The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Learning

Loving Learning (Chappaqua)

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By the time this magazine reaches you if you have kids in the school system, you’ll probably know their teachers, classmates and bus schedule for fall. My biggest wish for my kids at school this year besides an easier bedtime routine is that their teachers inspire them for a lifetime of loving learning. We all know that learning doesn’t stop with a diploma from our highly rated high schools or a prestigious graduate program. As Albert Einstein once said “once you stop learning, you start dying.”  And I agree wholeheartedly so be sure to check out the article on  Chappaqua’s Continuing Education Program and find a class that suits your interest. There’s truly something for everyone.

One of the best parts of my job is that I feel like I am constantly learning by reading articles submitted by our talented cadre of writers or by interviewing sources, there is always something new out there happening in our town.

I had the privilege of interviewing Jamie Petrone who is living with transverse myelopathy, a spinal cord injury and see first hand how robotics are helping her to walk again at the Burke Neurological Institute to coincide with September, Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. I also was humbled to reacquaint myself with the four young students in the district who grace our cover and have created innovative programs to honor their friend Scarlett Chwatko, who passed away from brain cancer this spring. After all, learning isn’t strictly about academics. It is also about kindness too and how our actions can help others in need.

Speaking of kindness, turn the page to read about the FoodieBus which also morphs into the the HELP (Healing, Educating, Liberating People) Bus through a partnership with Feeding Westchester, an organization with the mission of ending hunger in Westchester County.

May you enjoy the rest of summer and all of the bounty that fall brings,

P.S. I just had to share this Draw for Paws photo of my dog, Arlo created by a talented sixth grader at Bell, Jake Sheehy. Check out the Draws for Paws article on page 30.

Lifelong Learning Through Chappaqua’s Continuing Education Program

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For more than 40 years, Chappaqua Continuing Education has created a unique community for ongoing learning. As one of the only community-sponsored, school district run programs in Westchester County, Chappaqua’s Continuing Education program invites Chappaqua residents to come together and take enriching classes on the campus of Horace Greeley High School.

Every year, about 1,200 people take classes through the Chappaqua Continuing Education program, which is a nonprofit organization run in conjunction with the Chappaqua Central School District. “Originally, the program was designed to be a give back to the community and a thank you to empty nesters for sticking around. Their children graduated, but they still lived here, and we wanted to keep them involved in the community,” states the Director of Continuing Education, Maura Marcon. The program evolved into a community-oriented opportunity that spans all ages and crosses over to people in nearby communities who do not have access to this type of programming.

An Array of Options

“The Chappaqua program is unique because it’s community based and supportive, providing a wide range of classes for just about everything,” notes Katie Goldberg who has taught art and Mahjong classes through Chappaqua Continuing Education for the past 25 years. Goldberg is right about the range of classes. This fall, Chappaqua Continuing Education will offer 90 classes in everything from art, cooking, and dance to gardening, exercise classes, finance, and foreign languages.

According to Marcon, the 10-week Spanish, French, and Italian language classes are extremely well-attended. Many people who take Spanish joined the class as beginners and have taken all four levels of Spanish together, developing friendships with one another and with the instructors. “They even socialize outside the class, going out for drinks or dinner with the instructor.”

The most social classes, the games classes, which include Canasta and Mahjong, often bring groups of friends together who want to learn something new. And the finance classes, covering topics from retirement planning and Medicare to understanding estate taxes and financial planning for women, are particularly popular with empty-nesters.

Empty-nesters and people in their late 50’s and 60’s are the most frequent participants in the program. Senior citizens from Chappaqua can receive up to a 50 percent discount on certain classes, and Chappaqua Continuing Education even offers some free classes. The single session, 90-minute classes are favorites of many 30- and 40-something residents, who take advantage of these $30 classes as a plan for an entertaining, educational night out.

Artist and art teacher Quincy Egginton isn’t only a teacher in Chappaqua’s Continuing Education program, she is a 35-year resident who raised her two daughters here. “It feels like home when I go to Greeley to teach,” says Egginton, who enjoys running into her daughters’ teachers and credits the Greeley custodial staff with supporting the work of the program.

