Young Writers Inspired at March 24 Workshop
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The Young Writers’ Workshop drew 439 third through fifth graders to Scarsdale Middle School on Saturday morning March 24th. The talented staff of creative professionals who stepped up to teach the workshops were surely a draw, as kids had the chance to interact with people who are tops in their fields.
According to event co-chair Leesa Chalk Suzman, “The seventeenth annual Scarsdale Young Writers' Workshop was a tremendous success. The 41 workshops for third-to-fifth graders were taught by top children's book authors, poets, playwrights, TV producers, cartoonists, editors, radio personalities, book agents, songwriters and more. About 450 Scarsdale students attended, and learned the many ways that they could be writers. My co-chair Amy Song and I are so grateful to our amazing YWW committee, the 100 plus parent and Scarsdale Middle School and High School volunteers, the Scarsdale Middle School staff, and all the workshop leaders who gave their time and talent to the event. We especially want to thank children's book author and Scholastic editor Lauren Tarshis, who kicked off the morning with a funny, smart, and inspirational keynote address about her journey from being a ninth grader who couldn't read books to a successful author whose books are read by millions. She truly exemplifies the notion that you don't have to be born a great writer to be one some day. I am confident that several future authors heard her message loud and clear.”
We stopped by to meet a few of workshop leaders and here is what learned:
Bonnie Druker, is the editorial producer of the Nancy Grace Show at CNN where she covers crime and justice. A journalist for 20 years she started out as a fashion student at Parsons, but during a summer internship ended up working in the news department at NBC. She began her career as a local news reporter and eventually morphed into a producer. At the workshop, Druker taught the art of the interview and revealed how she gets her subjects to spill their secrets. Commenting on her job she said, ”I learn something new and different everyday.”
Author, and Scarsdale School Board Member Jonathan Lewis was on hand to teach kids what he knows about investigating history. Lewis has written two books on the history of the CIA and taught students how to use photographs, documents, classified materials and interviews to uncover information and craft a story.
Jordana Frankel, author of the forthcoming YA novel “The Ward” worked with students on the elements of short stories, brainstorming characters, constructing plots and adding twists and a resolution. Frankel teaches at Writopia Lab where she leads creative writing groups for kids ages 8 through 18.
DJ Jimmy Fink of 107.1 The Peak and daughter Lucie ran a workshop on writing for the radio, including creating scripts for radio commercials. He covered what to say and how to make it exciting. This was Fink’s debut at the Workshop.
Beauty Editor Jennifer Laing showed students how to evaluate and write about beauty products. A former editor at Allure, Seventeen and Real Simple, Laing helped young writers select their favorite products and create their own magazine beauty page with their descriptions.
Former NY1 News Reporter and Scarsdale mom Sharon Dizenhuz told kids what it takes to be a television reporter. She showed the kids four different treatments of the same news item and asked them to compare the approaches and how the information was presented.
Christina Chiu, author of Troublemaker and Other Saints was on hand to teach kids how to develop characters and a story line and build a comic strip around them. She worked with the kids on creating dialogue and a plot to create compelling comic strips.
The enthusiasm of the students, workshop leaders and volunteers was evident and it looked like the conference was a big success.
(Pictured at top: Event co-chairs Leesa Chalk Suzman and Amy Song)
Young Writers' Conference on Saturday March 24
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The Young Writers’ Workshop for Scarsdale third to fifth graders will take place this Saturday, March 24th, 2012, from 9am until noon at Scarsdale Middle School. Once again, it promises to be a morning with many new and interesting workshops, as well as some favorites from the past.
The morning will begin with a keynote address to the students by Lauren Tarshis. She is the award-winning author of Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and its sequel, Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love, as well as the 10-book historical fiction series I Survived, which has sold more than 2 million copies to date. In addition to writing books, Lauren works full-time at Scholastic creating language arts magazines and digital products used in elementary and middle school classrooms.
Ms. Tarshis—a sought-after visiting author to schools—will also be conducting two interactive Master Workshops for students.
The Young Writers’ Workshop will feature 41 classes taught by creative professionals from the New York area. These include journalists from The New York Times, playwrights, magazine editors, a presidential speech writer, renowned children's book authors, cartoonists, television producers, poets, artists, sports writers, song writers, and some of Scarsdale’s most illustrious citizens. View the online workshop guide at http://youngwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com.
