Back to School 2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL

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Back-to-School Meals in A Local internship program has started Minutes: Mexican menu ideas journalism careers ever ywhere from the for simple family dinners Philadelphia Inquirer to Mexico City

by Sarah Alessandrini

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hen the school year is back in full swing, families often find themselves battling the mealtime crunch. Mexicaninspired meals bursting with flavor are known family-friendly picks that can be easily prepared and put on the table on those frenzied weeknights.

These simple ideas from the experts at Ortega can help make “taco night” and other Mexican meals better than ever.

Encourage kids to get hands-on. It’s no secret that kids like finger foods, and many Mexican dishes are best enjoyed by hand. Tacos are an obvious favorite, but other options like quesadillas, taquitos and Ortega Fiesta Flats are also easy to enjoy sans silverware.

Step outside of tradition. If you’re looking for something that makes mealtime feel extra special, skip the

basic taco and choose a meal kit that lets you serve up a restaurant-style experience at home. For example, Ortega’s Bakeable Tortilla Bowl Kits bring a new and simple way to change up your Mexican meals. Just bake and fill with your favorite ingredients.

Offer a variety of ingredients. One of the benefits of a Mexican meal is all the ways each family member can customize plates to their own tastes. Try setting out a wide range of ingredients and encourage the kids to experiment with toppings they may not have tried before, like olives and guacamole.

Don’t forget the sauce. Taco sauces can bring unique, unexpected flavor to recipes. One to try is Ortega’s line of bold and creamy Flavor Craver Taco Sauces. Varieties include Taco Ranch, Chipotle and Jalapeno Lime,

llison Steele, a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has worked hard to get where she is today, but her first real taste of print journalism was as an Anna Fisher Clark intern at the Chestnut Hill Local in 2000.

“I needed an experience beyond what I had been doing before,” said Steele, who at the time was a rising college sophomore majoring in journalism at New York University. “I had more informal internships in high school and I had taken journalism classes, but at some point, you need to start publishing in real publications.”

Steele went on to work for several newspapers before the Inquirer. After college, she spent five years at the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire. During her first year and a half, she covered eight small communities in New Hampshire. Steele said that her internship at the Local served as “a good primer for me covering small communities.”

“I would say [this internship] gave me an interesting glimpse into the problems that the journalism industry was starting to grapple with,” Steele said. “There was already starting to be some concerns about readership and how we hold on to people. This was an Student interns Katharine Cusick (left) and Lauren Witonsky at the end of their internship in 2013. Both were Anna Fisher Clark interns, funded by an endow-

(Continued on page 19)

(Continued on page 22) ment held by the Chestnut Hill Community Fund.

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Thursday, August 30, 2018

Making the back-to-school transition seamless and stress-free

I

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

t’s not always easy to make the transition from family road trips, backyard barbecues and longer days to school bus pickups, homeroom assignments and school supply lists.

These tips can help get your busy household organized and make the transition easier to ensure your kids look and feel their best when they head back to the classroom.

Make Shopping for Supplies Fun. Take a special shopping trip with your kids to get all the supplies they need. Be sure to stock up on essentials but try to make it fun by letting them pick out personalized folders for each of their classes or colorful pens to take notes. A shopping trip is also an opportunity to get your children excited about their classes.

Remember to shop early so kids can pick from a variety of options and items will be less likely to be out of stock.

Prepare a Homework Space.

Creating a designated space in the house for doing homework can get your kids ready to start schoolwork again. A designated space stocked with necessities like pens, pencils and other supplies can also limit distractions so they can focus on their schoolwork.

Simplify Your Laundry Routine. Between school clothes, sports uniforms, linens and play clothes, laundry can easily pile up. To simplify your laundry routine, try a detergent like all mighty pacs 4-in-1 with Odor Lifter, which provides four aspects of clean by tackling odors, fighting stains, whitening and brightening.

If your children have sensitive skin, consider all free clear mighty pacs, which are tough on stains but still gentle enough for sensitive skin with a hypoallergenic formula that is free of fragrances, dyes and irritating residues. To learn more, visit all-laundry.com.

Ease into the Routine. Make the switch to busy school mornings seamless by easing into your morning routine in the weeks leading up to the start of school.

