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Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Former NBA Player Chris Herren Brings Powerful Message About Drug Abuse to Byram Hills High School

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Byram Hills High School students watched a powerful and heart-wrenching video on the rise of former NBA player Chris Herren and his drug addiction and downfall. Then, as the lights came up, the high school theater fell silent as Mr. Herren, sober since 2008, began to speak. 

He told students he knows the feeling of thinking that you don’t need to hear words like his about drugs.

“Just like some of you, I wanted to skip this talk,” Mr. Herren said to the juniors and seniors in the theater and the ninth and tenth graders who watched via livestream on March 8. “Just like a couple of you, I tried to convince my mother to let me sleep in and get some rest because we don’t need this talk. And just like some of you, I’ve walked into this talk with the attitude, all I do is drink and smoke, drug assemblies are a joke. It’s wild that they think I would turn into that guy.”

“That attitude comes from what I believe is the way we’ve irresponsibly talked to kids about addiction,” added the straight-talking Mr. Herren. “I think we put way too much focus and energy on the worst day and we forget the first day.”

The video traced Mr. Herren’s start as a high school basketball legend in Fall River, Massachusetts, and his turns playing for Boston College and Fresno State. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and traded in 2000 to the Boston Celtics, a dream come true. But he was living a secret life. Interspersed with his basketball success was drug use, being arrested and multiple stints in rehab. 

Students learned of Mr. Herren having his first taste of beer as a young teenager, using cocaine at Boston College, taking Oxycontin, shooting heroin, and the desperate need to obtain drugs, including right before game time. 

“Everybody thinks this talk is about drugs and alcohol,” he said. “I think it’s about self-worth. I think it’s about confidence, self-esteem. I think it’s about family. It’s about the people that love you.”

His mom, he said, never believed her son, a McDonald’s All-American basketball star, would spend her money on drugs. “Let’s just be real,” Mr. Herren said. “I’m 16, spending my mommy’s money on drugs. I’m 16 years old, lying to everybody who loves me right now. I’m 17 years old and my family doesn’t even know me.”

“That’s the scariest thing about drug addiction,” he said at one point. “Nobody knows who has it yet.” He added: “Parents don’t ask, and kids are afraid to talk about it.”

Who in the audience, he asked, would want their adoring younger sibling doing what they are doing in high school, keeping secrets, pretending everything is great, feeling so insecure that they need to drink to have fun.

“When we can envision that, it doesn’t seem so right any more,” he said. “This is no longer my story, it’s your story. See, the goal is that you walk out of here and you think of the kid you’re becoming.”

“My goal is that one of you walk out of here and say to yourself, ‘I want to feel better. I want to talk to someone. I don’t want to pretend everything’s right.’”

Principal Christopher Walsh was hopeful that the presentation would help students and families feel supported, and he urged students in need to ask for assistance.

“Substance abuse and addiction touch every part of society and it has gotten worse for many people during the pandemic,” he said. “Many families are suffering in silence. I hope that Chris Herren’s message helps people realize that they are not alone.”   

Students found Mr. Herren’s presentation moving and inspiring.

“I thought it was really impactful to hear because I think it’s definitely very normalized, drug use and drinking on the weekends,” senior Sofia Cobos said. “It was a really great talk. It definitely needed to be heard. It was a very, very eye-opening experience.”

Ninth grader Brody Ceisler said he learned that “even though somebody might not look like something on the outside, you never know what’s happening on the inside of them.”

Mr. Herren has shared his story with nearly two million high school students, hoping to make a difference early in their lives. He runs the nonprofit Herren Project, which empowers schools to make healthy choices while guiding families through recovery, and Herren Wellness, a residential health and wellness program that helps people live substance-free lives.

Story and Photo Courtesy of Bryam Hills School District

Represent Global: Nelson Mandela’s Hope to Inspire a Generation

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Nelson Mandela, Kweku Mandela, Chelsea Clinton, and Bill Clinton. Photo by Kweku Mandela

In a world with over seven billion people, it is easy to feel insignificant, like our personal footprints could not possibly be powerful enough to leave a lasting imprint. But Nelson Mandela is one of the notable individuals whose life has shattered this notion. By fighting against injustice and advocating for human rights, freedom, and equality, Nelson Mandela proved that one person does have the power to make a significant impact on our world. And with the fifth anniversary of his death on December 5th, it is important that we not only draw inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life, but also draw inspiration from the legacy he left behind.