Egginton, whose favorite class to teach is watercolor painting, is one of several local residents who teaches in this program. Even the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps runs a class on American Heart Association Family and Friends CPR. Marcon encourages any interested residents to submit proposals for classes, as she encourages the community to get involved in any way possible and is always open to new ideas and creative classes.

Making Lifelong Learning Accessible and Fun

“I love the positive feedback that I get from people about our teachers, classes and wide array of class offerings,” says Marcon, who loves her creative, people-oriented position. Goldberg and Egginton agree that their students are extremely positive about their experiences. “Many of my students have told me that I’ve made complicated, intimidating subjects easy and fun by breaking things down into enjoyable ‘bite-sized nuggets,’” said Goldberg.

Chappaqua Continuing Education offers classes from September through December, January through February, and March through June. Classes meet Monday through Thursday evenings for one to two hours. For more information about Chappaqua Continuing Education, visit their website, ccsd.ws/district/departments/chappaqua-continuing-education, or check out one of the seasonal catalogs that are regularly distributed throughout Chappaqua, Millwood, Armonk, Bedford, Briarcliff, Mount Kisco, and Pleasantville.

Loving Learning (Armonk)

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By the time this magazine reaches you if you have kids in the school system, you’ll probably know their teachers, classmates and bus schedule for fall. My biggest wish for my kids at school this year besides an easier bedtime routine is that their teachers inspire them for a lifetime of loving learning. We all know that learning doesn’t stop with a diploma from our highly rated high schools or a prestigious graduate program. As Albert Einstein once said “once you stop learning, you start dying.”

We wanted to feature some of our talented students in the Global Scholars Program at Byram Hills. These students take a deep dive into the most pressing issues facing us and are gaining the tools to become our future global leaders.

No matter what path these students take, the notion that what college they attend will determine their career success is old and outdated and worth reexamining. Check out the article on the first community read discussing this in October on page 6.

May you enjoy the rest of summer and all of the bounty that fall brings,

P.S. I can’t wait to participate in the annual Windmill triathlon on August 31 with my husband. Hoping to see some of our readers there.

Local Author Tackles Tough Topic in Latest Children’s Book: Repeating Kindergarten

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Becca Eisenberg, book author

It is always inspiring to meet people who are guided by their passion, especially when that passion is helping others. Rebecca Eisenberg who goes by “Becca,” a speech language pathologist, author, instructor, parent, and Armonk resident epitomizes that sentiment. A proponent of children’s literature, Eisenberg recently self-published a children’s book entitled My Second Year of Kindergarten aimed at providing parents and teachers with a resource on the topic of repeating kindergarten. The inspiration for the book? Her own experience.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and Eisenberg can attest to that. When she and her husband made the difficult decision to have their son repeat kindergarten, she searched for a children’s book to help explain the transition to her son; disappointed to have found no such publication, Eisenberg decided to write her own. “As a speech pathologist and mother, I have always looked for children’s literature to help explain difficult transitions or complex issues, and when I was looking for a book about repeating a grade, there was no book at all! I decided I was going to write my own. I tend to create my own work when I can’t find it. I read the draft to my son, and he loved it. The more I thought about it, the more I was devoted to putting it out there,” says Eisenberg.

Inspiring a Growth Mindset

For over two years Eisenberg worked hard to create a book with which all children and parents could identify. My Second Year of Kindergarten is about a boy named Peter, named for a student she worked with who defied all odds and learned to spell, write, and communicate beyond expectations, who is repeating kindergarten. The book follows Peter’s progress from “last year” to “this year,” highlighting the skills Peter gains from repeating the grade. With this book, and the reading guide for educators and parents she created to accompany it, Eisenberg hopes to inspire a growth mindset for children by changing the default attitude from “I can’t do it,” to “I’m learning how to do it.”

Eisenberg draws from her own personal experience to offer advice to parents who are considering having their child repeat kindergarten. Tips such as, “Be honest! Explain the reasons why you have made the decision to have your child repeat kindergarten,” and “Connect with other parents whose children already repeated kindergarten” are compiled in the back of her book. Although Eisenberg had what she described as an “ideal experience” with repeating kindergarten (due to a supportive school and family), Eisenberg knows that some people still treat the topic as something shameful and not to be discussed. Through her book, she hopes to change that. By starting meaningful and honest conversations through literature, she is well on her way.