Set your alarms, go through morning rituals and make sure your children are comfortable with how they are getting to school whether they are taking the bus, walking or carpooling with friends. Practicing the routine can make everyone feel confident and prepared when the school bells start ringing.

By implementing these simple tips, you can make the transition both seamless and stress-free, and set your kids up for a successful and fun school year.

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CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL

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Back-to-School Meals in Minutes (Continued from page 13)

all perfect for tacos, taco salads, dips, burgers and more.

Find more recipes and ideas to add a unique twist to any Mexican meal at Ortega.com.

Poblano Ranch Tacos Makes: 8 tacos 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 poblano peppers, sliced 1 yellow onion, sliced 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional) 1 box Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells 6 radishes, sliced 1 cup corn kernels 1 cup cotija cheese 1 bottle Ortega Flavor Craver Ranch Taco Sauce, to taste Add olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Add sliced poblano peppers and yellow onion to pan. Saute until cooked through. Add squeeze of lime to pepper and onion mixture, if desired.

Bake taco shells according to package directions. To assemble tacos, add poblano and onion mixture to base of taco. Top with sliced radishes, corn and cotija cheese. Finish with taco sauce.

Steak Fajita Burrito Bowl Makes: 4 bowls 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound skirt steak 1 red pepper, sliced 1 yellow pepper, sliced 1 package instant rice 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1/2 packet Ortega Original Taco Seasoning 1 Ortega Bakeable Tortilla Bowl Kit 3 cups green leaf lettuce, sliced 2 avocados, diced 1 cup corn kernels 1/2 cup cotija cheese 1 bottle Ortega Green Taco Sauce, to taste Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet over medium-high heat. Cook skirt steak 5 minutes on each side. Remove steak from pan and let rest. When cooled, slice into strips.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet over medium-high heat. Saute red and yellow peppers until cooked through.

Prepare rice as directed on package.

Add squeeze of lime and taco seasoning. Stir to combine.

Prepare tortilla bowls as directed on package. Fill with rice, shredded lettuce, sliced steak and peppers. Top with diced avocado, corn and cotija cheese. Finish with taco sauce.

Southwest Chicken Salad Makes: 4 bowls 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 chicken breasts 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 Ortega Bakeable Tortilla Bowl Kit 3 cups green leaf lettuce, sliced 1 can Ortega Black Beans 1 cup corn kernels 2 avocados, diced 1 tomato, diced 1 cup cotija cheese 1 bottle Ortega Flavor Craver Ranch Taco Sauce, to taste Add olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Coat chicken with chili powder. Cook chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan and let rest. Slice chicken into strips when cooled.

Prepare tortilla bowls as directed on

package. Fill with shredded lettuce, black beans, corn and sliced chicken.

Top with diced avocado, tomato and cotija cheese. Finish with taco sauce.

Stock Your Pantry for Mexican Cooking You can enjoy the flavors of a Mexican cantina in your kitchen anytime if you’re stocked up with the right goods.

Pantry and Dry Goods 1. Keep dried or canned chiles of all sorts on-hand. Dried chiles include ancho, chipotle, guajillo, negro and mulato.

2. Expand your spice rack with Mexican staples like chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika, as well as oregano and cumin.

3. Buy white rice in bulk so you can create Spanish rice to accompany any dish.

4. Stock up on canned refried beans, black beans and pinto beans for use in your favorite Mexican dishes.

Refrigerator and Produce 1. Keep ready-made salsa and spicy sauces chilled and serve them alongside chips, tacos and other Mexican dishes.

2. Always have garlic, onions and fresh cilantro handy. Keep lemons and limes within reach to add bright flavor to your dishes. Also, buy fresh chiles like jalapeno and pasilla to spice up a variety of dishes. If possible, grow them yourself.

3. Store flour and corn tortillas in your cupboard or refrigerator to create burritos, tacos, enchiladas and wraps.

4. Keep Monterey Jack, queso fresco and cotija cheese on-hand to include in enchiladas and burritos.

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CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Make the grade with back-to-school lunches

For more recipes and meal prepping ideas, visit aldi.us.