Over this past summer, I had the privilege of being a Youth Fellow for Represent Global, a new global foundation and social empowerment platform. Founded by Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Kweku Mandela, Represent aims to activate, educate, and inspire youth all over the world to become changemakers, leaders, and social activists through making humanitarian issues (like opioid addiction and human trafficking) relevant and accessible to my generation. The idea for Represent was conceived out of the desire to transform Nelson Mandela’s legacy into an inspiration, a catalyst for change. Kweku Mandela explains, “My Grandfather did not want his legacy to be represented by an airport, a school, or a simple physical manifestation. Instead, he wanted his actions to act as a model for the next generation to use as a means to make humanity more just and equitable for all. He believed that all it takes is one generation –one generation to end poverty, one generation to end discrimination, and one generation to push the spirit of mankind. Represent’s purpose is to make sure this is that generation.”

Based on my experience this summer, that goal seems more feasible than ever. Through helping to plan Represent’s launch event this summer, which celebrated Nelson Mandela’s centenary with events around the world that raised money and awareness for local causes, I was introduced to the social justice facet of the nonprofit world. Above all, I was astounded by the passion, drive, and talent possessed by all of the young people I was working with, each of whom saw something he or she wanted to change about the world and did something about it, rather than waiting for someone else to act. They are fighting today to make tomorrow better, and it is utterly inspiring.

That experience makes me feel hopeful that we truly do have the potential to be the “one” generation of which Kweku Mandela speaks. Just look around. My generation is overwhelmingly dedicated to social justice, committed to finding issues we care about, learning the facts, and making our voices heard. Whether it is by posting on social media, walking out of school, or marching through the streets of our nation’s capital, my generation shows up and takes a stand against injustice. We are committed to shaping the world into a better place, and I am immensely proud of that. Working with Represent this summer highlighted to me how powerful young people can be when they find a passion, create a vision, and fight to make it a reality. And now more than ever, with this experience to guide me,  I feel empowered to do just that.

Even though it has been five years since Nelson Mandela’s death, his influence on our planet has not waned. We remember him as an anti-apartheid activist who stood up against inequality; we remember him as South Africa’s first black president, committed to strengthening the definition of freedom; but most importantly, we remember Nelson Mandela for what he taught us about fighting for our beliefs, and we use his life as a source of inspiration. Each day, if we can overcome apathy and find something to fight for, if we can raise our voices and make ourselves heard, if we can summon the courage to be the change, we can use Nelson Mandela’s legacy as a source of strength. Because the most important thing I took away from my experience this summer with Represent Global is the understanding that we all have the power to make a difference. And if we can transform that understanding into action, we can all live by Nelson Mandela’s legacy, and perhaps even create our own.

How Chelsea Clinton Inspires Kids to Make a Difference with New Book, It’s Your World

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Amanda with Chelsea Clinton at the Chappaqua Library book signing
Amanda with Chelsea Clinton
at the Chappaqua Library book signing

By Amanda H. Cronin

On Thursday September 24, I got the opportunity to speak with Chelsea Clinton about her new book, It’s Your World–Get Informed, Get Inspired, and Get Going! Chelsea is the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, and is the daughter of our very own illustrious Bill and Hillary Clinton. Chelsea has traveled all over the world working on humanitarian projects where she met and was inspired by children of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. In this, her first book, she talks about the ways kids can make a difference in our world, and how they already are. Here’s the exchange I was fortunate to have with her prior to her Chappaqua Library book signing.

Amanda: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me!

Chelsea Clinton: Thank you for being interested in It’s Your World!

Amanda: What inspired you to write this book now?

Chelsea Clinton: I continue to be struck by the curiosity of young people. Adults should recognize that young people are taking charge and are en- gaged in making a difference. Knowing that I was going to become a mom lent a greater urgency to writing this book because I felt even more of a respon- sibility. I wanted to empower young people to make a difference across our country and across the world.

Amanda: In your book, you say that, “more than anything else, education is an area where adults should listen to kids,” and that you hope that students “will speak up and speak out about what we think education should mean in our schools.” Can you please explain more about this?

Chelsea Clinton: Yes! Oftentimes people say to me, “What do you think kids should care about?” And I say, “Well, just ask kids, they’ll tell you!”

It’s up to us as adults to support kids in engaging in making a difference. I certainly think that that’s true in schools. Kids spend more time in school than they do at home, so trying to listen–actually, not even trying–listening to kids about what they want to learn in school, and how they think they’ll best learn in school, is something that I believe every adult should do.

Amanda: Millions of kids are being held back from going to school because of their gender, their economic hardships, or because there is simply no school around. We are very lucky here in Chappaqua to have such an outstanding school system. How can we help girls and boys around the world who don’t have the same educational opportunities?

Chelsea Clinton: Since 1918, every kid in the U.S. has had the right to a free public education. In a lot of countries, kids don’t have that right, or there is that right but it is not put into practice because there just aren’t enough schools, or teachers, or materials. Organizations that build schools and provide funding to train teachers are so powerful because they are solving problems in places where communities clearly want their kids to go to school. At Horace Greeley, something that you can do is to sponsor the building of a school!

