Scarsdale Teen Travel Camp Takes Teens on the Road
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While some Scarsdale middle schoolers were away at camp this summer, others enjoyed a travel camp that provided the fun of sleepaway camp without actually leaving home. Now in its seventh summer, the Scarsdale Rec’s Teen Travel Camp takes middle schoolers on fun daily adventures to waterparks, amusement centers, baseball games, whitewater rafting and more. This year, the program included two sessions; one for two-weeks and another for three-weeks to accommodate everyone who wished to sign-up.
Scarsdale’s Sabrina Wirth and Tamara Chapro signed up for the three-week session and had a great summer. They enjoyed mixing it up with other kids going into sixth, seventh and eighth grades, and even liked the time on the air conditioned Coach bus getting to and from some wonderful places.
What’s the daily routines? The girls explained that they were given a schedule sheet that outlined the plans and let them know where they would go, what time they were leaving and what they should wear and bring each day. Among their favorite trips were the days at Six Flags, rock climbing, Mountain Creek Water Park for cliff jumping, the shark speed boat at the South Street Seaport and the movie tour of Manhattan where they saw where many famous films were shot.
The farthest they travelled was 2 ½ hours each way on the bus, but since movies were shown en-route, getting there and back was part of the fun. The kids are even given lanyards to work on as they travel allowing them to multi-task.
Did anyone ever get lost we asked? Apparently not -- as campers wear special T-shirts and are assigned buddies. They are given plenty of freedom to roam but everyone seems to find their way back to the designated meeting place. The students were supervised by six counselors who kept the group moving and made it fun.
We spoke to Vicky Latouris who started the program seven years ago when she joined the Scarsdale Rec Department who told us that this year, both sessions for 40 campers were sold out. She said that other Westchester towns run similar programs though some include overnight stays as well. And when we asked if there was anything she wanted to add, she asked to give a shout out to the staff. She said, “I'm very proud of my staff. I have a great group of staff members that do a fabulous job each year. My Camp Director Lisa Zirolnik, who is a math teacher, EMT,and a lifeguard, has been with the camp since 2006. My counselors who are mostly teachers during the year are also certified in lifeguarding and most have been with us for a few years.
And this great team must be a big part of the reason that Sabrina has been participating in the program for three years and this year convinced her friend Tamara to join her. Learn more about the Teen Travel Program here:
Local Teens Participate in 2012 JCC Maccabi Games
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While many in Scarsdale are plastered to their televisions watching the Olympics in London, 82 local athletes are participating in the 2012 JCC Maccabi games in Memphis, Houston and Rockland. This is the 30th year of the games, which is the largest gathering of Jewish teens in North America. Almost 3,500 Jewish teens from all over the U.S., Canada, Israel, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and Great Britain will share in the fun of competing and the pride of being part of a world-famous Olympic-style event filled with Jewish content and values.
The three locations and dates are as follows:
- Houston, Texas (August 5-10)
- Memphis, Tennessee (August 5-10)
- Rockland County, New York (August 12-17)
This summer, the JCC of Mid-Westchester is sending athletes who will participate in boys soccer, girls soccer, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball, golf, in-line hockey, table tennis, track and field, and tennis.
Scarsdale’s Harrison Wirth and Jacob Stein have traveled to Houston to play baseball on the 16U JCC Mid-Westchester Maccabi team. They will both be sophomores at Scarsdale High School in September and play baseball on the school team. At the games, Harrison is playing shortstop and Jacob is one of the pitchers. So far, the team has had three wins and two losses and will move on to the semi-finals on Thursday, August 9. According to the boys, the weather has been very, very hot, and the competition has been “mostly good.”
And what about the experience of participating in this international event? Harrison says he has met kids from all over the world, including Israel, Mexico, Panama and Canada. Jacob says, “It's a fun experience because you get to meet new people and play baseball." Also, both boys think the team uniforms are “really nice.”
The boys are living with host family Henry and Tracy Jakob of Sugarland, Texas who took them to an Astro’s game. The food is not very different from what they eat at home as the Maccabi Games is serving the athletes kosher fare.
The JCC Maccabi Games can be called the Olympics for Jewish teens, but they serve a larger purpose than athletic competition. The Games also promote community involvement, teamwork, and pride in being Jewish. For example, athletes visiting host communities stay with local Jewish families. This "home hospitality" is vital to the experience, representing the extended Jewish family and the value of welcoming the stranger.
Also, every set of Games has a volunteer program called JCC Cares, where teens join with local community organizations to work on social-action projects. Past activities have included building homes for the poor, holding carnivals for handicapped children, cleaning parks, and packaging food to be given to the hungry. The purpose is to teach tikkun olam (repairing the world) by example, so that these young people incorporate these values into their daily lives once they return home.