Bento Box Lunch Recipe courtesy of Chef Alyssa, ALDI Test Kitchen Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Servings: 4 “Sushi Roll”: 4 slices SimplyNature Knock Your Sprouts Off Sprouted Low Sodium 7 Grain Bread 4 slices Lunch Mate Never Any! Turkey 1 teaspoon Burman's Yellow Mustard 1/2 avocado, sliced 1 mini cucumber, cut into 3-inch-by-1/4-inch sticks Quinoa Salad: 1 cup SimplyNature Organic Quinoa, cooked 1/4 cup Southern Grove Sliced Almonds 2 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated 1/4 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries 3 bunches green onions, sliced 1 teaspoon Carlini Pure Olive Oil Stonemill Iodized Salt, to taste Stonemill Ground Black Pepper, to taste Broccoli Salad: 1 large head broccoli, chopped 1/4 cup Southern Grove Sliced Almonds 1/4 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries 1 teaspoon Fusia Soy Sauce 1/4 cup Friendly Farms Vanilla Nonfat Greek Yogurt Stonemill Ground Black Pepper, to taste Cinnamon Apples: 1 Granny Smith apple, sliced 1 tablespoon Nature's Nectar Lemon Juice 1 teaspoon Stonemill Ground Cinnamon To make “Sushi Roll”: Trim crust from bread. Using rolling pin, roll out bread slices to 1/8-inch thickness. Top with turkey, mustard, avocado and cucumber. Roll into cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap and cut in half.

To make Quinoa Salad: In medium bowl, combine quinoa, almonds, oranges, cranberries, green onions and olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make Broccoli Salad: In medium bowl, combine broccoli, almonds, cranberries, soy sauce and yogurt; season to taste with pepper.

To make Cinnamon Apples: Toss apples with lemon juice and cinnamon. Place in sandwich bags and wrap tightly.

Organize equal amounts of “Sushi Rolls,” Quinoa Salad, Broccoli Salad and Cinnamon Apples in separate bento box compartments.

Cheaper than your cu p of

Average Joe! v

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ack-to-school time means it’s back to being busy before, during and after school, so it’s time for parents and kids to create new routines. From early wakeup calls to shuttling kids to school and activities, ease the morning mayhem by incorporating a simple meal-planning strategy.

As a parent, look for fresh, make-ahead options your kids will enjoy. Serve up lunchbox love by mixing up the classic sandwich with a spin on sushi in this Bento Box Lunch recipe. It’s a creative way to deliver nutritious, wholesome ingredients that will make the whole lunchroom drool. Plus, it’s something you can take for lunch too.

No matter what meals you’re prepping, a store like ALDI can be your solution for packing tasty and better-for-you choices for lunches and on-the-go snacks. With highquality ingredients at affordable prices, ALDI offers what you need to get ready for the days ahead.

Pick up a copy of the Local today!

Thursday, August 30, 2018

CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL

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5 tips to aid performance in the classroom for tomorrow and quiet time with a book are all ways to unwind together and slow down those active minds for a transition toward a peaceful night’s rest.

Remember that sleep is vital for memory retention and cognitive performance. Without it,

children may experience behavioral problems and other difficulties in school. Find more resources to help improve your kids’ sleep, including tips on how to purchase a new mattress, at Daily Doze.com.

open house dates:

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Develop a consistent nighttime ith all the stress of a new school year, it can routine. A routine performed 20be difficult for students 30minutes prior to bed every to readjust to a healthy routine, night can subconsciously ease but many experts agree that sleep is among the most important parts of that routine. Numerous studies demonstrate that children who sleep better learn better.

While you're busy shopping for pencils, book bags and notebooks, remember that a good night's sleep should also be at the top of your list this season. Make the transition easier with these five tips from Dr. Sujay Kansagra, director of Duke University’s Pediatric Neurology Sleep Medicine Program and a sleep health consultant for Mattress Firm: Ease into earlier bedtimes. For many children, the sudden shift to an earlier bedtime and wakeup call can pose a big challenge.

