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Greeley

Field Hockey: Greeley’s Hidden GEM

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Greeley Field Hockey team wearing special pink jerseys in order to raise money for Breast Cancer research.
Greeley Field Hockey team wearing special pink jerseys in order to raise money for Breast Cancer research.

By Lauren Neff

My heart had never beat so fast. As I watched attentively to the orange ball on the end of my teammate Megan Graham’s stick, I squeezed the hands of my teammates so tightly that my knuckles turned white. We had fought Scarsdale to a 1-1 overtime draw in the Sectional Semifinals. It was time for the shootout–1 on 1, player vs. goalie. Tensions were high. Nikki Potter and Fiona Grant both managed to score on Scarsdale’s goalie. Our goalkeeper, Willa Kuhn, magically stopped three of four attempts.

It was Graham’s turn to shoot. Graham carried the ball towards the opposing goalie and with her speed, went around her and scored, clinching our win. Tears began to stream down my face. We jumped on Kuhn, then joined together in a group hug. We were going to the Sectional Finals, the first time Greeley field hockey had ever done so.

I could not have been a part of this wonderful program if I had not made the fateful decision to play field hockey in seventh grade. Like every other female athlete in town, I had played soccer since kindergarten. I had moved from the C team to the B team and eventually to the A team. One day, my friend told our group about how much fun the field hockey team is, that her sister had played and said it was a great way to fool around with friends after school. I called my dad asking if it would be alright for me to play. He responded, “as long as it doesn’t interfere with soccer practice.”

Little did we know at the time, it would cause me to quit soccer altogether. Most girls had never played a sport before, so I had a big advantage–field hockey is a lot like soccer, yet with a stick. I fell in love with the sport. Our team was terrible. We won once that year but it was FUN. As the girls mulled their high school options, I wanted to play field hockey, not soccer, and I had a much greater chance at doing so.

Unfortunately, in two years, Horace Greeley High School’s field hockey team may be extinct. This upcoming season, Greeley’s team is comprised of only juniors and four sophomores. There is a whole JV team to fill. Also, there are no cuts. Right now, besides swimming and boys tennis, field hockey is the most successful sport at Greeley. We were league champions in 2014 and made the Sectional Finals last season. With eight returning Varsity players this season plus good JV players, we expect a successful season and an even better one next year.

“When I became the Head Coach,” said Coach Sukhi Sukhwinder Singh, “ we finished 13th in the Section. The next year, we were 17th. It went to 11th, fifth, third and second…The first year, we won two awards at the Awards Dinner. I am happiest about this past year. We won 19.” Coach Sukhi was named Westchester/Putnam Coach of the Year in 2013.

Here’s the issue: Some 60 8th grade girls played for CYSC and club teams. There are three girls soccer teams at Greeley–Varsity, JV A & JV B. Each team is comprised of around 20 girls. Unfortunately, only three to four spots are open on Varsity this year. Around 15 sophomore girls will likely remain on the JV A and B teams.

So when freshmen girls try out for soccer this August, some will make a team and some will not. However, the real question is, how long will they remain on a team? Many girls will end up playing on JV for two years, then not making Varsity. History has shown that about eight to ten in a class will play on Varsity.

It is so difficult to make the Varsity soccer team here that great athletes will end up being cut from the program because of a lack of space. So what can these girls do? The answer is simple: pick up a stick. One of our Varsity players, Cat Brennan, left soccer for field hockey in ninth grade and started many games as a sophomore.

Field hockey allows every girl who plays it to succeed in some way and grow as an athlete and as a person. Whether that is scoring a goal, giving an assist, winning an award or just being there to support the team and have fun, everyone takes something away from this experience. I would have maybe lasted two years on JV soccer teams if I were lucky. In field hockey, I was called up to Varsity as a freshman. This past year, I started each game, scored 11 goals and received several postseason awards. If I can do it, so can anyone. Please join us.

Lauren Neff is a rising junior at Horace Greeley High School. She enjoys field hockey, basketball, and singing in an A Capella group.

Making A Difference

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The Many Ways in which Greeley Students Help Our Community

By Rachel Schelling

Executive Leaders from Horace Greeley High School’s SADD Club.
Executive Leaders from Horace Greeley High School’s SADD Club.

You are standing in a crowd. Pushing and shoving, kids of various ages rush past you; there is an overwhelming noise, the noise of people advertising and friends chatting and officials planning. You are surrounded by organized chaos. Where are you? A circus, a carnival, a street fair? No – you are at the Greeley activity fair! The Greeley activity fair is a tradition at the high school that features one of the school’s most prominent features: clubs. At the fair, each club is assigned a booth; club members bring signs, flyers and candy to attract new members, who can sign up and get more information regarding club activities and events.

While some people just come for the sweets, clubs do gain new members this way, and it demonstrates just how important clubs are to the Greeley community; so many students get involved in this event because they genuinely care. An incredible variety of clubs, from the engineering club to Make a Wish to the opera club, can be found at Greeley. If a club does not exist, students can apply to form a new one. With such a broad range of clubs, it is easy to see why almost all Greeley students are involved in some way. The largest percent of students are members of SADD or SHARE, two of the most popular clubs at Greeley.