Amanda: You seem to be really hopeful and optimistic about the capability of today’s kids to tackle these huge issues. Why do you believe that
we can?

Chelsea Clinton: Because you already are! I hope that is apparent for anyone that reads It’s Your World. Kids are already profoundly impacting such things as the health of their families, saving iconic species like elephants, and helping school environments become safer. The strong answer to your question is all the stories that I am so grateful to be able to share about kids who are making real, tangible, meaningful impact across the world today.

Amanda: Now a hometown question… Do you like visiting your parents in Chappaqua?

Chelsea Clinton: It’s a beautiful place, and my parents love living in Chappaqua, even more than they thought they would. My husband and I love visiting; it feels very much like home. It’s really nice now that I am a mom to have a place to go where Charlotte [her daughter] can crawl around on the grass.

Amanda: Yes, I love it too! Thank you so much for talking with me today!

Chelsea Clinton: Thank you!

Amanda Cronin is a junior at Horace Greeley High School. She is news editor of The Greeley Tribune, a student of Writopia Lab, and a member of the iMatter Youth Council. She hopes to one day make a difference in our world.

Olympic Swimmer Inspires Local Youth

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Boys and Girls Club Marlins’ coaches Bobby Hackett (Distance Coach), left, and Dennis Munson (Head Coach/Aquatic Director), right, welcome Olympian Ariana Kukors.
Boys and Girls Club Marlins’ coaches Bobby Hackett (Distance Coach), left, and Dennis Munson (Head Coach/Aquatic Director), right, welcome Olympian Ariana Kukors.

By Susan Draper

Never underestimate an Olympian! When she retired from swimming in 2012, Ariana Kukors set out to use her experiences to inspire change in others. From kids’ clinics and corporate presentations, to her role as Director of Health Inspiration at LifeWise Health Plan of Washington & Oregon, Ariana has been able to engage, encourage, and motivate people from all walks of life. As she set out to work with over one hundred of our local athletes during the last weekend in September, I was in awe of just how much valuable information, pertinent to performance, could be included in a 2-2.5-hour workshop. I knew the workshops would be inspiring and insightful, but I didn’t realize that they had the potential to be life changing.

Ariana’s first Westchester workshop, graciously hosted by the Bristal in Armonk, was a Dream Clinic for teens looking for targeted ways to become better at their craft. The teens were everything from equestrians to soccer players, with obviously some swimmers in the mix. Ariana began by telling the story of how she was a member of the National Swim Team since age 13, and that her first crack at the Olympics was in 2008. She candidly described the details of finishing the semi-finals in first place, but sinking to third place in the final lap of the 200 IM. One doesn’t have to be a swimmer to know that coming in third by .09 seconds is a devastating experience. The ensuing night was rough, but beginning the next day–after dropping a full 9 seconds in the 200 breast–she began to develop a comeback plan. The clinic was an opportunity to explore one’s personal philosophy and vision with a suggestion to develop a vision board for life. The teens learned about positive self talk, mindfulness, and steps to calm the mind through meditation. She explained exactly what techniques she employed in order to break the world record, not once, but twice to win the gold medal at the World Championships in Rome in 2009, being named American Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine. The teens worked on their own personal ideas during the session and left with techniques to complete a comprehensive plan for success. One parent let me know that her daughter didn’t waste any time putting elements of the plan into practice, scoring points for her team in a competition the very next day.

Ariana gives tips and advice to a rapt group of competitive young swim- mers at the Boys and Girls Club in Mount Kisco.
Ariana gives tips and advice to a rapt group of competitive young swimmers at the Boys and Girls Club in Mount Kisco.

That Sunday, Ariana conducted swim clinics at the Boys and Girls Club in Mt. Kisco. Again, she began with her story, which every swimmer in the room could relate to as she spoke. “Who has had a bad race?” Again, she described that fateful race of 2008 where years of training kept her in first place for the first 150 meters. She described how panic set in as her mind strayed to the thought of being chased down by freestylers who at moments in the past had been flat out faster than her personal best time. Her honed technique fell apart as she panicked. Everyone in the room identified with her at that moment–including swimmers I had seen repeatedly take first place at Metropolitan Swimming championships. It was her absolute humanness that drew them in to her world. Every swimmer has had the race where they put themselves out there only to touch the wall and look back at the clock to see that they fell short of their goal. There were questions about strategy, mental preparation, opponents, and how to pick an element to develop to drop their times. There were moments of laughter and moments where she tugged at their heart strings. For much of the afternoon she was in the pool with them working their strokes in new sets and drills. In the end, all of them had their opportunity to race an Olympian while swimming their best stroke. As the session closed, I could see that they had fallen in love with Ariana as they all stayed for photographs, autographs and even more laughter.