Children who were accustomed to falling asleep later at night during the summer will have to slowly adjust their body clocks to move bedtime earlier during the school year. To ease children into the earlier sleep schedule, start moving bedtimes earlier by 10-15 minutes each night until reaching your end goal.

Ensure a comfortable sleeping environment. Pay attention to factors like lighting and noise. It may be necessary, especially early in the school year when the days are still long, to add blackout curtains to help block bright light. If noise is a factor, consider adding some soft background music or a sound machine to serve as a buffer so other noises are less intrusive.

Be sure the bed is up to the task. Another environmental consideration is the bed itself.

Mattresses are not always top-ofmind as you consider back-toschool shopping, but when sleep can have such an impact on your child's educational performance, the right mattress can help ensure students are getting quality zzz’s at the start of a new school year.

Avoid bright light prior to bedtime. Aside from your window, there are also other sources of light that can affect sleep. Several studies have shown that excess screen time just before bed can have a negative impact on the brain’s ability to transition into sleep mode. Try curbing screen time well before bedtime, or if your child must use screens, engage the night-reading feature, which alters the hue of the light for less impact.

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children’s brains into sleep. A ritual that involves bathing, brushing teeth, talking about the day’s events, discussing what’s ahead

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A Local internship program has started journalism careers (Continued from page 17)

interesting glimpse into how publications attract new readers while holding on to existing ones.”

Each spring, the Local offers paid summer internships to high school and college students. The students selected from both public and private high schools and colleges, are given a rare, hands-on experience to work and write for a real newspaper.

This internship is made possible by the Anna Fisher Clark Memorial Fund.

In 1990, the family of Anna Fisher Clark set up a memorial fund in her name to benefit the community she had loved so fondly. Since then, the Anna Fisher Clark Memorial Fund has benefited the Chestnut Hill Community through supporting the young interns at the Chestnut Hill Local. Inquirer crime reporter Allison Steele leads a workshop entitled “Crime Reporting: Asking the Questions” at Germantown Friends School’s Third Annual High School The internship is open to both Journalism Conference. (Photo by Laura Jamieson)

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college and high school students and remains one of the few paid working journalism internships available to high school students – some as young as 15. Students work alongside Local staff members and on their own; pitching story ideas, interviewing news subjects, writing stories and creating social media, email and web pages for the Local, chestnuthilllocal.com and Welcome magazine. Students are given the opportunity to shape their intern experience by formulating their future goals and planning what their summer experience can do to prepare them.

Anna Fisher Clark was born in Britain, according to her son Dr. Hugh Clark, but her mother was from Chestnut Hill. Clark, a debutante, had her debut in London before her family sent her back to America to make her debut in Philadelphia. She married Dr. Tom Clark, an old-line Philadelphian, and they settled in the Philadelphia area.

Mrs. Clark had been a resident of Chestnut Hill for 47 years before she died on May 20, 1989.

When Mrs. Clark died in 1989, her husband and children decided to dedicate the memorial fund in her name.

“My father made it very plain that what he wanted the fund to support was an intern at the Local,” said Dr. Clark. According to her son, Mrs. Clark had developed a long standing affinity for the Chestnut Hill Local, which at the time was run by a woman

named Marie Jones. Clark admired Jones for her commitment to running an honest newspaper and for resisting pressures from Chestnut Hill merchants to use the paper as a booster for their businesses. Mrs. Clark always backed Jones and the Local, because “she was a rebel,” said Dr. Clark.

“We’re delighted as a family to be able to support this opportunity for students to experience journalism. It’s something that I know my mother, wherever her spirit lies, is very pleased by.”

The Anna Fisher Clark Memorial Fund, administered by the Chestnut Hill Community Fund, has provided stipends for Local interns each year since the initial agreement was made. The initial fund was about $40 thousand, according to Jean Hemphill, former President of the Chestnut Hill Community Association. The income of the fund each year has supported the Local interns.

Steele is just one of many former interns who have gone on to excel in their careers. Adam Garnick, who once worked at the Treasury Department and one semester worked at the Scottish Parliament, said interning at the Local was “the coolest experience I’ve had.”

“It was the most autonomy I’ve ever been given and at a relatively young age,” said Garnick. “I had so much responsibility and so much flexibility, and that’s pretty rare for an internship.”

