Anti-Bullying Musical Begins Sixth Season of School Tours
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In the midst of new anti-bullying legislation, this year's touring production of The New Kid is especially relevant. Presented by The Random Farms Kids' Theater, The New Kid is a 55-minute musical about students at a middle school dealing with peer pressure, hazing, bullying and the importance of staying true to oneself. The show, which features young actors ranging in age from 10 to 14 years old, travels to local schools and includes a Q&A with students, teachers and the cast after the performance.
"The goal of this program is to create an awareness about the dangers of bullying in a way that's accessible to elementary and middle school students," says Anya Wallach, the show's producer. "Having kids perform for kids is tremendously advantageous because the audience can connect to the performers."
The core themes of The New Kid are meant to help younger students identify and address issues of character development that will give them the strength later in life to deal with personal differences - no matter what they are.
"The key is to start educating kids before they get to high school, so they arrive armed with the tools to deal with bullying in any form," Wallach explains.
This season of the tour features Scarsdale residents Julia White in the role of Maddie, Emma Kops in the role of Tiffany, and 
Craig Carroll in the role of Joey.
The New Kid was written for grades 2-8 and has been performed at over 100 area schools in NY, NJ and CT over the last four years. Teachers interested in booking the show at their school can contact the theater at 212-956-2566 or email [email protected].
The Center@862 Offers Fall Programming for Teens
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The Center@862 is an event venue available to the youth of Scarsdale. We continue to offer entrepreneurial hosting and promoting opportunities for teens looking to organize and run special events and parties at the Center. The Center and our new outdoor deck are also open for lounge hours Monday – Thursday, 3:00-6:00, Friday and Saturday, 2:00-11:00pm. The space is also available to rent for private events.
In addition to special events and open lounge, The Center@862 runs programs and activities for the pre-teens and teens of the community. The Center has a fantastic year ahead, full of new and different programs.
On Saturday, September 28, fashion photographer/model scout Debra Somerville, will lead Project Runway, a modeling workshop for tweens and teens. Fashion agents from NY Models and commercial agents from the Johnston Agency will be sharing their expertise as well. The workshop is $80.00 per person and runs from 1 to 4 p.m.
Professional musician Roman Tytla will be working with teen musicians to form a fantasy rock band featuring rock, pop, and hip hop music. Teens with moderate to advanced music skills should contact The Center to audition. Introductory meeting on Thursday, October 3 at 4:00 p.m.
The Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps has partnered with The Center to provide Citizens Ambulance Corp Academy. Participants get a behind the scene look at the emergency vehicles and equipment used by SVAC and learn how to respond to medical emergencies. Certification in CPR and First Aid is awarded upon completion of the program which will run October 2, 4, 11, 16, and 18 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Cost of the program is $60.00.
For more information on all three programs, call (914) 722-8358 or visit www.scarsdaleteencenter.com where you can register online.
Reflections on 9/11
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- Written by: Sharon Dizenhuz
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Scarsdale resident and former TV news anchor Sharon Dizenhuz shared this memory of September 11:
In my mind's eye, it still looks like the photograph below on the horizon of the southern part of Manhattan. My whole world view shifted on that day, when horror and fear redefined themselves for me, but not my view of the lower Manhattan skyline. Because the alternative is still too painful, the image bank in my mind's eye persists with the illusion of this complete, whole, unviolated and seemingly inviolable view of the southern tip of Manhattan.
I was anchoring the news at NY1 that crisp, gorgeous, blue-skied day. It was supposed to be a typical mayoral primary day. But from the second I got the call to come in early because a plane hit the WTC, to the moment, 10 or 11 hours later when I finally got up from the anchor desk for the first time, the day catapulted me from one unimaginable reality to another, and ultimately, to a permanently altered world view. As I remember it now, it all proceeds in excruciating slow motion. I see the towers tumbling down in real time on the monitors in the newsroom, while I am meant to be describing the significance and impact of this sight on live television, and all I can hear is the voice in my head screaming..."Oh my GOD...how many people are in that falling building now? How many people are dying right before my eyes? How many lives are being ruined now in a rumbling, billowing, smoke-filled domino effect of pain and loss? I probably know some of them." (i did).
Having worked in news for a fairly long time by then, I wondered.. in that second sound track you develop in your brain when doing live TV, who these people were whose stories we would soon come to know and cry over? And on the other track, the main one where you actually speak over the din from the other one, i struggled to keep composure, to get and deliver good information that might be useful or maybe even calming to a panicked city.
