Yorktown and Cortlandt region

Peekskill is the newest eagle viewing site added to Teatown Lake Reservation’s annual Hudson River EagleFest. The 8th Annual Hudson River EagleFest will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. EagleFest Headquarters will be located at Westchester County’s Croton Point Park, with additional eagle viewing sites throughout northern Westchester including – for the first time – the Riverfront Green in Peekskill.

The Riverfront Green Eaglefest location will feature a variety of FREE amenities and activities between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, including:

• A large heated tent with tables and chairs.

• A portable bathroom.

• Eagle and bird viewing at Riverfront Green will be facilitated throughout the day by eagle experts from Teatown Lake Reservation with spotting scopes.

• Storyteller Jonathan Kruk will be performing in the heated tent between 12:30 – 1:30 PM.

• Live birds of prey flying demonstrations with Brian Bradley between 1:30 – 3:00 PM.

• Free shuttles to and from Croton Point Park throughout the day, so that attendees can have access to both the Croton Point Headquarters and the Riverfront Green.

• Local merchants will also be selling hot food and beverages.

“These majestic bald eagles are literally on our own waterfront and we are delighted to partner with Teatown Lake Reservation staff to create this viewing event for our residents and visitors. This is an exciting opportunity to view bald eagles in their natural habitat in a way that is environmentally safe and protects the eagles’ habitat for future generations,” said Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster.

EagleFest coincides with the annual winter gathering of the bald eagle in the lower Hudson Valley and offers participants a chance to observe our national symbol up close in their natural setting. Adults and children will learn from local experts and conservationists about the bald eagle’s natural history, their recent recovery in the lower Hudson Valley and their habitat needs.

The Eaglefest at Riverfront Green has been made possible through the generous support of Entergy and by the City of Peekskill.

A snow date has been set for Sunday, February 5th. For program details and updates in the days leading up to the EagleFest, please check Teatown and the City of Peekskill websites: www.teatown.org/eaglefest/ or www.cityofpeekskill.com.

Four students from Lakeland’s Van Cortlandtville Elementary School have been selected to participate in the annual Westchester County School Music Association’s (WCSMA) All-County Chorus Festival, to be held at SUNY Purchase, March 10.

The students are: Nicole Artese, Ratu Bolenaivalu, Liliana Guglich, and Flora van Hagen.

The WCSMA is a unit of the New York State School Music Association, and represents over 450 music educators from 55 school districts, including private and parochial schools.

They will perform in the elementary grades (4-6) category

Students from schools/districts all across Westchester County get together at the festival to rehearse and perform a concert of challenging music with a guest conductor selected by the Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA), said their Music Teacher Cynthia Ramirez. “The kids are very excited and realize what an honor it is to represent their school and Lakeland at this festival,” she added.

Photo: Students sing at the recent Lakeland Board of Education meeting. Courtesy Lakeland Schools

There’s an eight foot man standing on our front yard full of nothing but air, unlike the man behind the scene, my husband, and he is planning yet another party.

“

He missed his calling,” the thought once again repeats in my mind as I take the familiar walk down to the front yard to see what he has created for this event. The man, a business owner, should have been a party planner. He loves a celebration.

Yes, he is a die-hard Jets fan, but we won’t mention that right now. Not good. Not good at all.

Above all, he is a New Yorker. A New York fan enjoying the moment when the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 5, in Indianapolis, and he has taken our home to the Super Bowl.

That’s not to say that if any other team were on their way to the Super Bowl, that our home wouldn’t be transformed into a memorable event filled with balloons, posters, t-shirts, napkins and plates. It is a celebration, and how lucky are we, the friends and family that will gather in our home for Super Bowl XLVI and cheer for our favorite team. Today, we will bleed blue, but in a few weeks, “green” for me, his Irish wife – Go Giants!

Thanks, hon.

Trish Carucci is an occasional contributor to the LoHud Community Blogs and to the Yorktown & Cortlandt Express. She lives in Ossining.

The following was submitted by the administrators and trustees of the Yorktown Central School District.