For more information about the JCC Maccabi Games, contact Steven Weisbrot, 472-3300, x 362, weisbrots@jccmw.org. For more information about the JCC of Mid-Westchester and details on all its offerings, visit www.jccmw.org.
Burglarettes
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They say that girls can do anything -–but in this case, two teenage girls took that lesson one step too far: The Greenburgh police report that late Sunday afternoon (7/15) a resident of West Hartsdale Avenue near the Four Corners returned home to find a burglary in progress. He went up to his bedroom and came upon Laura C. Cardona, age 18 of White Plains passing his property out the window to a female 17-year-old accomplice. The resident called police and managed to detain the 17-year-old until the police arrived. Cardona was found a block away.
Both girls were placed under arrest and charged with Burglary in the Second Degree a Class C Felony. They were held pending arraignment in the Greenburgh Town Court. All the stolen property was recovered.
Play Ball
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Two years ago, the Scarsdale Little League summer program ran just one team for children twelve-years-old and under. Since then, the summer league has been greatly expanded and improved, as part of a large renovation of the entire Scarsdale Little League program. The Scarsdale Little League now offers four teams for eight, nine, ten and twelve-year-olds and two travel teams during the summer season.
This summer, for the second year in a row, Scarsdale Little League sent two teams to the Little League International Tournament. In this tournament, the two Scarsdale teams, one for nine and ten-year-olds, the other for eleven and twelve-year-olds, played other Westchester teams in their age groups. The team which won the tournament advanced to the Little League World Series. Although they didn’t win the tournament, the eleven and twelve-year-old team did much better than last year, when it lost two games and won none. This year the team won three games and lost two, and beat competitive teams such as Harrison and White Plains.
However, the summer program isn’t all that’s being changed. The spring league has gone through some major changes as well. 
The Atlantic/Pacific League has been moved from including 4th and 5th graders to including 5th and 6th graders. New spring travel teams have been created as well. In addition, the Scarsdale Little League has a new website and for the first year, local businesses have begun to sponsor the Little League. To learn more, visit, http://www.scarsdalelittleleague.com/
Rabies Alert: Rabid Kitten in New Rochelle on Pelham Manor Border
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- Written by Adrienne Fishman
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The Westchester County Department of Health is issuing a rabies alert to residents who may have had contact with a stray kitten or cat any time since early June on the grounds of the New York Athletic Club and/or the Winged Foot Day Camp, both located at 31 Shore Road in New Rochelle, adjacent to Shore Park in Pelham Manor.
A small grey kitten that was on the grounds in early June has been confirmed rabid, and it may have exposed other kittens or cats nearby. It was removed from the grounds on June 6 and taken home by a resident, who was caring for it until it began acting aggressively last week. The kitten was taken to a local veterinarian’s office, where it was euthanized and was then confirmed rabid this week.
The health department used robo-calls to notify residents who live within a half-mile of the area where the cat was found and produced flyers for the camp and the club to post and distribute to members, employees, campers and their families. Flyers also were posted in Shore Park.
Anyone who believes that he, she, a child or a pet may have had contact with stray cats or kittens during the past month in these areas of New Rochelle should contact the Westchester County Department of Health IMMEDIATELY at (914) 813-5159, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to assess the need for life saving rabies treatment.
“When you see a stray or wild animal acting strangely, it’s best to avoid contact with the animal and alert local authorities to avoid possible exposure to rabies,” said Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD. “A woman who was bitten by the kitten is being treated.”
Unusual behavior may be the first sign of rabies in an animal. A rabid animal may become either abnormally aggressive or unusually tame. It may lose fear of people and become excited and irritable, or, conversely appear particularly passive and lethargic. Staggering and frothing at the mouth are sometimes noted.
Direct contact with wild or stray animals, even baby animals, is inadvisable. Residents are also reminded not to feed wild or stray animals to avoid bringing rabies to their doorstep. Parents should teach children not to touch unfamiliar animals and to immediately tell an adult if they have been bitten or scratched by an animal. Any physical contact with a wild or unfamiliar animal should be reported to a health care provider. All animal bites or contacts with animals suspected of having rabies must be reported to the Westchester County Department of Health at (914) 813-5000, 24 hours a day.
Keeping pet rabies vaccinations up to date is also important for protection against rabies. New York State law requires dogs, cats and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies and receive regular booster shots. For more information, go to www.westchestergov.com/health or call the RABIES INFOLINE at (914) 813-5010.
