January 29, 2016 by The Eastchester Review

Eastchester REVIEW THE

January 29, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 5 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Kings of clutch Benny DiMirco drives into the lane against Harrison on Jan. 20. DiMircoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last-second shot helped the Eagles top the Huskies 56-55. For story, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith

2 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

February 2016

Planning ahead... Sunday

Monday Black History Month begins

Tuesday

National Cancer Prevention Month begins Waverly Principal’s Coffee 10 a.m.

Super Bowl Sunday

Chinese New Year

Wednesday

Valentine’s Day

Eastchester zoning board meeting 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium

Tuckahoe Board of Education meeting 8 p.m., TMS/HS library

Eastchester Board of Education work session 8 p.m.

Presidents Day, Tuckahoe village offices closed

Tuckahoe Tax Grievance Day 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 65 Main St.

Mid-winter recess begins, all schools closed

Eastchester Environmental Committee 7:30 p.m., Community Room Ash Wednesday

Bronxville planning board meeting 7:30 p.m.

Tuckahoe village board meeting 8 p.m.

Eastchester Architectural Review Board meeting 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium

Tuckahoe PTA Executive Board meeting 7:30 p.m., TMS/HS library

Mardi Gras

World Cancer Day

Friday

EHS Jazz Co. Weekend of Dance performance 4:15 p.m.

Eastchester town board meeting 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium

EHS Jazz Co. Weekend of Dance snow date 7 p.m.

EHS Jazz Co. Weekend of Dance performance 2 p.m.

Eastchester Architectural Review Board sign review 11 a.m., Community Room

Thursday

Tuckahoe Superintendent’s Conference Day 8:30 a.m.

Greenvale Grade 3 Recorder Concert 9 a.m.

TMS/HS Parent Forum 7 p.m., TMS/HS auditorium

Tuckahoe schools reopen

Saturday

THS March SAT registration deadline

Anne Hutchinson Grade 5 Pasta Night 6 p.m. EHS Jazz Co. Weekend of Dance performance 7 p.m. THS Semi-Formal Dance THS Gymnasium Eastchester half day all schools

WEC PTA Building Bridges Program begins

THS March SAT late registration deadline

Tuckahoe Board of Education workshop 7:30 p.m., TMS/HS library

Bronxville zoning board meeting 7:30 p.m.

National Cancer Prevention Month ends Anne Hutchinson PTA Executive Board meeting 7:15 p.m.

EHS Jazz Co. Weekend of Dance performance 7 p.m.

TMS Valentine’s Day Dance 7 p.m.

Mid-winter recess ends for other schools

Eastchester library board meeting 6 p.m., Eastchester library auditorium

WEC Cottle Parent Forum 7 p.m., Cottle auditorium

Eastchester planning board meeting 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium Bronxville Board of Education meeting 7 p.m.

WEC PTA Building Bridges Program ends Anne Hutchinson/ Greenvale Grade 3 joint event 6:30 p.m. EHS Grade 9 Movie Night 7 p.m. Jazzco 8 p.m., TMS/HS auditorium

Black History Month ends

Waverly Sweetheart Dance Kindergarten at 10:15 a.m.; Grade 1 at 12:45 p.m.

Eastchester Traffic and Parking Advisory Committee 7 p.m., Eastchester library auditorium

Eastchester Board of Education meeting 8 p.m.

Bronxville Board of Education budget workshop 9 a.m.

Jazzco 8 p.m., TMS/HS auditorium

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 3

Eastchester Smart Schools plan targets Wi-Fi Eastchester school board seeking applicants

The increase in Wi-Fi network access speed to 100 mpbs will enable Eastchester elementary school students to more easily work with software designed to teach STEM concepts. Pictured is Scratch, developed at the MIT Media Lab, an open source free programming language aimed at honing children’s critical thinking skills, a STEM staple. Photo courtesy MIT Media Lab

By SARAH VARNEY Education Reporter The Eastchester Union Free School District’s plan to spend its $477,000 Smart Schools Bond Act allocation is set for submission to the New York State Education Department after a final thumbs-up from the Board of Education this week. Dr. Ron Hattar, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, fielded a few questions from Board of Education members at the Jan. 26 meeting, but none came from the public. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014 called for the release of $2 billion worth of general obligation bonds to fund technology and infrastructure improvements for school districts statewide. School district allocations were based on a complex needs formula. The last step of the submission process before a district’s plan goes to Albany is a public review before its school board. The Eastchester Smart Schools

Implementation Plan should be approved sometime in April, according to school district officials. Asked for a brief synopsis of the plan by board member Paul Doyle, Hattar said the plan focuses on providing campuswide wireless access to students, teachers and administrators. The new network infrastructure will give students a better educational experience, in that the potential for learning won’t be limited to the 40 minutes of classroom instruction time. For example, a student could access Google Docs assignments via smartphone or use Google to retrieve data relative to a homework assignment. “We believe that with this wireless infrastructure, we can provide students with a more authentic learning environment,” Hattar added. The district is also introducing a “bring your own device” to school policy for students in grades six through 12 starting in fall 2016. The new policy will

allow students to access the web and school sites using smartphones, tablets or laptops. The exact rules for securing the devices, particularly for middle school students, are still being formulated, Hattar said. The Smart Schools money will be spent on Avaya network switching equipment, AeroHive wireless access repeaters, cabling and some incidentals. Currently, the district’s server has a speed of 10 mbps, which will increase to 100 mbps after the network infrastructure is redone. None of the money will go toward buying new devices for students, however. In addition to the increased Internet access for students, the server’s speed increase may save the district money in the future. Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Moran envisions students being able to access textbooks online at some point, a move that would save “a tremendous amount of money.” CONTACT: sarah@hometwn.com

@ eastchesterview

The Board of Education of the Eastchester Union Free School District is accepting applications to fill the vacancy resulting from the resignation of Dr. John Curcio. The individual selected will serve on the school board from the date of appointment until the next annual election on May 17, 2016. A candidate must: • be a United States citizen and able to read and write. • be at least 18 years of age. • be a resident of the district for at least one year immediately preceding the appointment. • be a registered voter in the district. Employees of the Eastchester school district are not eligible. Interested applicants should send a letter of intent and a resume to the Eastchester Board of Education at BOE@Eastchester. k12.ny.us or mail/deliver in person to Eastchester Board of Education, 580 White Plains Road, Eastchester, NY 10709. The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. The Board of Education will

Eastchester High School

review all applications and will hold interviews for finalists on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. Applicants should show familiarity with the school board’s policies regarding general duties and responsibilities of a school board and a school board member, including fiduciary respon-

sibilities, conflicts of interest and ethics. Interested parties can visit the New York State School Boards Association website at nyssba.org and search “Running for the school board” for more information on the responsibilities of a school board member. (Submitted)

4 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

What’s going on... Eastchester Public Library

Books and Snacks Club

Bronxville Public Library

aid the elderly and disabled with snow removal. All requests from volunteers are matched up with a request from someone who lives near them and who has requested help with snow/ice removal. Volunteers will receive community service hours from the program coordinator. Those who are interested should contact Sheila Marcotte at tuckahoesnowangels@yahoo.com, and parents can contact her at 309-6947. Marcotte will then contact the program coordinator directly.

