Eastchester REVIEW THE
May 13, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 20 | www.eastchesterreview.com
5 for 2 seats in Eastchester Board of Education race By SARAH VARNEY Education Reporter
Eagles soar Chris Gorman fires a strike against New Rochelle on May 9. Gorman tossed a complete game and picked up a win as the Eagles topped the Huguenots 3-2 at Flowers Field. For more, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
Eastchester School District Arts Festival take the stage The annual Eastchester School District Arts Festival brings together the accomplishments of all students in kindergarten through 12th grade, in a weeklong celebration of the arts. A vast array of work fills an entire gym with paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, jewelry and photography. A highlight this year includes two print making workshops. EHS National Art Honor Society members will teach interested community members how to print a monotype in a workshop. There will be a separate workshop for children that will explore different types of printmaking methods. Viewers can
leave with a monotype and a reusable Arts Festival 2016 shopping bag. For more information or to sign up, visit djohnson@ eastchester.k12.ny.us. The exhibit in the Eastchester High School gym is open to students, parents and visitors. Aside from the art exhibition, the festival is filled with performances and hands-on activities. During the weekday evenings, there are spring concerts, the Players’ Club Cabaret Night and the Jazz Band performance. Jazz Co., Eastchester’s middle and high schools’ dance company, performs twice during the Arts Festival week. Jazz Co. has been a strong member of
the performing arts in the community, and has maintained professional, high-quality dances each year. The company consists of about 100 students in grades nine through 12. Hands-on activities are available to the whole community on the Saturday afternoon of the Arts Festival week. At the same time, the High School Art Club will host a children’s workshop in which high school students lead a guided art activity. Schedule of Events: K-12 Art Exhibition HS Gym May 12 through 17, 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday
Printmaking Workshop in Studio H006
Saturday, May 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
All community members are welcome to learn how to print a monotype in a workshop led by Eastchester National Art Honor Society members. Participants may leave with their monotype and a reusable Arts Festival 2016 shopping bag. For more information or to register for the event, email djohnson@eastchester.k12.ny.us. Children’s Printmaking Workshop in the gym lobby
Saturday, May 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
festival continued on page 11
On Tuesday, May 17, Eastchester residents will vote on the $106 million 2016-2017 school budget and choose among five contestants for the Eastchester Board of Education. Each term is for three years. The race for two seats includes two incumbents, one interim trustee running for a full three-year term for a third seat and two newcomers. The two incumbents in the field of five are familiar faces: Mary Messner Martin, the current board president, is seeking a third full term; Trustee Judah Holstein is competing for a second term. Holstein, 52, said that if elected, he hopes to continue to improve the use of technology within the district and continue as the board liaison on the WestchesterPutnam School Boards Association. More commonly known as WesPut, the organization is an advocacy group and data resource for area school boards. Holstein and his family have lived in Eastchester for 28 years. His older son graduated from Eastchester High School in 2013 and his younger one is in fifth grade at Anne Hutchinson Elementary School. A daughter is now in 11th grade and will graduate in 2017. Holstein holds a B.S. degree from Iona College and works as a software developer for his own company. He said his experience as a business owner, the wide range of his children’s ages and his technology expertise make him a good candidate.
Board of Education President Mary Messner Martin is a managing director and associate general counsel for JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. She holds an undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and a J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law. She and her family have lived in Eastchester for 19 years. Martin, 52, first joined the board in 2010 when she was chosen to fill a seat left empty by the death of a trustee. She is running for a third term. She said the expansion and renovation of the middle school and high school have been and continue to be her priorities. A $27 million bond passed in 2015 will be used to enlarge Eastchester High School to accommodate increased enrollment. Construction is expected to begin in February 2017 and reach completion by September 2018. Cheryl Smith, the interim board member, was appointed in January to fill a seat. Trustee John Curcio resigned from the board in January 2016. A graduate of Tufts University, Smith, 40, holds a B.A. in English and Spanish, and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English. She is currently an associate professor of English at Baruch College and director of the Great Works of Literature program at City University of New York. She and her husband have one son at Greenvale School and they have lived in Eastchester for seven years. Smith has found juggling the demands of a full-time career, a education continued on page 11
Follow us on Twitter @eastchesterview Like us on facebook.com/eastchesterreview