Don’t Be Sad, Be SADD

SADD, or Students Against Drunk Driving, is a national organization that Greeley has become a part of. The Greeley chapter aims to “raise awareness within Greeley about the dangers of drinking and driving, texting while driving, and driving high,” explained one of its presidents, Evan Baitch. This past year, SADD organized a drunk driving simulation to show the student body what happens during a drunk driving accident. SADD helped students to not only actually see what happens at an accident itself, but also to understand the ramifications of such an event.

Other events include D’s Day, where 30 or more volunteers dress up in all black and remain silent to represent the tragedies due to drunk driving every day, and the pledge campaign, when SADD gets hundreds of teachers and students to sign pledges that state that they will drive safe over the holidays; the pledges are then displayed around school to remind students of their promise. The difference between SADD and so many others clubs is that students actually pay attention to the various events SADD holds throughout the year; the Greeley chapter has really spread understanding of the many dangers of driving while under the influence or distracted, which has hopefully made a difference out on the roads here in Chappaqua.

SHARE-ing is Caring

SHARE is the largest community service club at Greeley. It includes 11 ‘projects’: the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund, Casa de Lengua, the Pinwheel Project, Boys & Girls Club, Midnight Run, Bunches of Lunches, AFYA, Blood Drive, Food Bank, Blythedale, and Think Fit for Kids. These all center around hands-on involvement in helping the community. Most students involved in SHARE have a hand in many different projects. Lizzy Pott, one of the club’s presidents, said, “To me, the appeal of SHARE is its incredibly wide scope of service and the amount of involvement it influences. Countless students– including me–have joined SHARE with the intention of participating in only one project and have ended up being an active participant in multiple organizations due to the excitement and inspiration the club exudes.”

Since SHARE is so far reaching, it organizes many different events throughout the year that attract a variety of students. Some of these events include two blood drives, the Scholarship Fund’s annual spelling bee, and a night of ice cream scooping at Ben & Jerry’s to benefit Think Fit for Kids. SHARE strives not only to get students involved but also but the entire community, so keep an eye out for upcoming events!

Many clubs at Greeley are either headed by or founded by the Class of 2014.  The students of this class are involved in clubs as far reaching as Students for Social Justice and Global Schoolhouse and as close to home as the Tribune and the Quake, two of the school publications. All students in clubs have chosen to get involved in this way because they are passionate about what the clubs stand for. For those in positions of power in these clubs, there is the added benefit of leadership experience and an increased role in the actions, organization, and event planning of the clubs.

The popularity of clubs at Greeley is due to the incredible things they have to offer. Clubs give students the opportunity to explore and find their passions while making friends, learning new skills, and getting involved in something they believe in. Greeley is fortunate to be home to so many successful clubs that, year by year, work tirelessly and truly make a difference in our community here in Chappaqua as well as in the world beyond.

harold bookRachel Schelling is a senior at Horace Greeley High School. Growing up, her favorite book was Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Local Goes Global

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Beyond New Castle: Connecting the Dots

hillary-grace-mashabaneThanks to a combination of serendipity, to some old fashioned “hutzpah” (I simply asked Secretary Clinton if I could join other press some time on a mission), and ultimately, to due diligence (follow up and hard work made it happen) …I ventured well past New Castle’s borders this past summer on the most unlikely adventure…to report on a Secretary of State  in Africa and in Turkey.

Many folks congratulated me on landing “an opportunity of a lifetime.” At one point, I stated that I hoped that this was, rather, the beginning of a lifetime of opportunities. Because something changed in me over the course of those 11 days.  I connected the dots. Our fates, from every corner of the globe, I came to see, are intrinsically tied together. Violence and instability in one region of the world threatens peace at home too–if renegade splinter groups make it past far away borders into our own, as one example.

From a purely humanitarian point of view, the ravages of HIV or malaria, or inadequate nutrition for millions, or human rights abuses by dictators or the degradation of women and girls are not problems easily ignored either. Aside from my role as a journalist, I felt an intense pride being a citizen of a country that has the resources to help, and during an election year, no less, traveling with a leader who is clearly so intent on doing so.

My only regret was the lack of time to explore Africa and its people. To truly connect the dots, there’s no greater empathy builder than connecting with people–taking the time to speak with and interact with people living in other cultures. Still, even the sporadic conversation, with an Embassy staffer or a cultural affairs minister, even with an armed guard at one point!, most definitely  enhanced my experience. It was those little moments I’ll cherish just as much as covering world leaders meeting.

And so, the concept of “Local Goes Global” was born. I was delighted in the course of promoting it to learn of several Greeley students interested in sharing their own travel experiences and I’m proud to feature their tales too. This summer, I had fun following the adventures of my friend, a Chappaqua teacher and freelance writer, Miriam Longobardi, and asked her to offer some perspective on teacher trips abroad…both for work and for leisure.

I also thought finding out how to maximize your relationship with a nanny from another culture would fit our theme, and Vicki de Vries got right on that one after just wrapping up her article here on “Sparkle for a Cause” at Crabtree’s Kittle House. Even Maggie Mae stepped in to find out about dog breeds from around the world who reside around town. Finally, as always, I’m deeply grateful to our sponsors for going with the flow and providing a hefty dose of “global wisdom” in the mix.  Enjoy!