Visit bronxvillelibrary.org for more information on these and other events and programs.

Eastchester Recreation Department

On Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. For grades K-2. This is a drop-off program. Jonathan Heifetz will read and discuss a short book together with kids, and this will be followed by a craft activity. Reading aloud is encouraged but not required. Online pre-registration is suggested. Snacks will be served. For more information, contact Jonathan Heifetz will at 721-8105 or jheifetz@wlsmail.org. Visit eastchesterlibrary.org for more information on these and other events and programs.

Board game afternoon On Saturday, Jan. 30 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For all ages. An afternoon of board games. Come for the whole time or stop by at any time. Bring your own games or play some of the ones the library will set up. Hot chocolate and cookies will be provided. Pre-registration is suggested but not required.

Library Teen Group On Monday, Feb. 1 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Come to the library’s teen advisory group. The group has helped create a lot of new programs for teens and helped shape the library’s collection. This program is open to sixth-graders and up. Contact Elizabeth Portillo at 793-5055 or eportillo@wlsmail.org for more information.

Valentine’s Day Craft On Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Online registration starts Tuesday, Feb. 2. Come and make two awesome Valentine’s Day crafts to warm your sweetheart’s heart. For ages 3 to 5.

Make your own body oils for Valentine’s Day On Saturday, Feb. 13 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Online registration is required, as space is limited. For grades six and up. Come to the library to make your own Valentine’s Day-scented body oils. This is a great gift for a friend or family member. Also learn the importance of knowing what you are putting on your body. Each teen will get three different oils to make and take home, complete with their own designed laminated label and bag. Contact Elizabeth Portillo at 793-5055 or eportillo@wlsmail.org for more information.

Book donation drop-off On Thursday, Feb. 4 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to noon. Bring in your gently-used books for the ongoing library book sale. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Bronxville Library. Limit is 10 books per patron.

Tween Science Day On Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. For ages 9 to 12. Do you have what it takes to construct an amazing structure out of marshmallows and other items? Will it last through a wind storm? An earthquake? Take your chances and find out.

Village Lutheran Church Prayer service The next monthly service of prayer for healing will be held on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. This short service is an opportunity to pray for personal needs and concerns, and to receive anointing with oil. For more information, call 337-0207 or visit vlc-ny.org.

Bible study Warm up on Wednesdays with a pot luck supper and Bible study which will take place on Feb. 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dinner will be from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Bible study will be from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bring a main dish or a salad to share. The Rev. Dr. Robert Hartwell will lead the discussion about what the Bible is, how we got it and what it means to us today. For more information or to sign up for the event, call 337-0207 ext. 1003.

Snow Angels program Volunteers needed The Snow Angels program needs volunteers to

Programs for the disabled The town of Eastchester welcomes the participation of all residents and recognizes the importance of providing recreational programs in the most integrated setting. If special accommodations are needed to assist in the meaningful participation and inclusion of a disabled participant, please call Sally Veltidi, Eastchester recreation superintendent, at 771-3311. The Recreation Department— serving Eastchester, Bronxville and Tuckahoe— is part of the South East Consortium for Special Services, a nonprofit organization which provides year-round therapeutic recreational programs for persons with disabilities. The organization offers a variety of weekly programs for disabled persons ages 5 and up. For further information, visit secrec.org or contact Jerry Peters at the South East Consortium, 740 W. Boston Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543; by calling 698-5232 or emailing info@ secrec.org.

Winter vacation camp registration This mini day camp is open to Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville residents in grades K-6. Activities will include arts and crafts, circle games, entertainment, trips and a lunch party. The camp will run from Tuesday, Feb. 16 to Friday, Feb. 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an extended day option ending at 5 p.m. The camp location will be Haindl Field House, 3 Gabriel Rescigno Drive in Scarsdale. Space is limited, so sign up early. The deadline is Friday, Feb. 12. For sessions ending at 3 p.m., the fee is $175, and for sessions ending at 5 p.m., the fee is $240. Make checks payable to the Town of Eastchester. Visit eastchester.org/departments/recreation/ for more information and to download a registration form. Deadline for our What’s Going On section is every Thursday at noon. Though space is not guaranteed, we will do our best to accommodate your listing. Please send all items to news@hometwn.com.

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 5

Barnes & Noble seeks to open in Eastchester By ANGELA JORDAN Staff Writer The currently vacant property at 670 White Plains Road in the Vernon Hills Shopping Center,

which used to be to a Borders bookstore, is potentially going to be repurposed as a Barnes & Noble. According to Margaret Uhle, the director of planning for the

town of Eastchester, an application was submitted by Howell Belanger Castelli Architects to the town on Jan. 7. The applicant is expected to appear before the town Planning Board

There is a good chance that a Barnes & Noble will soon be coming to Eastchester. The retail chain has submitted an application to take over the former space of Borders bookstore on White Plains Road. Photo/Wikipedia

in February. The application comes as a bit of a surprise, with large chain bookstores struggling to stay afloat in recent years. The Eastchester-Scarsdale Borders bookstore closed in 2011 when the entire corporation filed for bankruptcy. And while Barnes & Noble still has 640 open locations nationwide, their sales have been dipping. In 2015, Barnes & Noble’s stock dropped from $23.40 per share to $8.71 by the end of the year, a 62.7 percent decrease. And in 2013, a former top executive at Barnes & Noble, Mitchell Klipper, said that they plan to only have 450 retail stores by 2022, which would mean the retailer will presumably close 190 locations within the next six years. Gene Sgarlata, who owns Womrath Bookshop in Bronxville, said technology has greatly affected brick-and-mortar book retailers. “The big elephant in the room is the Internet,” Sgarlata said. “A lot of people have e-readers, so they’re not buying hard copy books as much.” Womrath opened 78 years ago, and Sgarlata has owned it for the past 32 years. He said

in addition to the competition from online retailers like Amazon, local shops like his also face issues when competing with goliaths like Barnes & Noble. He said that frequently, customers of independent shops will sometimes shop at a largechain bookstore, but rarely will frequenters of corporate book stores shop at locally-owned storefronts. Despite that, while Sgarlata said he wasn’t “delighted” about a Barnes & Noble possibly opening a few miles from his store, he said that having more similar retailers nearby “bodes well for all book people.”