This week, the Administration presented the first part of the preliminary budget for the 2012-2013 school year, beginning with athletics and co-curricular activities. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Napolitano began with the district’s budget philosophy which is to provide Yorktown students with a well-rounded and balanced educational experience that addresses the whole child. This philosophy is based on the district’s mission and core beliefs, found on the district web site at www.yorktown.org. The Superintendent continues to emphasize sensitivity to the taxpayers and to the economic climate.

The Superintendent emphasized that the majority of budget funding is earmarked to the classroom. In fact, Yorktown is fifth of 46 districts in the area relative to percentage of budget spent on instruction, based on a BOCES 200-2011 contract analysis. He highlighted the fact that the funds invested in supporting athletics and co-curricular programs in grades 6-12 extend the learning from the school day, providing the students in the largest segment of the district’s population something to add to their social, physical, artistic and character development.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Tom Cole reviewed the proposed athletic budget for the upcoming year, which includes 63 different sports over three seasons. The administration is proud that over 1,000 students at the high school participate in after-school athletic programs, since these and other extracurricular programs underscore the importance of wellness, character development, team thinking and action. Mr. Cole emphasized that the budget-to-budget increases in the athletic program from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013 is less than one percent, and reflects a decrease from the previous five years’ expenses.

Co-curricular activities at the middle and high schools include clubs range from musical productions to student leadership and service organizations involving approximately 1,000 students from each of the two schools (including students in multiple activities). The budget-to-budget change between the current and upcoming school years is a savings of 3.3%. The projected cost to support these programs, which provide students with significant opportunities to further character, to be of service to the community and to collaborate, is less than any of the past five years, evidence that the district continues to support athletic and other co-curricular programs in a fiscally prudent manner.

This is an important year of transition and all are asked to work together to write legislators to support mandate relief and to legislate certiorari reform. Public support is needed to help identify new funding sources, to back the local organizations that support Yorktown schools and to stay informed.

The district serves approximately 3,600 pupils in five schools: Brookside and Mohansic Elementary Schools, Crompond Intermediate School, Mildred E. Strang Middle School and Yorktown High School. Please visit the Yorktown Central School District website regularly at www.yorktown.org for updated information, including a calendar of Board of Education budget work sessions and business meetings, informative documents and links. The next budget work session will be at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 6, 2012 at the Mildred E. Strange Middle School cafeteria. Topics will include the Facilities, Operations and Maintenance budget discussion.

Videos of Board of Education meetings are archived and can be viewed on the district website at www.yorktown.org. Meetings are available within 48 hours at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on FIOS Channel 27 and at the same times on Cablevision Channel 18 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

###

More than 150 guests attended the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce 31st Annual Awards Dinner held at The Mansion at Colonial Terrace in Cortlandt Manor, NY this past weekend.

The chamber honored D. Bertoline & Sons Inc. as Business of the Year; Mike Dardano, Buzz Potential, as Volunteer of the Year; The KutterGroup LLC with the Chairman’s Award and Croton Summerfest with the Quality of Life Award. Awardees were featured in a video produced by Powers Public Relations and then presented with their awards. The video and photos of the dinner can be seen on the Chamber’s website, www.hvgatewaychamber.com.

D. Bertoline & Sons Inc. was honored as Business of the Year for its nearly 80 year history of success, its ability to change with the times and for being the last remaining beer distributor in Westchester County. The fourth-generation family-owned business points to its customer service as the reason for its successful history and its recent expansion into the distribution of other products.

Mike Dardano of Buzz Potential was honored as the Maureen Erickson Volunteer of the Year for his continuing volunteer efforts at Support Connection (a Yorktown-based breast and ovarian cancer support group), Peekskill Celebration, Peekskill’s Downtown Marketing Group and the Business Council of Westchester. Dardano uses his marketing skills to help each organization to present themselves in their best light.

Jim and Aisha Kutter of The KutterGroup received the Chairman’s Award for their efforts to redesign and re-launch the chamber’s website. The Chairman’s Award is presented to the person or business who has made a significant positive impact on the chamber. The KutterGroup is a Dutchess County-based web design and maintenance firm.

