Sunday night through Friday morning. Classes are held in one of the school district’s buildings in the morning on Monday through Thursday. This year’s curriculum included a writing class, Shakespeare and robotics. In the afternoons, swimming and tennis are on the agenda. On Fridays, students work on a project at the Burns Film Center. There are also frequent excursions to museums and colleges.

When Chappaqua resident Diane Albert first heard about CSSP from longtime member Diane Quandt, her interest was piqued. She joined the ranks and is currently serving as chair for her fifth year. Albert attributes the success of the program to the community. “The Board of Ed has always been very supportive,” she noted. Counselors at Greeley donate their time to advise the students and members of the community speak about their careers. “We feel it’s one of the best parts of Chappaqua,” Albert said. “It broadens our idea of the world.”

Diane Quandt has housed students for 25 years and is one of the 33 families who housed students during the month of July. She highlighted the fact that, “It’s a relatively small commitment on the part of host families.” Each family provides meals, a room and transportation in the afternoons for two weeks.

For further information consult http://www.chappaquasummerscholarship.org/cssp/ or send an email to dianealbert@gmail.com.

CSSP

Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Students Build Storage Shed As Thank You Gift for Community