He also said that Womrath was viable when there was a Borders in Eastchester, and believes Womrath will be fine either way. “We do a lot of special orders and have many repeat customers, pride ourselves on having a good selection of books and a good children’s section.” Sgarlata said. “We work very hard to sustain ourselves.” Representatives for Barnes & Noble and Howell Belanger Castelli Architects could not be reached for comment as of press time. Contact: angela@hometwn.com

At-a-Glance Barnes & Noble submits Eastchester application Site of former Borders location B&N expects to close 190 locations over next 6 years In 2015, B&N stock dropped 63%

6 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

Eastchester REVIEW THE

170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203 White Plains, N.Y. 10601 Tel: (914) 653-1000 Fax: (914) 653-5000

Publisher | Howard Sturman ext. 21, publisher@hometwn.com Executive Vice President | Ira Ellenthal ext. 31, irathal@hometwn.com

Larchmont native named in Forbes’ under 30 list By ANGELA JORDAN Staff Writer

The first time Jessica Hendricks traveled to Cambodia, it was to teach English. The college Sports Editor | Mike Smith student left the airport in a cab and ext. 22, sports@hometwn.com couldn’t believe her eyes. Her surEditorial Assistant | Sibylla Chipaziwa roundings were unlike anything ext. 25, sibylla@hometwn.com she was used to in New York. Editorial Assistant | Suzy Berkowitz “[In Cambodia] there’s an enext. 30, suzy@hometwn.com ergy in the streets and a hustle to Education Reporter | Sarah Varney survive; they’re very much living ext. 17, sarah@hometwn.com in the present,” she said. Graphic Designer | Arthur Gedin Hendricks, 27, is a Larchmont Graphic Designer | Jim Grasso native and founder of The Brave Advertising | Barbara Riehl Collection, a line of handcrafted ext. 16, barbara@hometwn.com jewelry made by Cambodian arAdvertising Coordinator | Gabriella De La Rosa tisans. Because of the line’s sucext. 27, ads@hometwn.com cess, she was named one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 in Retail Staff Writers James Pero, Angela Jordan, and Ecommerce” for 2016. In adKiley Stevens dition to supporting local artists by Staff Photographer commissioning their work, The Bobby Begun Brave Collection also donates 10 percent of its profits to fight human Columnists Mary Marvin, Richard Forliano, trafficking in Cambodia. Lenore Skenazy “In the beginning, we donated mostly to trafficking survivors; Letters The community’s opinion matters. now we also focus on groups who Editor-in-Chief | Christian Falcone ext. 19, chris@hometwn.com

If you have a view to express, write a letter to the editor by email to chris@hometwn.com. Please include a phone number and name for verification purposes.

One of the bracelets from The Brave Collection.

support girls who are at risk for human trafficking,” Hendricks said. The inspiration for the line came from Hendricks’ experiences during her first visit to Cambodia in 2008. Previously unaware of the country’s history, she was moved by the story of the genocide at the hands of Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979. She was particularly affected by the knowledge that 90 percent of Cambodia’s artisans were killed during that period.

Being an art student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts at the time, Hendricks considered art her main passion and “a home to [her],” and couldn’t imagine what those artists had been going through. She was also deeply affected when confronted by the realities of human trafficking while in Cambodia. “Seeing girls my age and younger with their faces painted, lined up in front of the bars, hit me really hard,” Hendricks said. Returning to school in Manhattan and home to Larchmont after spending several months on the other side of the world was a big adjustment. “You could have this amazing dinner in Cambodia for $5, and then go home and spend $15 on a cocktail in New York,” Hendricks said. However, her time in Cambodia stuck with her and in 2012, two years after she graduated from college, she launched The Brave Collection in Larchmont at her mother’s jewelry store, Peri-

Community Events

If you have an event you would like to share with the community, send it to news@hometwn.com.

Delivery

For home delivery or to subsribe, call Gabriella De La Rosa at (914) 653-1000 x27.

Classifieds & Legals

To post your notices or listings, call Gabriella De La Rosa at (914) 653-1000 x27.

Postmaster

Send address changes to: The Eastchester Review c/o HomeTown Media Group, 170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203 White Plains, N.Y. 10601

Visit us online www.eastchesterreview.com Follow us on Twitter, @eastchesterview Like us on Facebook, facebook.com/eastchesterreview The Eastchester Review (permit #106661) is published by Home Town Media Group weekly for an annual subscription of $32. Application to mail at the peridcals postage rate is approved at Port Chester, N.Y., 10573. Periodicals postage paid at Port Chester and additional mailing offices.

Jessica Hendricks’ jewelry features several pieces in the Khmer language and some Buddhist imagery.

Jessica Hendricks, founder of The Brave Collection. Her jewelry line consists of handmade pieces by Cambodian artisans, and 10 percent of the company’s profits are donated to charities that fight human trafficking. Photos courtesy The Brave Collection

dot Fine Jewelry. “The Larchmont community has supported me from the very beginning,” said Hendricks, who has visited Cambodia three times since that first visit. Her mother, in particular, has offered a great deal of support to The Brave Collection, and influenced her daughter’s passion for making jewelry at a young age. Hendricks was a freshman in high school when her mother opened Peridot, located at 1903 Palmer Ave. in Larchmont. She had formative years attending trade shows and learning about the industry from her mother. Hendricks said she fell “quite naturally” into the jewelry business. Dawn Hendricks believes that her daughter is cut out for the industry as well. She said that Jessica Hendricks has a “really great grasp on how a person shops for jewelry,” in addition to the work ethic of a successful entrepreneur. “She’s practical and visionary, and it’s very difficult to be both of those things,” Dawn Hendricks said. “What she’s done is amazing. She’s worked so hard and she really deserves her success.” However, Jessica Hendricks cites her relationships with the artisans in Cambodia that she routinely communicates and collaborates with as one of the most critical components to the collection. Particularly, she mentions a