Garnick was a rising senior at Penn Charter and editor-in-chief of his school paper the summer he interned at the Local. He said that one of his favorite experiences he remembers from his internship was writing an Op-Ed each week.

“That was a huge development experience for me and gave me a ton of confidence,” he said. “Not a lot of people can say they’ve done that at a young age.”

Garnick spent two years after college teaching history in Dallas, Texas for a program called Teach for America. He then spent a year in Budapest, Hungary teaching English at a University for a pro(Continued on page 23)

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A Local internship program has started journalism careers (Continued from page 22)

gram called Fulbright. He’s now back in Philadelphia and will be starting law school at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I still look at the Local internship as a great first step in a good and long career,” said Garnick. “I can’t overstress how much that internship gave me confidence. I remember looking back and thinking ‘wow, my voice matters.”’

Zoe Feingold was also a 2010 summer intern who at the time was a rising senior at Germantown Friends.

“Getting stuff published in the paper was exciting, especially in high school,” said Feingold. She was working for her school paper at the time when she reached out to the Local to see if they offered summer internships. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University in Connecticut and is now a Doctoral student in clinical psychology at Fordham University in New York City.

“Some things that stood out to me were stories about particular people,” said Feingold. “I learned a lot about how to interview people, how to get the most out of an interview, and how to create a compelling story about an individual.”

Madeleine Wattenburger, another Germantown Friends alum, is now a freelance writer living in Mexico City. She interned for the Local in 2011 after hearing about the internship through GFS. “At the time I thought that jour-

nalism was something I was interested in pursuing, so I thought that would be a great opportunity to learn about what it’s like to work on a real paper,” said Wattenburger. The internship at the Local helped Wattenburger to strengthen her skills in reporting and communications. She said she learned to overcome anxieties about interviewing and talking to people over the phone. Her favorite part of the internship, she said, was getting to meet new people and write about them.

“I love that about journalism,” she said. “Getting to know different aspects of the community and being able to share people’s stories.” Wattenburger graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Urban Studies. She said that the Local internship was valuable in helping to feed her love for writing.

Lauren Witonsky was an intern in 2013 going into her senior year at now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Although she now works as a Social Media Assistant for a Health Magazine, her interest at the time was fashion. When she heard about the internship at the Local, she thought it would be a great opportunity to explore the world of publication and media.

“I learned how to approach stories from a unique angle,” said Witonsky. “Today when you’re posting on social media, people are so quick to click out of something.

You really have to think about what’s going to grab readers’ attention and keep them engaged.”

Witonsky said that one of the

biggest challenges during her internship was coming up with story ideas.

“My favorite story to write was about the boxes at the Weavers Way Coop,” she said. Witonsky said that there were already a lot of stories written about the Weavers Way Coop, and she wanted to find something new to write about.

When she saw all the cardboard boxes sitting around at Weavers, she did some investigating and wrote a piece about how the Coop was recycling boxes by leaving them for the customers to use.

Witonsky said that writing for the Local “definitely kick-started” her love for writing and storytelling. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in advertising.

Today, the Anna Fisher Clark Memorial Fund still continues to benefit interns at the Local, providing a rare and valuable opportunity for young students to receive a hands-on experience in local journalism.

Christina Grierson, one of this summer’s Anna Fisher Clark

interns, is a rising senior studying summer. She will be a senior at Mt. journalism at St. John’s University St. Joseph Academy this fall. in New York.

“I’ve had a very hands-on and insightful experience at the Local,” she said. “I’ve gotten the opportunity to actually seek out and write my own stories rather than do tedious busy work unrelated to journalism.”

Grierson applied for the internship shortly after returning from a semester abroad in England.

Although her focus is on broadcast journalism, Greirson said she was seeking an opportunity to strengthen her skills in writing and to experience print media. A native of Mt. Airy, Grierson had always been familiar with the Local and was happy to learn that the paper offered internships.

“This internship has essentially strengthened my journalism skills while also helping me to build my portfolio of print work,” she said.

“I knew that interning with the Local would help me learn more about my craft.”

Sarah Alessandrini is an Anna Fisher Clark intern at the Local this

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