Although Eisenberg believes that repeating kindergarten does indeed have benefits, she does not advocate it for every child. “If a child is repeating kindergarten, there is a reason for it; either social or academic delays,” explains Eisenberg. “When parents and their ‘team’(their school and other individuals involved in the decision) make the decision to repeat kindergarten, it is about making the best decision for the child.” Eisenberg stressed that she did not write the book to promote the idea of repeating kindergarten for all children, but rather to provide a resource for the families who decide that their child will benefit from it. Some benefits she cites of repeating the grade include social closeness with peers and more time to understand information, which can increase a child’s confidence and happiness at school.

Web Resources for Parents, Children and Educators

As a web savvy author, she also created a website www.mysecondyearofkindergarten.com to serve as a resource. With downloadable worksheets for children and podcasts it offers valuable information so that children repeating a grade can view it as an empowering and positive experience. In addition to the website for the book, she writes an impressive blog called www.gravitybread.com that forms the foundation for all of her work and emphasizes learning during mealtimes. Since 2012, she has updated her blog with language tips, special needs resources, book and app reviews, her interpretations of research articles, and other information with the goal of sharing her passion of connecting with children through storytelling with other parents.

Hearing her talk about her book, her blog, and the other resources she has created with such pride, Eisenberg’s profound commitment to others shines through.

“I have always been passionate about helping other people, for work and in my life. Ever since I was little I have felt the desire to help people with different abilities and needs. It is just a part of who I am.” She truly embodies what it means to put your heart into your work.

Kindergarten Skills

Deciding whether or not to repeat kindergarten can be a very hard decision for families. Dawn Lorenz, a kindergarten teacher at World Cup Nursery School in Chappaqua for 24 years, notes that children entering kindergarten should have the following skills:

  • The ability to listen attentively
  • Follow multi-step directions
  • Stay on task for increasing periods of time
  • Work cooperatively
  • Resolve conflicts socially
  • Function independently (put on shoes, use bathroom independently, etc.)
  • Transition between tasks or locations
  • Follow classroom rules
  • Ask for help when needed

Lorenz warns parents against having their child repeat kindergarten so they can gain an advantage in academics or sports. “There needs to be a clear reason to repeat the grade. It isn’t about being the oldest, fastest, best, or smartest, it is about that individual child and how they will feel during that kindergarten year. Childhood is a journey, not a race; the social-emotional skills are a foundation for academics, now and in the future, so we should not rush our kids to attain skills. We need to respect that five-year-old year and how important it is to a child’s life and development,” she explains.

Potential Reasons to Repeat Kindergarten

  • Social or emotional immaturity
  • A slower developmental timeline
  • Any reason that leads you to suspect that your child may need just a bit of extra time

Lorenz says that she has never had parents who came back to her regretting their decision to have their child repeat kindergarten, but there are many parents who wish they did make that decision because their child just was not ready yet. “We have to make the decision based on our individual children after taking into consideration advice from the “experts” in our lives (whether that be teachers, school districts, preschool directors, etc.).”

“There should not be any embarrassment or stigma at all if you are making the decision for the appropriate reasons for your individual child. You want to set the stage for the rest of their career in education–you want them to be happy and love learning!” sums up Lorenz.

Survival of the Fittest: Two Programs Offer Lifelong Skills

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If you ever found yourself lost in the wilderness, would you know what to do? The natural environment is a complex place and it takes knowledge, confidence, and first-hand experience to survive.

The popular television show Survivor puts the spotlight on contestants who use their instincts to survive in a remote location. Since then, similar reality shows have gained in popularity, including Running Wild with Bear Grylls where the Irish adventurer takes celebrities into the wilderness for 48 hours and teaches them survival techniques. Also, The Weather Channel’s SOS: How to Survive features true stories of people battling severe weather elements and provides tips from a survival expert on how to overcome dangerous situations.

PHOTOS BY ZACH FISHER

7th graders making fire

You don’t have to be on these shows to challenge your skills against the natural world. To learn what it’s like to survive in nature, the town of New Castle Recreation & Parks is offering two wilderness survival programs, Primitive Survival Skills and the First 24. They will take place in Gedney Park in April. “I’m always looking for out-of-the-box programming. These classes are hands-on learning and get kids outside. The kids really like that,” said Bill Garrison, Assistant Superintendent of the Town of New Castle.