Cambodian artisan and partner in The Brave Collection, who she affectionately refers to as “Nini.” “She originally had to drop out of school and work as a house cleaner,” Jessica Hendricks said. “She is a real selftaught entrepreneur.” As for Jessica Hendricks’ customers, she said as time has passed and the collection became more popular, she’s been moved by the reasons that women buy this jewelry for themselves and each other. Whether it is for their child moving away from home, or for a friend undergoing cancer treatment, Jessica cited a myriad reasons why some cut of her customers are drawn to The Brave Collection. “When I started Brave, it was about the brave women in Cambodia,” Jessica Hendricks said. “But now, we’ve embraced ‘brave’ as a philosophy that can apply to any woman and it’s really powerful.” Moving forward, Jessica Hendricks hopes to expand the company’s operation, which is currently based in Brooklyn, and pursue relationships with larger retailers. However, the collection can still be bought from Peridot, where it began four years ago in addition to more than 100 other locations worldwide. CONTACT: angela@hometwn.com

January 29, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ The EASTCHESTER review â&#x20AC;˘ 7

Bronxville students have fun with STEM

Fifth-graders used diplomacy, negotiating, engineering, design and art skills to redesign playgrounds. Each group of students was given a budget of $100,000 in virtual money to spend on the projects. The goal was to create sustainable play spaces with activities for typical children and those with disabilities. Here, students use feathers, clay, pipe cleaners and straws to show their design in 3-D.

Bronxville High School ninth-graders work on their digital portfolios. Students can use multimedia elements to detail their personal goals during their high school careers. The goal is to give students insight and direction. Pictured, from left, Zachary Flangos, Peyton Kinon and Ashton Smith. Counselor Barbara Dhyne, standing in the back, looks on. Photos courtesy Michael Ganci

Senior Indira Dasgupta was presented with the Concordia College Osilas Gallery Regional High School Exhibition Award of Excellence. Her self-portrait, in charcoal on butcher paper, was chosen for its exquisite detailing, according to Bronxville High School art teacher Courtney Alan.

8 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

Public employee unions and the First Amendment Tuckahoe launches modernized web presence BRONXVILLE TODAY Mayor Mary Marvin

On Monday, Jan. 18, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The Friedrichs case seeks to overturn a 1977 Supreme Court decision that allows public employee unions to collect “fair share” fees from non-members to defray the cost of collective bargaining. The outcome of this case could affect hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue currently received by our nation’s public sector unions. All agree the case represents the biggest legal threat to organized labor in decades and a challenge to nearly 40 years of legal precedent. Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia require public employees to pay for collective bargaining, even if the employee disagrees with the union demands. In all 50 states, the same employees can opt out of the dues portion that finances union’s political activities. The current case is funded by the Center for Individual Rights, a conservative organization that took a page from the liberal playbooks of the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, both of whom enjoyed great judicial success in the 1960s and 1970s. The strategy is to actively look for clients with potentially precedent-setting cases that fit an ideological aim and then pour resources into litigating them. Given the Supreme Court’s current makeup, The Center for Individual Rights sees this as their moment to advance their goals. The center initially started as a vehicle intent on defending academic free speech amid what their supporters perceived as a climate of political correctness at major U.S. universities. They have since branched out to embrace other issues surrounding the First Amendment. Rebecca Friedrich, the lead plaintiff in the case under review, is an elementary school teacher in the California public school system. In interviews, she stated she was motivated to work against her union after

serving as one of its officers for several years and finding its leadership unwilling to consider her suggestions. Chief among them was creating tenure laws that made it easier to fire bad teaches and abolishing seniority systems that disregarded merit. As oral arguments took shape, defenders of the 1977 “agency fee” requirement argued that it had demonstrably lead to government efficiency and with it labor peace, eliminating a great potential for workplace tension since everyone had a horse in the race. In addition, the need for revenues to finance collective bargaining, including lawyers’ fees, allows unions to have strength in numbers as they often negotiate with larger, betterfunded entities. Proponents of the agency fee predict a “death spiral” if the 1977 decision is overturned; membership will drop, as most people will opt for a free service when given a choice; in this case, collective bargaining. The union will then have to increase dues because of fewer union members to cover expenses, thus creating an increased monetary burden causing additional workers to quit the union. In the California Teachers’ Association brief, their lawyers argued that the contracts for the more than 4.5 million teachers nationwide will be thrown into disarray with an overturning of the 1977 case, Abood v. the Detroit Board of Education. Those in favor of the reversal argue that all public union activities have a political component and being made to support them is compelled speech that violates the First Amendment. Others in favor of Ms. Friedrich argue that those who oppose their local union, as she does, but are forced to pay hundreds of dollars into their coffers annually are not “free riders,” rather “captive passengers.” Others directly blame union contracts as the underlying causes for national bankruptcies from Detroit to Stockton. As background, membership in unions nationwide has been on the decline since the end of World War II, when 35 percent of employed Americans belonged to unions. By 2014, the numbers had dropped to 11 percent, though in the govern-

ment sector, unions continue to represent 36 percent of the employees. Though the Abood v. Detroit case in 1977, upholding union payments by non-members to the union, was a unanimous decision, both the composition of the court and two recent rulings demonstrate a move away from its ruling. In 2012, the justices voted 7-2 affirming that a California public employee union could not impose an additional fee on members without their assent. In a 5-4 ruling in 2014, the Supreme Court declared that Medicaid-funded home health care workers in Illinois did not have to pay dues to any public employee union. Though neither a specific overrule, Justice Alito, writing for the majority in the 2014 case, said, “No person in this country may be compelled to subsidize speech by a third party that he or she does not wish to support.” Court observers see this as the writing on the wall. Last week, Justice Kennedy stated that when you disagree on fundamental issues such as merit pay and tenure with your union, your forced subsidy turns you into a “compelled rider” on the union train. In contrast, Justice Kagan warned a decision against fair share fees “would radically restructure the way workplaces are run across the country.” In an interesting twist, Justice Scalia could be the swing vote, having written in a case decided 25 years ago that “public employee unions should be able to collect from non-members to perform statutory duties such as exclusive bargaining agent.” One thought that came to my mind, if public employees are let off the hook from union dues, then are compulsory Bar Association dues for lawyers a logical next case to be litigated? Supporters of the Bar believe that the association and its revenue help to regulate the legal profession and with it the equality of legal services. The ruling, expected in late June, could have profound consequences on the various unions represented in Bronxville, be it the police, fire, teachers or public works employees.