Once again The Young Writers’ Workshop also welcomes our two returning cultural partners — The Picture House in Pelham and New York City-based Writopia Lab. Both will provide teaching artists to the event.
All students will also have the opportunity to give back to the community by donating gently used books on March 24th. The goal is to collect 2012 books, which will be given to The Childcare Council of Westchester Inc. for distribution to local kids.
College Visit: University of Wisconsin
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In the second installment of our guide for college visits, 15-year Scarsdale resident Mara Perlmutter has contributed this guide to visiting the University of Wiconsin in Madison. Her older daughter Marni graduated from “Wisco” in 2011, and her younger daughter Erica is now a freshman at the school. Just back from a mother/daughter sorority weekend with Erica, Mara shared the following with Scarsdale10583.com. If you would like to send us details about a college town you know, please email us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin, is one of the most picturesque universities and college towns -- surrounded by two sparkling lakes and recognized for their arts, culture and diversity. The wide range of notable Wisconsin alumni include former Vice President Dick Cheney, renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, author Joyce Carol Oates, aviator Charles Lindbergh, naturalist John Muir, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
How to Get There:
Delta has daily non-stop 2 1/4 hour flights to Madison from La Guardia airport. United flies direct to Madison daily from Newark airport. Once in Madison a taxi from the airport to the main campus is 15 minutes, and costs approximately $15. Several hotels also have free airport shuttle services. It is not necessary to rent a car during your college visit as everything you will visit is within walking distance, or a short cab ride away.
Another option is to fly non-stop into Milwaukee (on Delta or United) and then rent a car and drive 1 1/2 hours to the university. During very big football and basketball weekends, this may be your best option.
Where To Stay:
For the majority of our visits we stay at the recently refurbished Madison Concourse Hotel and Governors Club. I highly recommend booking a room on the Governors Club level which includes access to a private club serving breakfast, cocktails/appetizers and desserts in the evening. This hotel provides free airport shuttle service plus free shuttle service throughout Madison. Ph- 608-257-6000. Another good option is the Hilton Doubletree which also provides free airport shuttle service and is located near State Street, the main street in town. Ph- 608-251-5511. The Campus Inn, which is the most conveniently located hotel -- right in the center of town and across from the most popular freshman dorm, is great for location, though the rooms are not as nice as the other two hotels. Ph-(800) 589-6285
Where to Eat:
Breakfast and Lunch
The famous Sunroom Cafe serves delicious fresh naturally prepared dishes and is a perennial favorite. The line may be out the door but it does move fairly quickly and is worth the wait. Ph- (608) 255-1555
Another great choice is Marigold Kitchen located by the Capital. Ph- 608-661-5559
Dinner
For Steak Lovers:
The Capitol Chop House-Though they do serve seafood and have vegetarian dishes, they are known for their wide variety of delicious steaks. Ph 608-255-0165
Flemings- good steaks paired with a fine wine list and famous flemings potatoes on the side are a must. Ph 608-233-9550-
Farm to Table Favorites
Fresco-our personal favorite for seasonal entrees made with the freshest ingredients – in a beautiful setting on top of the contemporary art museum. Ph 608-663-7374
Graze- By the Capitol, a new favorite of many, serving all local farm raised ingredients in a wide array of entrees. Brunch is also popular here. Ph 608-251-2700
43 North- Also by the Capitol serving beautifully presented contemporary American cuisine. Also good for brunch. Ph 608-255-4343
Italian
Frescesca's- a favorite of the students - delicious simple rustic food in a comfortable atmosphere with a well-priced and varied wine list. Ph 698-255-6000
Other points of interest:
Tour the majestic State CapitolVisit the Chazen Museum of Art, the leading university art museum
Stop by the Overture Center for the Arts- a multi level complex featuring live music, theatre, and cultural events
Camp Randall Stadium- home of the UW Badger football team, with room for over 80,000 loud cheering fan
Farmers Market- Open in season on Saturday mornings, located on the Capitol steps, and a wonderful way to start your day.