Croton Summerfest received the Quality of Life Award. It is the first time Summerfest has received such major public recognition for its nearly 25 years of presenting the much anticipated and beloved community event. Summerfest, held the first Sunday in June, serves to reconnect residents and businesses.

The Chairman’s Award: The KutterGroup LLC was presented with the Quality of Life Award at the 31st Annual Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Colonial Terrace. Pictured left to right are: Jim Kutter of The KutterGroup, Bill Powers, Chairman of the Board and President of Powers Public Relations, Deborah Milone, Executive Director, Aisha Kutter of the KutterGroup and Cathy Montaldo, Dinner Chairperson.

Business of the Year: D. Bertoline & Sons, Inc. were honored as the Business of the Year at the 31st Annual Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Colonial Terrace. Pictured left to right are: Bill Powers, Chairman of the Board and President of Powers Public Relations, Deborah Milone, Executive Director, Dominick Bertoline, President of D. Bertoline & Sons, and Cathy Montaldo, Dinner Chairperson.

Volunteer of the Year: Mike Dardano, Buzz Potential, was honored as the Maureen Erickson Volunteer of the Year at the 31st Annual Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Colonial Terrace Pictured left to right are: Bill Powers, Chairman of the Board and President of Powers Public Relations, Deborah Milone, Executive Director, Mike Dardano, Buzz Potential, and Cathy Montaldo, Dinner Chairperson.

Quality of Life Award: Croton Summerfest was presented with the Quality of Life Award at the 31st Annual Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Colonial Terrace. Pictured left to right are: Bill Powers, Chairman of the Board and President of Powers Public Relations, Deborah Milone, Executive Director, Dr. Gregory Schmidt, Croton Village Trustee and Summerfest Organizer, and Cathy Montaldo, Dinner Chairperson.

In honor of Black History Month, the Field Library presents the following contest.

Choose an African-American that has inspired you and discuss in 250-300 words his or her contributions to this country and how this person has influenced your life.

Two winners will be chosen: one for grades 6-9 and one for grades 10-12. Each winner will receive two passes to the UA Cortlandt Stadium 11 Movie Theater in the Cortlandt Town Center.

Winners will be chosen based on essay content and form. Entries may be submitted via email to jdaddio@westchesterlibraries.org or in person at the reference desk. Include your name, age, grade, and contact information on your submission.

The deadline is Saturday, February 18th.

Many thanks to Jose Almonte, manager UA Cortlandt Stadium 11, for generously donating the passes.

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) recently named Cortlandt Soccer Club’s U13 Boys Coach Jonathan Weinstein “Boys Soccer Coach of the Year.” The award was presented at the organization’s Annual Holiday Party in Mineola, Long Island on December 17, 2011. The honor caps off a successful year for Weinstein who was also named “Boys Travel Coach of the Year” by the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) in November.

A gifted coach and role model, Weinstein has been affiliated with the Cortlandt Soccer Club (CSC), one of the area’s top-ranked youth travel soccer clubs, for the past 10 years. Seven of those years were spent coaching the Cortlandt Sidewinders, the team his son Max played on until college, while the last few years have been as head coach of the Cortlandt Cobras, the Boys Under 13 team. Guided by Weinstein, the team recently won the Michael Oremus Tournament at The Hudson Valley Sports Dome in Milton, NY in November and placed second at the Columbus Day White Water Classic in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Besides his coaching responsibilities, Weinstein also serves as the club’s secretary and is a certified U.S. Soccer referee. Prior to his affiliation with CSC, Weinstein coached numerous Croton AYSO teams and served on the Croton AYSO Board as the Regional Coach Administrator as well as the Extra Teams Coordinator.

“Being awarded Coach of the Year at the state level is a great honor for me,” said Weinstein who comes from a family of educators. “Teaching is in my blood and coaching is a great way to give back because the game of soccer truly teaches life lessons to children and young adults.”

With two coaching awards now under his belt, one at the league level and one at the state level, Weinstein will now wait and see if the accolades continue at the regional and national levels to be announced later this year.