The homepage of the new village of Tuckahoe website, which was unveiled to the public on Jan. 16. Photo/tuckahoe.com

The village of Tuckahoe updated its website on Jan. 16, in an effort to be more mobilefriendly and give the site a sleeker look. According to Tuckahoe Village Administrator David Burke, the major changes to the site include an easier-to-use interface, a better looking layout, links to Tuckahoe’s social media accounts, and an option for interested users to sign up for email notifications from the village for board meeting agendas and other announcements. “When I started here about 18 months ago, one of the first things I thought was that [an updated website] is something we really

needed, so I made sure that there was a little extra funding [in the budget] for this,” Burke said. In addition to these new features, he added that the old website needed to be updated by a third party that maintained the entire page, but now each department will be able to edit it via password and update their own information when needed. Mayor Steve Ecklond, a Republican, credited the completion of the project to Burke, and considers the new website a success. “We are thrilled with the work he has done,” Ecklond said. “When we hired him as village manager, this was one of the first things we needed him to do.”

The overhaul cost Tuckahoe $3,600, which the village will pay for in $1,200 installments over three years. After that, according to Burke, the website will cost $400 per year, less than the old site. The company that designed the new page is Virtual Towns and Schools, which provides web design services for the municipal market. A notice from the village on the new website encourages its users to share their thoughts about the new design, and that they “are still adding information and trying to make the site as user-friendly as possible.” -Reporting by Angela Jordan

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 9

Jonas leaves its mark on Westchester

The football field at Bronxville High School was covered with a heavy blanket of snow following the Jan. 23 blizzard. Photos/Christian Falcone

BY SARAH VARNEY Staff Writer Winter Storm Jonas blanketed the region on Saturday, Jan. 23 with a deluge of snow dropping up to 25 inches of snow in areas of Westchester County.

The first major snowfall of the winter, which was accompanied by wind gusts of more than 50 mph, nearly set record marks for accumulation. In anticipation of the wintery mix, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, issued a state of emergency and a travel

Close to 2 feet of snow hit the area. Fire hydrants, parking meters and even street signs were barely visible. Pictured is the corner of Pondfield Road and Meadow Avenue in Bronxville.

ban that went into effect on Saturday afternoon, ordering all non-emergency vehicles off the roads. No power outages were reported by NYSEG and Con Edison as a result of the storm. Once the storm subsided late Saturday night, snow removal became the priority for municipal crews. Most of the problems surrounding the storm were the same ones that always pop up, but the one day notice made it easier for municipal crews to prep the roads and inform residents to move their cars to alternate locations in some communities. In Bronxville, the village’s used its Snow Dragon truck to melt snow around storm drains once the storm had subsided. The truck has a hose attached that can be snaked down drains as well, making it easier to keep them clear. The village received approximately 20 inches of snowfall, according to Village Administrator James Palmer. “We went over all of our plans days before the storm,” Palmer said. “We had crews out all day on Saturday [Jan. 23] and then again on Sunday and Monday nights the crews came in to do some cleanup.” For Tuckahoe Mayor Steve Ecklond, a Republican, the secret to dealing with Saturday’s snow and any other winter storm is brine. According to Ecklond’s

The Garden Avenue municipal parking lot was hard to navigate through with all the snow.

estimates, a layer of brine or salt was laid on roadways a day in advance, which took care of the first three inches or so. Tuckahoe was the first municipality in Westchester to use salt as a pre-treatment. “We’ve been very, very aggressive in our approach to snow,” the mayor said. After a blizzard is over, the best remedy for snow is fog. “Fog is really a snow eater,” Ecklond said. “If you get temperatures down close to the low 50s you’re in business. Fog is better than rain because you don’t get the flooding that comes along with it.” On Monday, Jan. 25, many school districts in Westchester cancelled classes giving students a much-welcomed snow day. But in the days following Jonas, temperatures increased to the 40s and portions of the snow started to melt away. CONTACT: sarah@hometwn.com

DPW plows in Bronxville and Tuckahoe had trouble finding places to adequately store the massive amount of snow Westchester County received from Winter Storm Jonas.

10 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 11

Why the English came to New Amsterdam HISTORICALLY SPEAKING Richard Forliano

This is the seventh in a series of articles on the Colonial and revolutionary history of Eastchester. Three hundred and fifty-one years ago, 10 Puritan farm families would start a village near the western bank of the Hutchinson River, a short distance north and west of present day Co-Op City in the Bronx. They named this village Eastchester. No one ever left a written account of why they left New England, but history does provide some fascinating clues about a few of the people who settled in the first village. They had to be courageous people facing daunting challenges. Located as they were in disputed territory, less than 20 miles from the temptations of New Amsterdam, they were operating under extraordinary circumstances that required extraordinary precautions. First, a settlement had to be built in this barren wilderness filled with rattlesnakes, wolves, bears and even panthers. At times they faced the danger of a Native American attack. And there was the question of which sovereign European nation, England or the Netherlands, would have control over their lives. The men and women who founded Eastchester in August 1664 arrived mostly likely by water from the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, at the western edge of the Puritan wilderness. We can only speculate about what they brought with them. Eleven years later, there were 135 head of cattle, 61 pigs and 37 oxen. They most likely brought some of that livestock with them. As they trudged their way to the site of the new settlement they might

have brought plows, axes, shovels, nails, muskets, blankets, lumber, a forge for a blacksmith, and other utensils necessary to survive. It is somewhat astonishing that in the town’s first decade, records document no deaths in the small settlement. The first person to die, John Godin, did not die of natural causes but was a casualty in King Phillip’s War in far off New England. At the same time, there were nine recorded births. The early settlement of East Chester (spelled then with two words) was apparently blessed with good health. Some had been born in England while others had parents and even grandparents who had made the trek from England to Boston, and from Boston to Puritan settlements in Connecticut like New Haven, Hartford or Windsor. Now they were on the move again. Why? In 1664, the town of Fairfield was experiencing some difficulties. Like other New England towns, there were more town residents than town members and more town members than church members. One historian stated that only 20 percent of the people in New England owned land. Dissension became so intense in Fairfield that a fine had to be imposed for disorderly conduct at town meetings. While the exact issue that caused so much tension is not known, Thomas Pell was able to convince 10 families to leave Fairfield and start a settlement in disputed Dutch territory, just north of the settlement of Westchester, now under allegiance to the Netherlands. Large numbers of people had come to New England because they were either unhappy with their financial situation or the spiritual conditions of their churches. Most likely, the people who settled in Eastchester came because they felt that there were

SCHOOL NEWS?

