Westchester Students Honored with Excellence in Programming Award

The National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) Northeast Conference declared Westchester Community College's Events Board (WEB) the best student-run programming board in the country.

In addition to its nationally-recognized academic program and grants from Con Edison and The J.M. Kaplan Fund, Westchester Community College recently earned another accolade to add to its litany of accomplishments. Students from towns including Scarsdale, White Plains and Peekskill were awarded with the 2011 Excellence in Programming Award at the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) regional awards ceremony -- a tribute to Westchester Community College as having the best student-run programming board in the Northeast.  WCC's programming board, represented by President Dominick Tedesco and Vice President of Marketing Dali Lu, was honored by judges after demonstrating a multimedia presentation that highlighted their operating …

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PHOTOS: Under the Big Top at LES

Cotton candy, bouncy houses and carnival games were among the featured events.

The Lewisboro Circus was buzzing with activity Saturday. Parent and student volunteers manned ticket booths, carnival games, a cotton candy machine, arts and crafts and a cake walk—to name just a few of the things to do. Event co-chairs Laurie Scinicariello and Rubina Nitta along with committee members Colleen Ferrajina, Kerby Vincent, Debbi Walsh, Fanny Valle, Ann Marie Simmes, Michelle Gioffre, Melissa Deganhardt, Stephanie Rogers, Alison Monico, Elizabeth Belbin, and Christine McKenna managed the details of the event, which took months to plan and was enjoyed by hundreds in the community. The event also serves as a PTA fundraiser, providing funds for enrichment activities at the school. Scroll through the photo gallery for snapshot's of…

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Westchester Chinese-American Community Welcomes the Year of the Dragon [VIDEO]

Approximately 500 people gathered to welcome the year of the dragon at the Westchester Association of Chinese Americans' 23nd annual Chinese New Year program at New Rochelle High School on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Hui Huang of Croton-on-Hudson and Erqian Na of Yonkers hand-rolled, filled and steamed dumplings for an eager crowd of children in the cafeteria at New Rochelle High School on Saturday. "You like them, yes?" Huang asked Brian Chin, 5, of Mamaroneck as he and his brother Ethan, 8, took turns crimping the doughy edges of the dumplings. "Be careful, it's hot," she warned Katie Yacoub, 11, of Eastchester. Nearby, Eileen Wang of Valhalla played a modified game of peekaboo with her 3-year-old daughter Emma who was trying on an elaborate, child-sized lion mask at the dance workshop. Although the Westchester Association of Chinese Americans hosts the event, the gathering is a combined effort bringing together sponsors TD Bank and PepsiCo as well …

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Bedford School Board Hears Core-Curriculum Standards

New statewide guidelines “describe a core but not necessarily the advanced work our students may want,” Drew Patrick, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, told the school board Wednesday.

Bedford schools have begun filling in the blanks on a series of statewide standards describing what students are expected to learn before they graduate. The standards, part of a national effort, are meant to produce graduates who can meet tomorrow’s increasingly tough college or workplace challenges. While the standards define an educational destination, they leave it to local districts to map the specific route to get there. At a meeting of the Bedford Central School District Wednesday, Andrew Patrick, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, unfolded the start of a local road map.  Using slides and standing at a lectern, he addressed the board for some two hours in a Middle School theater that was otherwise virtually …

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Bedford School District Defends Decision to Replace Ayo Hart

Superintendent of Schools Jere Hochman warned parents and others against “assumptions” or thoughts that “our decisions are based on subjective or unfounded opinions.”

In a statement to the Bedford School Board, Superintendent Jere Hochman defended last month’s firing of longtime Fox Lane girls basketball coach Ayo Hart. Her dismissal—for reasons the district adamantly refuses to disclose—has generated a low-key controversy, with at least one petition already claiming 65 signatories beseeching officials to reinstate the coach. Hart, who was not a district employee, had been a part-time coach with the basketball program for 11 years, most recently as the varsity’s head coach. Her dismissal followed a Jan. 12 incident, in which she departed a game against Port Chester, leaving her team in the hands of an assistant coach. Hart, a self-employed Pound Ridge resident, later said a business commitment made the …

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Firm Recommends $30 Million in K-L Building Improvements

KG&D Architects presented a 5-year capital plan to the Katonah-Lewisboro school district that includes $5 million in "priority" improvements.

Aging boilers, leaky roofs and rotting doors in K-L school buildings are among the capital improvement projects recommended by KG&D architects after their recent survey of the district's six schools. The state-mandated building condition survey resulted in the firm's preparation of a five-year capital plan with a $30 million price tag. The plan includes a prioritized list of repair, renovation or replacement projects—in addition to an overall rating—for each of the district's six buildings. Overall, said Russell Davidson, lead architect for the survey and plan, the buildings are well maintained. "You've been doing a good job with capital projects, and are definitely not in the worst shape." Critical projects Each building was rated "…

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Students Make 'A World of Difference'

Students from John Jay High School's World of Difference Club led school board members through exercises designed to simulate what it's like to have various disabilities.

Try this: take an index card, hold it to your forehead, and try writing your name backwards. Challenged?  That was the point of an exercise in which attendees of last week's school board meeting participated. Led by four members of John Jay High School's 'A World of Difference Club,' the exercise illustrated the difficulties people with dysgraphia—a writing disability—experience every day. Samantha Lish, Jake Goodman, Carol Cotto, and Amy Burlander, along with their club advisor, high school special education teacher Meghan Lynch, each took a turn facilitating activities that simulated a variety of disabilities or impairments, one of the many goals of the club.  "We are here to celebrate differences and develop a sensitivity and awareness…

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Lisa Buchman

1:10 pm on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Our pleasure Laura—those students were sharp! And generous with their time.   more ›

Report Gives Good Special Ed. Marks for Bedford Central

Findings commend Bedford schools for support staff quality, inclusive classes.

An outside audit gives good feedback for the Bedford Central School District's special education program. The report, given to the school board at its Jan. 25 meeting by Futures Education, was done for a broader program evaluation in the district, according to Superintendent Jere Hochman. The presenting consultants, Michael Neiman and John McGuire, had good words for officials. “You have an extremely talented and supportive special education department," Neiman told the board. The firm put together its report after spending nine months of research for the district, including feedback with 110 people—parents and faculty included —looking at records and conducting campus visits. Aside from the quality of staff, the consultants praised the …

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