For more information on the Cortlandt Soccer Club and/or Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, please visit www.cortlandtsoccerclub.org and www.enysoccer.com, respectively.

Photo Caption: Boys Soccer Coach of the Year Jonathan Weinstein (right) being congratulated by ENYYSA Vice President Ken Gulmi. Photo Credit: ENYYSA

The Yorktown Jewish Center offers the following upcoming programs:

Feb. 6 and 27, from 11 a.m. to noon, Rabbi Urbas will lead a discussion on “Jewish Ethical Lessons from the Past Until Today.”

On Feb. 11, after Kiddush on Saturday morning, Rabbi Sternstein will have an open discussion on “Prayer, Is it for me?”

On Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. there will be an evening of wine tasting, musical presentations, and desserts. Cost is $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

On Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to noon in the library, Marsha Sternstein will lead a discussion on “A Woman of Valor.”

For more information, please the Yorktown Jewish Center at 2966 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 or call 914-245-2324.

Finishing off its 2011-2012 season and continuing its tradition of presenting an annual choral masterwork by an opera composer, Taconic Opera will be offering two performances of Petite Messe Solenelle by Gioacchino Rossini, the composer of The Barber of Seville, Cinderella (La Cenerentola), and many others.

Since this work is a favorite among choral singers, the company is extending an invitation to them to collaborate in this concert program featuring the Taconic Opera chorus, and professional lead singers and orchestra.  The concert will be conducted under the baton of Dan Montez, General Director of the Taconic Opera.

Completed in Rossini’s later years and one of very few works he offered to the public during those years, he describes with characteristic wit why he chose to write a sacred mass:  “Good God—behold completed this poor little Mass. You know well, I was born for comic opera. Little science, a little heart, that is all.  So may you be blessed, and grant me Paradise!”  The Emperor Napolean found the mass to be neither little (Petite), solemn (Solennelle) or even liturgical.  Audiences find this controversial but exciting work fascinating, unique, and a true pleasure for the ear and the heart to experience.

Performances are at the Ossining United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 3:00pm. Chorus rehearsals will take place on 801 Kitchewan Road (Route 34) and will begin around March 28 and will continue on Saturdays from 3-5pm and Wednesdays from 7-9pm until the concert dates. Choral singers wishing to learn the piece for the first time or eager wipe the dust of their old score are encouraged to join. There are no membership fees, but singers must supply their own music. A short, painless, friendly audition is required and will be done by appointment at a convenient time for the auditioner. For further questions, concerns or to schedule an audition, contact Mary Corda: divamaryc@aol.com or (914) 649-1826.

The Yorktown Town Board has nominated Support Connection Executive Director Kathy Quinn as a Women of Distinction.

Nominees for the newly established award have been sought by the Office of State Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson.

According to Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace’s office, the Town Board was inundated with overwhelmed with nominees, including Donna Simone-Sofo, founder of Yorktown Love in Action; Paula Miritello, founder of My Brother Vinny Charitable Organization; local volunteer Patricia Caporale; Tricy Cushner and Lisa Tomeny of the Alliance for Safe Kids; Yorktown Town Clerk Alice; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church volunteer Gerarda Brown, a mother of 9 and grandmother of 29; Yorktown Senior Nutrition Director Mary DeSilva; Yorktown Teen Center president Helena Rodriguez; founder of Special Program and Resource Connection Rose Rothe; Jessica D’Amato, founder of Young Yorktown Advocates United; Joan Seaboldt, founder of Yorktown Community HELP; Yorktown Central School District media manager Karli Wheeler; and the late youth and senior advocate Joan Valenstein.

“It is truly wonderful to have had so many worthy nominees,” a statement from Grace’s office reads. “It speaks to the generous nature of Yorktowners, and that which truly makes Yorktown a great place to live. With so many worthy nominees, the task of nominating just one was a difficult one. The Town Board congratulates Katherine Quinn in her selection as this year’s Yorktown’s Women of Distinction and congratulations to all those who were otherwise nominated.”

Relatedly, representatives of the above-named organizations are invited to the inaugural meeting of the Yorktown Community Affairs committee tonight at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 363 Underhill Avenue.