Contact OUR EDUCATION reporter

more opportunities while still being able to practice their faith. The early settlements in both Fairfield and Eastchester were similar to villages in England or other New England towns. Homes were clustered together around a village green and town center, with the farm and pasture land nearby. This was also the case in Fairfield where they had 2.5- to 3-acre home lots in the town squares. But in Eastchester, home lots were at least five times as large and available farm and pasture land were plentiful. But the ownership of land and improving their financial condition were not the only reasons they left. Many of the founders were principled people who were willing to take great risks for the sake of their religious beliefs. A few weeks after their arrival on Sept. 6, 1664, English gunboats sailed into the harbor of New Amsterdam and took over the entire area without firing a shot. Great Britain annexed New Netherlands from Connecticut to Delaware. Thomas Pell had finally achieved victory over his old adversary, Peter Stuyvesant. Not only had he established a second English village near New Amsterdam, but both Westchester and Eastchester were now under English rule. Stuyvesant continued to live on his estate on Manhattan Island until his death in 1672, outliving Pell by three years. And the settlement of East Chester would begin to take shape. But the takeover was not a done deal. Precisely nine years after the surrender of New Netherlands, a Dutch fleet retook Manhattan, and installed a new government. The whole colony changed hands. Fifteen months later, the Dutch gave the colony back to the English. In the next article, information about some of the early inhabitants of the settlement of

sarah varney

sarah@hometwn.com

A depiction of New Amsterdam before the English takeover and the founding of Eastchester. Photo courtesy New York City Municipal Library

Eastchester will reveal some insights about what the original town was like. Many thanks to Regina Baio for her extensive research, documentation and written analysis from which much of the material

in this article is taken. Baio is the author of “The 1665 Covenant: Life in 17th-Century Eastchester” in “Out of the Wilderness: The Emergence of Eastchester, Tuckahoe, and Bronxville (1664-2014).”

Please contact us at historian@eastchesterhistoricalsociety.org about any comments or questions you might have about this column.

12 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

The Classifieds • Advertising that gets results OUR RATES:

UP TO 4 LINES $42.50 for 2 weeks minimum. Each Additional Line $2.00

HOW TO REACH US:

(914) 653-1000 x27 Fax: 653-5000 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: 170 Hamilton Ave., Suite 203, White Plains N.Y. 10601

Auto Donations

Wanted

Donate your car to Wheels For Wishes, benefiting Make-A-Wish. We offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Call 914-468-4999 Today!

CASH for Coins! Buying Gold & Silver. Also Stamps & Paper Money, Comics, Entire Collections, Estates. Travel to your home. Call Marc in NY: 1-800-959-3419

Donate your car to Wheels For Wishes, benefiting Make-A-Wish. We offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Call 315-400-0797 Today!

$ TOP CASH PAID $ Complete Contents + All Antiques & Collectibles Furn, Lamps, Sterling, Jewelry, Watches, Coins, Record Collections, Coins, Old Baseball Items. Comics, Books, Music. Over 25 yrs. buying & selling exp. Call J. Geller 914-275-6611 or email gellerent@aol.com

Drivers We want you! To DriveAway our new box trucks to customers nationwide. Will Train. No CDL Required. Next day pay! Please call (574)213-8277

Help Wanted Can You Dig It? Heavy Equipment Operator Career! We Offer Training and Certifications Running Bulldozers, Backhoes and Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits Eligible! 1-866-362-6497

legal notices Notice of Formation of Jenny McGirl Brand Consulting, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 12/1/15. Office location: Westchester County.SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn. NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful activity.

NEW YEAR, NEW AIRLINE CAREERS—Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Overnight classes available. Call AIM 866-296-7093

Land For Sale R E POSSESSE D LAN D BARGAI NS! Cooperstown Lakes Region & Catskill Mountains! 5 acres- $19,900. 11 acres$39,900 Streams, lake access, mountain views! Clear title, fully guaranteed transaction! Owner financing! Call 888-905-8847. NewYorkLandandLakes.com

Miscellaneous SAWMILLS from only $4397.00- MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship! FREE Info/DVD:† www.NorwoodSawmills.com 1-800-578-1363 Ext.300N

Twitter

@eastchesterview

DEADLINE:

Placement, correction or cancellation of an ad may be phoned in any time before noon on Monday for publication

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 13

A tutorial on Starbucks-speak nonsense RHYMES WITH CRAZY Lenore Skenazy

Please pay attention. There will be a quiz. Starbucks recently took out a two-page, fold-out, super-slick ad in The New Yorker to educate us benighted, Folgers-swilling plebes on “The Art of Espresso and Milk.” Using a chart only slightly less complex than the periodic table of the elements (for instance, it did not list barium or neptunium), it showed a sort of timeline of coffee concoctions, starting with: Doppio: Two shots of espresso. Straight. Latte Macchito: Foamed whole milk marked with shots of espresso. Flat White: Sweet ristretto espresso shots finished with whole steamed milk. Cappuccino: A shot of espresso topped with a deep layer of foamed milk. And, but of course: Caffé Latte: A shot of espresso in steamed milk lightly topped with foam. Got that? OK, quick: Which drink dumps a shot of espresso into a cup of foamed barium? Ah, just yankin’ your chain. That’s at Dunkin’ Donuts. As for the Starbucks chart, I didn’t even give you all the concoctions on the list to prevent your head from exploding like an overheated doppio ristretto ma-

chine. (Didn’t ristretto start out by making a boy out of wood? Or am I confused?) Anyway, after all this, the ad explained as if to a dim bulb, “Latte Macchiato: Foamed milk marked with espresso makes it intensely bold,” and a “Flat White,” which is—as you’ll immediately recall—sweet ristretto espresso finished with blah blah blah is “rich and velvety.” Never mind that the pictures of these two ostensibly polar opposite drinks look about as dissimilar as those “spot the difference” puzzles, which perhaps explains why the ad is driving me to drink something stronger than a latte macchiato. (Or was it a caffé latte?) What I mean is: I’m drinking grain alcohol mixed with YooHoo. You see, here’s a company that already asks us to fork over all our cash previously reserved for necessities like medicine and HBO just to drink some scorched caffeine in a pseudo-chatty place where everyone is actually on their phone, staring at their laptops and hogging the seat across from them. And now, for us not to sound like idiots there—”I’d like a coffee with milk, please”—we have to study gradations between coffee drinks that are more subtle than the ones between flatworms and tapeworms. (Do NOT look these up! Or at least, do not click on “Images.”) Starbucks has already amused itself by training us to say “tall” when we mean “small”—tall being the second smallest cup

of coffee you can get without whittling yourself a mug on the spot. And some marketing exec earned her wings by convincing us that “grande” and “venti” are the two most sophisticated words in the world, even though these really mean “I am a grand baboon” and “Excuse me. My vent is open.” Other Starbucks words that you might not realize have direct English translations are: Caffé Espresso Frappucino: Milkshake Vanilla Frappucino: Vanilla Milkshake Caramel Flan Frappucino: Gloppy Milkshake Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappucino: Crunchy Milkshake Double Chocolaty Chip Frappucino: Shameless Milk-shake Hazelnut Frappucino: Milkshake for High Income Squirrels Shaken Sweet Tea: Tea with sugar. Duh. And someone who isn’t you got paid (and gets health care, too!) to shake it. Caffé Americano: Coffee. Like the stuff you get at the donut cart for a dollar without having to learn a new language, or inquire as to how artisanal the cart guy plans to dissolve your sugar. And with the extra $4 you save, you can buy several handtwisted, cane sugar-dipped inzuppare ciambellas. You know, glazed donuts. CONTACT: lskenazy@yahoo.com