I still have a physical reaction when I think or talk about 9/11 for very long. This day, for me, lasted for such a long time...through sunrises and sunsets when the acrid smell of burning flesh still hung in the air and stung in my nose even as far uptown as my 76th street apartment, while the desperate and the terrified walked the streets holding pictures of people they loved and could not find on makeshift signs. It lasted weeks when I would pass fellow New Yorkers on the street with vacant, haunted faces and imagine they'd already discovered the worst. They were strangers, but in that window of time, New Yorker's eyes would meet as they never had before and wordlessly tear up with pain and compassion, solidarity, and understanding. I would bring a weekly pie to my local fire house that lost 14 men in one day, thank the few who were still standing, and cry all the way home. That endless slow motion day endured through months as I hosted a live call in show at the station, where those who'd lost loved ones could call in and speak to a revolving door of therapists and clergy we had as live guests along with counter-terrorism experts who could advise New Yorkers about the new, secondary threat of anthrax, and physicians who could help first responders and residents of downtown cope with mysterious new respiratory ailments; where dozens of callers confessed that they'd felt paralyzed for weeks and had not yet left their couches. In that city of intentional strangers once so proud to be anonymous, we 
became neighbors who make eye contact for a time. And these neighbors called up and sobbed over what had happened to our neighborhood, to their families, to their hope. The stories I'd anxiously and fearfully imagined that first part of that first day, emerged in agonizing high relief for a long, long endless day.
12 years later, those vivid images play instantly in the movie in my head at the mention of 9/11 and remind me to honor the memories, to tell those neighbors I still think of them often, and to try to do what I can to make sure this never happens again. No one has to tell me "never forget". I have that video burned onto my mind's eye. Right next to the picture of the perfect beautiful skyline in lower Manhattan I still cling to.
Declutter at the Saxon Woods Garage Sale
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With "indoor season" rapidly approaching, it's time to free up some valuable space around your house by cleaning out those closets, basements and attics and head over to the Saxon Woods Garage Sale, Sunday, October 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the park in White Plains.
Sponsored by Westchester County Parks, this sale is for individuals and families who want to sell their unwanted items, such as clothing, household items, furniture, toys, books and sporting goods. No professional antiques or collectible dealers are allowed. The sale is limited to the first 100 applicants who register.
Price is $40 for a 10-foot by 10-foot space. Vendors must provide their own tables, chairs, canopies and anything else necessary for display; no electrical hook-ups are available. Gates open at 6 a.m.; booths must remain open until 3 p.m. A $20 cash refundable deposit will be required at check-in that day; it will be returned at the end of the day pending inspection of the site by park staff. At the end of the sale, a charitable organization will be available to accept donations of any goods that do not sell, and unwanted items can be discarded in a trash hauler.
Admission and parking for shoppers at the Saxon Woods Garage Sale are free. The event will be held rain or shine. Saxon Woods Park is located at 1800 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains. Go to westchestergov.com/parks for info and registration form, or call the park at (914) 995-4480.
JCC of Mid-Westchester Plans A Day of Chesed (kindness), Service and Remembrance for September 15
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The JCC of Mid-Westchester will welcome members of the community on Sunday, September 15, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., as part of the National Day of Service and Remembrance to mark the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attack. This is a county-wide event and all members of the community are invited to come out and donate items for these drives and/or participate in numerous charitable activities taking place that day for people of all ages and interests.
A number of activities that will benefit more than 20 local agencies will take place; a bone marrow drive with the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, a pet adoption and pet toys collection with PetRescue, a microwaveable meal/snack drive for AnySoldier, which sends packages to troops, hair donations for Locks of Love, a blood drive to benefit the blood bank at White Plains Hospital, a Sukkot Holiday Package program (DOROT Westchester), a children's clothing drive by Kids Kloset, a teen clothing/suitcase drive to benefit the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services (JBFCS), school- and art-supply collection to aid Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA), a pasta/cereal collection for Bronx Jewish Community Council, a canned tuna collection to benefit Hope Community Services, which provides meals for the hungry in New Rochelle, and new pillow donations for Life Haven Shelter.
As a day of service for families with children of all ages, there will be service activities for the youngest set, including Child-Friendly Tzedakah Art Projects, Chanukah Dinner Favor Making for Bronx Jewish Community Council Clients, Sukkot Decoration Making for Hebrew Home Residents, Caring Quilt project to create a "square of care" for a paper quilt for Ronald McDonald House, and Tzedekah Box Decorating.
The event is FREE of charge and begins at 10 a.m. At 12:30 p.m., there will be a community ribbon-cutting for the new Karen Spar Kasner Play Center for the JCC's Nursery School. A remembrance program will take place at 1:00 p.m., featuring elected officials and community leaders. There will also be intergenerational activities, which include organized sports activities from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., a family swim in the JCC pool from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., and a concert by Westchester Klezmer Group from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. In addition to the age-appropriate art activities for young children, there will be teen service projects 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester, a proud beneficiary of UJA-Federation of New York, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the community by providing cultural, social, educational and recreational/fitness programs, human services and Jewish identity-building opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds without regard to race or religion. Visit www.jccmw.org for more information about the JCC of Mid-Westchester and class schedules.