The afternoon brought me back to thoughts when, as a family, we met Ariana at the Olympic Trials. She had realized her dream of becoming an Olympian in a race that we watched on the edge of our seats the evening before. Little did we know in that moment as she touched and placed second–erupting in tears of joy as she connected with her family–that she was destined to take a place in our hearts. I knew the kids at the workshops would love her too, but what I learned is that she is truly as amazing outside of the water as she is in the pool. She put her heart and soul into the preparation for these clinics and once again, it paid off as a true gift for everyone involved. We can’t wait to have her back again!

Susan Draper is currently pursuing her RN degree while teaching yoga and spinning in her spare time. She lives in Armonk with her husband, daughter, and competitive swimmer son who inspired the whole family to “dive” into the sport eight years ago.

Extra-Curricular Matters and Lessons in Life

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Motivational Speaker Geri Mariano. Carolyn Simpson Photo.
Motivational Speaker Geri Mariano. Carolyn Simpson Photo

By Geri Mariano

I am not a parent, so the ubiquitous phrase “Back to School” does not elicit the glee it might otherwise from adults counting down the days until their children leave the house each morning. However, I am excited that the school year is fast approaching. And the reason for that is simple: school had, and still has, a tremendous impact on my life.

Unabashedly, I was one of those students who actually looked forward to returning to the routine of school each September. While I enjoyed the summer months, my physical limitations (I was born with abnormalities of all things skeletal) meant that I could never be as active as most kids. Therefore, school was a place I could belong–and even thrive academically –with peers for six to seven hours each day. So, during the spring of 1972, my mom and I made the rounds of Northern Westchester school districts as I was due to start Kindergarten come September. Our mission was to meet school administrators and find which districts would welcome a student with special needs; there was no federal mandate to publically educate children with disabilities at that time.

In all my presentations, I give much credit to the Byram Hills School District for accepting me before it was legally required to do so. Was everything hunky-dory from my first day to graduation thirteen years later? No. Were restrictions placed for my own “safety” (and likely school liability)? Yes. Were parents more nervous than my fellow Kindergartners? Yes! Was I made to feel an oddity from classmates? Happily, mostly No … and this is why I embarked, several years ago now, on sharing my stories.

When at Smith College, unable to walk quickly about campus, I zoomed around on what I affectionately called my “buggy”. My daily routes (to classes and my work-study job) took me past a campus pre-school where, unsurprisingly, the children who saw me would stare, point or giggle. A wise teacher flagged me down one day and asked if I might meet with the children. I readily accepted. Introducing myself, I asked them if I looked “funny.” When they admitted that I did, I agreed with them. I don’t remember all we talked about, but, when leaving, I suggested that now that they knew me, maybe I wouldn’t look so weird to them. Suddenly, I had many new friends, and each day after, there were waves and shouts of “Hi Geri!”

Geri in elementary school.
Geri in elementary school.

Pieces of a puzzle I hadn’t realized existed began falling into place. 
I thought of my Byram Hills classmates and how they had always known me. Years later, when reconnecting with many through social media, they all confirmed my hypothesis: they’d always accepted me because they always knew me as just Geri, one of them. I was never a stranger, so I was never seen as “different.” And had they known of any bullying incidents, each offered they would have quickly taken care of the situation. What an amazing gift!

Still, I am reminded how important it is to teach our children, and how adults in particular have their part to play–especially after one discouraging encounter at a local department store.

A group of three or four pre-teen girls began following me around while I was shopping alone. I can accept a look here, a stare there, even a pointed finger or snicker. But what I cannot abide are triple takes or being trailed by youth of an age that should be better mannered. I remember turning, raising my shortened arms, asking “do you have a problem?” The girls quickly moved away, but, minutes later, stealthily began following me again. I then turned to track them to the adult charged with their behavior. Loathe as I am to complain to a stranger, I interrupted this woman on her cell phone and simply stated that the girls had been very rude. Shrugging, the woman responded, “What do you expect?” I expect adults and parents to do better.

My mom often admitted I was dealt a bad hand and that life isn’t fair. However, she’d continue, that did not mean the world owed me anything; nothing would be handed to me on a silver platter. Has life been a struggle? Yes. Have I had good times over the years? Absolutely. Would I like life to be easier? Of course. But I’d also like to see better understanding in the world for a whole host of difficulties.

I choose to do my part to facilitate that understanding, at least of differences, in our community and elsewhere. Will you join me? 
Thanks, Just Geri

Longtime Armonk resident Geri Mariano was born with diatrophic dysplasia, a lifelong condition that affects bone and cartilage resulting in many physical and social challenges. To learn more about Geri, please visit her website: 
www.justcallmegeri.com