Breaking the school-to-prison pipeline internationally Children should have the latitude to make mistakes and to learn and grow from them. It’s part of the growing up process. Yet, when many at-risk youth break the law, rather than leniency and understanding, they end up incarcerated and learn life’s lessons from those hardened circumstances. A cycle of jail begins. It’s not just happening in the U.S., but also globally. A contingent representing ANDRUS and its Sanctuary Institute headed to Trinidad to learn what others are doing in the new year to address the growing problem—and to see how ANDRUS could help. Sarah Yanosy, director of ANDRUS Sanctuary Institute, and Joe Benamati, coordinator of the New York Department of Juvenile Justice Consortium for ANDRUS, headed to Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain. While there, they met with leaders from the 159-yearold St. Mary’s Children’s Home, who are renovating and redesigning their antiquated residence. The Trinidadian staff is looking to incorporate the Sanctuary approach as a way to enhance the care the orphanage is providing to the young people in their program. After a tour and giving a presentation, the ANDRUS team promised support for St. Mary’s efforts. The following day, Yanosy and Benamati joined ANDRUS president and CEO, Bryan R. Murphy, at a planning committee led by the Archbishop of Trinidad, Joseph Harris. This committee is planning to build an alternative to incarceration program for youth who have been arrested for the first time. The concept is that they will serve young men and young women, with the expectation that some of the women may not be offenders, but will have been trafficked. The youth will be court-ordered to this treatment program—rather than to a corrections facility. Their court records then would be expunged after completion. The committee is hoping to stop the pipeline to prison for these youth by providing intervention at the point of first offense. They have worked with an architect to design the campus, and based on the blueprints, it is really impressive. Trauma exposure can impact young people in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems and equally impact the very agencies and systems that exist to help

From left, Joe Benamati, coordinator, New York Department of Juvenile Justice Consortium, ANDRUS; Sarah Yanosy, director, ANDRUS Sanctuary Institute; Joseph Harris, Archbishop of Trinidad; and Bryan R. Murphy, president and CEO, ANDRUS. Contributed photo

them. Yanosy explains how the Sanctuary approach can help. “When staff members trained in Sanctuary are taught how to recognize the systemic symptoms of trauma among and between their colleagues, their agencies and the system as a whole, they can actively intervene to create a child welfare culture that promotes healing rather than one that simply replicates the traumatic experiences these children have endured in the past,” she said. “Intervention can happen way before the court and child welfare systems are involved—for instance, school personnel can be trained as well as community support staff. The only way to break the cycle is to intercede before trauma can become entrenched.” According to the ACLU, the school-to-prison pipeline in the United States reflects the prioritization of incarceration over education and is facilitated by several factors: • Failing public schools: Overcrowded classrooms, a lack of qualified teachers and insufficient funding for “extras” such as counselors, special education services and even textbooks lock students into second-rate educational environments. • Zero-tolerance and other school discipline: Lacking resources, facing incentives to push out low-performing students and responding to a handful of highly-publicized school shootings, schools have embraced zerotolerance policies that automatically impose severe punishment regardless of circumstances. • Policing school hallways: Growing numbers of districts employ school resource officers to patrol school hallways, often with little or no training in working with youth. As a result, children are far more likely to be subject to school-based arrests— the majority of which are for nonviolent offenses, such as disruptive behavior—than they were a generation ago.

• Court involvement and juvenile detention: Students who commit minor offenses may end up in secured detention if they violate boilerplate probation conditions prohibiting them from activities like missing school or disobeying teachers. One of the most important outcomes for juvenile justice— and one of the most difficult to attain—has been to decrease reoffending and re-incarceration. Sanctuary breaks the cycle. The Sanctuary approach assumes successful reintegration into a community begins at admission to the facility, therefore the challenge is to engage youth in recovery from trauma and to help him or her envision a new future. Building an attachment to the program and the staff as well as the building skills are the primary vehicles for rehabilitation. Likewise, the idea that facility staff are working towards a greater good than simply housing a youth go a long way in impressing upon the youth the skills of citizenship and relationship building postplacement. According to Yanosy, the ANDRUS Sanctuary has seen progress in more than 50 juvenile justice programs adopting this philosophy across New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Serving Westchester County from 14 locations, ANDRUS’ main site is a 107-acre campus in north Yonkers, where the agency offers residential and day treatment for children from the New York metropolitan area and beyond. ANDRUS also operates a breadth of community mental health services, the ANDRUS Early Learning Center, the ANDRUS Center for Learning and Innovation and the Sanctuary Institute, which have provided training and consultation to more than 300 organizations worldwide in the use of a trauma-sensitive model for treatment and organizational change. For more information, visit ANDRUS1928.org. (Submitted)

14 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

Let it snow? LIVE MIKE Mike Smith

If I may offer a little unsolicited advice for some of our younger readers, especially in light of this past weekend’s blizzard, it’s this: Enjoy your snow days while you can. Once you get a little bit older, they can be a real pain in the neck—and just about everywhere else. There are few things more exciting for a child than the promise of a snow day. For a lot of us, winter weather, especially when coupled with a school closure, was just about the pinnacle of childhood. From the initial euphoria of waking up to a snow-covered landscape to bundling up and trudging outside to meet the day, it always seemed like the day was ours. Whether we decided to go sledding, play an epic game of tackle football in the unplowed

streets, or simply pelt passing motorists with snowballs (Editor’s note: this is not a recommended snow day activity), the only rule was that we could go outside for the day, and had to be back by sundown. This weekend, I didn’t play any football, I didn’t build an ice fortress, and I certainly didn’t wing any snowballs at those lucky enough to have a fourwheel drive. What I did do, however, was shovel. A lot. I shoveled out my car in the morning. I shoveled my parents’ driveway. I headed down to Pelham to shovel my grandfather’s old house. Then I shoveled again after the snowplows barreled down the street and left a 2-foot high deposit of ice and slush right in the area I’d just cleared. By the time I finally got home and settled in for the second half of the Broncos-Patriots game, I was toast. I think I caught maybe two possessions before I closed

SPORTS

my eyes and didn’t open them until Cam Newton and the Panthers were putting the finishing touches on a blowout win over the Cardinals in the late game. I don’t know if it’s because of the shoveling or the prolonged couch nap I took, but I came into work on Monday walking like an 89-year-old man. But as miserable as I was this weekend, it was still heartening to see kids experiencing the snow the way I used to. Sure, I wish I had come across a roving band of helpful shovelers at some point in the day, but watching neighborhood youngsters stomping around in the streets with sleds in tow was a welcome respite from the drudgeries of snow removal. I’d give just about anything to have a no-responsibilities snow day again. But honestly, I’d settle for a snowblower.