Oliver Jacobs, 10, of Chappaqua, attended both classes. “I’m interested in survival and read a lot of books on it. I thought it was really fun to learn survival skills. We played games and they all had something to do with nature and sometimes animals,” said Jacobs who learned how to make a waterproof shelter using sticks and leaves. “All the kids built it together. I felt kind of proud of myself and the people in my group,” he said. Other benefits were making new friends and learning from the instructor. “I would recommend anyone to take the class because it’s a lot of fun, you learn important survival skills, and you learn things you can do to respect nature.”

The programs were created and led by Zach Fisher of Patterson, who is a primitive skills educator and licensed N.Y. State Guide, and also Wilderness First Responder Certified. His experiences have given him a greater understanding of himself, others, and man’s relationship with the natural world. “I think this is an invaluable experience to go along with skills that can potentially be life-saving. In addition, there’s a direct correlation between someone’s understanding of nature and their desire to conserve it, so this is also part of my duty toward the preservation of our valuable wild resources,” said Fisher.

Primitive Survival Skills

Primitive Survival Skills, an after-school program for children in grades 5-8, offers practical instruction and hands-on activities on wilderness survival that involve survival skills, sense awareness, team projects, motor skills and more. Some of the fun, educational activities include making foraged tea, playing games, talking about plants and trees and tracking animals. “It’s tons of fun and we laugh a lot. We do a lot of game playing and joking around, but I make sure to include a lot of useful content at the same time,” said Fisher. “I also include at least one lecture on an essential skill, like shelter building or fire-making. Depending on the program, I might include a long-term project, like making a bow, a basket, or a bone knife.”

Rose Kory, 11, and her sister Natasha, 10, also took Primitive Skills. “If you want to learn about using your senses and getting more in touch with nature, you’ll enjoy this class,” said Rose. She learned skills such as starting a fire and making a bow and arrow. Her sister Natasha said, “I liked that you do team work plus I made a friend.” Marcus Arnold, 10, of Chappaqua, decided to take Primitive Skills because he was interested in learning about survival too. “I made a house in the wild using sticks, leaves and moss. We all did it together. It was a very fun experience to work with other people,” said Marcus.

At the end of the program, the children come away with useful information. “They leave with a foundational knowledge of what it takes to survive in a wilderness setting, a bunch of new games, and a heightened awareness and respect for the world around them,” explained Fisher, referencing the important bond between man and nature. “I think we are all experiencing a bit of separation anxiety in regards to our relationship with nature. People want to feel safe in the natural world and these classes help them feel a little more prepared.” The program ends with a skills-based competition and awards ceremony.

First 24

The First 24 is a one-day program featuring primitive and modern skills to help you survive within the first 24 hours of being lost in a wilderness situation. The hands-on program is geared to adults and youths (minimum age 10). “This course is designed for people who spend some time in nature, whether it be hiking, backpacking or for work,” said Fisher. Families who are outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Some of the games and demonstrations include map, trail and compass reading; making a survival kit; building a debris shelter and fire structures; lighting techniques; how to communicate if lost; and water filtration and disinfection. 

As an adult attending the program, Milton Roman, of Yonkers, appreciated Fisher’s knowledge and experience. “He’s compassionate and willing to let you express yourself. What was nice was it was generations working together to divide the skills. It was a group experiential activity and more exciting. It has a process and an end result,” said Roman. “With the guidance of Zach, your view becomes wider and this gives them [kids] an opportunity to see what nature is like. You see the world in a different perspective.” At the conclusion, participants have many take-aways. “They’ll have an advanced understanding of what to do if they get lost in the woods, a new set of skills, and hopefully a respect and reverence for the natural world,” said Fisher.

Overall the classes encourage participants to expand their world. “I try my best to get people to go outside of their comfort zone, to get dirty, hands-on, to ask lots of questions and be involved in the process,” he said. “I try to create the feeling of community, which I think is one the most essential parts of life.”

Registration begins March 12. For more information and to register online, visit mynewcastle.org or call the Town of New Castle Recreation & Parks at (914) 238-3909.