Follow Mike on Twitter @LiveMike_Sports

Snow days used to be fun for Sports Editor Mike Smith. Now, they’re just filled with responsibilities, like shoveling the driveway. Photo/Mike Smith

To COVER local sports, you need a

LIVE MIKE! Follow Mike Smith @LiveMike_Sports stats • recaps • commentary Follow @eastchesterview for Mike’s live, in-game action updates

SPORTS

January 29, 2016 • The EASTCHESTER review • 15

Eagles nip Huskies on final shot By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor

Harrison’s Jack Hochman passes to a teammate.

Benny DiMirco didn’t have a lot of time to think about how Eastchester’s final possession was supposed to play out last Wednesday, but his instincts— and his ability to make things happen—just kind of took over. With 7.9 seconds to play and his team trailing league rival Harrison by one point, the Eastchester senior collected the inbounds pass, streaked up the court, spun past a Huskies defender and let go of a perfect teardrop floater that found the bottom of the net. It wasn’t how they drew it up, but DiMirco’s gutsy play put Eastchester on top for good, as they downed the visiting Huskies 56-55. “Honestly, I was thinking about that Final Four when Pitt played Villanova and Scottie Reynolds took it up the court for a shot,” DiMirco said after the game. “I just trusted my hard work, and I knew I was going to make that shot.” DiMirco finished with 20 points in the Eastchester win, but after one half of play, and a 31-22 halftime lead, it didn’t seem like the Eagles would need

Andrew Schultz finds an open teammate. Schultz’s defensive presence was instrumental in stopping Harrison’s second-half run.

Benny DiMirco heaves up a last-second, game-winning shot against Harrison on Jan. 20. DiMirco’s heroics helped the Eagles escape with a 56-55 win.

to rely on last-second heroics to pull out a victory. But the Huskies roared back in the second half, eventually claiming a lead late in the third quarter on a long jumper from Zach Evans. The two clubs traded leads in the fourth quarter until Evans struck again, muscling his way into the lane for a putback with just under 8 seconds to play to make the score 55-54. Eastchester coach Fred DiCarlo called a timeout to draw up the Eagles’ final possession, which was supposed to end with a kick-out pass to the corner. But as things broke down, DiMirco took those final seconds into his own hands. On the ensuing inbounds following DiMirco’s floater, Eastchester forward Andrew Schultz, who finished with 13 points, intercepted the pass to put the game on ice. It was exactly the kind of heart-pounding win DiMirco said the 10-4 Eagles will need to call upon once the postseason rolls around. “The gym wasn’t too packed, but you felt the intensity on the court,” he said. “These kids [on Harrison], we grew up playing against them and we played with so much passion today. We trusted each other, and we found a way to persevere.” As for stopping Harrison’s

Benny DiMirco dribbles into the lane against Harrison. DiMirco had 20 points in the Eastchester win. Photos/Mike Smith

second-half run, DiMirco said the Eagles simply followed the lead of Schultz, whose toughness in the paint inspired the rest of the squad. “It was all Andrew; he’s a

beast,” DiMirco said. “He’s a 6-foot-5 animal, a Division I football player, and when we have him, we know we can win.” Contact: sports@hometwn.com

SPORTS

16 • The EASTCHESTER review • January 29, 2016

Huskies hold on to top Eagles by 5 By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor Despite an explosive start against Eastchester on Jan. 20, Harrison still had to sweat out a tight win against its league opponent, squandering a 14-point lead before righting the ship and holding on for a 68-63 win. According to Huskies’ coach Louis Kail, the victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the Huskies. After starting the season 7-1, Harrison had struggled recently against some top teams, dropping its previous four games. However, a first-quarter barrage that saw the Huskies outscore their opponents 21-7 helped with the frustration of dealing with a few close losses. “I think that start was really important for the girls and for their confidence level,” Kail said. “We had a lot of pent-up emotions after that stretch, and it was great to see them play the way they did.” Harrison’s relief was shortlived, however, as Eastchester came roaring back in the second quarter, thanks in part to a tremendous performance from Cassidy Mitchell, who had 15

Avery LaBarbera brings the ball upcourt. LaBarbera scored 30 points in Harrison’s 68-63 win.

points in the first half alone. The Huskies managed to withstand the run and collect themselves in the second half, a feat that showed great maturity, according to Kail. “It says a lot, and we always talk about how it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” the head coach

said. “We’re learning how to finish games, and that’s all attributed to the girls and the way that they’ve learned to take things away from our losses.” Sophomore point guard Avery LaBarbera led the way for Harrison, netting 30 points on the evening and hitting two

Kendall Lefkowitz fights through two Eastchester defenders. Photos/Mike Smith

Gia Mancini drives along the baseline against Eastchester on Jan. 20.

buzzer-beating 3-pointers, one at the end of the first quarter and the other at the end of the half. The sophomore has made great strides this year, despite garnering plenty of attention from opposing defenses. “It’s easy to forget that she’s only a sophomore,” Kail said. “And her greatest growth this year has been in her understanding of basketball and in knowing that, as she goes, we go.” The Eagles responded to the loss with a terrific showing against a talented Rye team, falling 54-50 in another wild game on Jan. 22. Harrison, who won again that same night, topping Byram Hills 46-33 thanks to a 25-point effort from LaBarbera, will get their shot at the Garnets on Feb. 1. According to Kail, it will take four quarters of team basketball to unseat the No. 6-ranked team in Section I. “[Rye coach] Dennis [Hurlie] lives by the rule, ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,’” he said. “They’ve played the same way

Amanda Shkreli grabs a rebound against Harrison. The Huskies would go on to hold off the Eagles in a tight contest.

for years and they do it well. “It’s their senior night, they’re going to be honoring one of the best players in the section in Maddie Eck, so it’s going to

be a special night for them,” he added. “All we can do is go in there and play hard.” Contact: sports@hometwn.com