Dancing with the Stars in Scarsdale
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Heathcote fifth graders held a ballroom dance performance on the evening of March 15th. The event was the culmination of a 10-week ballroom dance program lead by instructor Rodney Lopez who was featured in the documentary film Mad, Hot Ballroom.
The Dancing Classrooms program was started in one school by Mr. Pierre Dulaine, a world champion ballroom dancer. The program is now in over 200 schools reaching over 28,000 children.
The mission of the program is to build social awareness, confidence and self-esteem in children through the practice of social dance. Children are taught a syllabus of traditional ballroom dances in a learning environment that fosters respect, teamwork, confidence, and politeness. They emerge as “ladies and gentlemen” with a renewed sense of joy, accomplishment and elegance.
The ballroom dance classes are part of the school day and are provided as a way to enrich the academic learning experience. Classes were conducted with individual classes twice a week, for ten weeks, and taught the students about the history and cultures of the Merengue, Foxtrot, Rumba, Tango, Swing, and Waltz.
Thanks to Heathcote Fifth Grade Teacher Lisa Onofri for the text and Jon Thaler for the photos. More images can be found at www.JonThaler.com.
A Visit to Vanderbilt
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Many of you are in the midst of planning college tours to evaluate potential schools, spend some quality time with your student and hopefully have some fun too. In the next few months, Scarsdale10583 will provide visitor’s guides to some popular college destinations for Scarsdale families – and let you know how to travel there and where to stay and eat. Experienced Mom Michelle Levine has made the trip to visit her daughter at Vanderbilt several times and agreed to share her experience with you! If you would like to share your tips about other college destinations, please email us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com
Rolling Stone Magazine recently named Nashville the Best Music Scene in the US. Nashville is not just about country music but a beautiful city filled with all kinds of music, amazing food and true southern hospitality.
How to get there:
American and Delta have daily direct service to Nashville from La Guardia and the flight is under 2 hours. The Nashville airport is the easiest one I’ve ever been through with a brand new rental car facility within walking distance of the baggage claim area and live country music playing at Tootsie’s in the terminal. It’s a 10 minute drive to campus. Students claim it takes less than a half hour to drive from Vanderbilt to the airport and get through security.
Where to stay:
We stay at the Loews, across the street from Vanderbilt. It’s the most conveniently located hotel to The Commons, the freshman area of the school. If you want to book a room, ask for Kathy Randall in reservations and she will take good care of you; (615-320-1700). The Marriot is also well situated near the upper class student housing, Greek Row, and the University Bookstore (615-321-1300).
Where to eat:
Breakfast and lunch:
Fido – Taylor Swift likes the granola parfait but we order any kind of eggs and amazing coffee with local Tennessee honey and cinnamon. The beans are roasted daily. The lines are long but move fast and you will find students and professors here. Fido: 1812 21st. Ave South in Hillsboro within walking distance of the school. 615-777-3436
Pancake Pantry – we have never waited on the incredibly long lines here but people swear by the sweet potato pancakes. Also in Hillsboro at 1796 21st Ave South, 615-383-9333
Noshville – a NY style deli that everyone likes right near the campus. There’s nothing better than a cup of the matzo ball soup and half a grilled cheese sandwich. 1918 Broadway, 615-329-6674
Dinner:
Bound’ry – great use of local ingredients within walking distance in a setting good for groups. My daughter’s friends loved the chicken and we enjoyed the peach salad and Creole shrimp and grits. 911 20th Ave. South, 615-321-3043
Flyte – a unique restaurant with great ambiance in the nearby Gulch area. Take a look at a map because GPS will not work for this address. Nice menu option of a “flight” of soup or salad and entrees that utilize local and organic ingredients with something for everyone. Great wine list. 718 Division Street, 615-255-6200
Virago – a hot spot in the Gulch with a robata grill (fireside grilling) and sushi bar. Very creative dining and everything’s good. Try the V2 edamame – wok -charred and spicy. 1126 McGavock St., 615-254-1902
City House – for foodies. Located in Germantown, a 10-minute drive from campus. A rustic Italian menu with an inventive cocktail list. 1222 4th Ave. North, 615-736-5838
Things to do:
• Vanderbilt University – make sure you take a stroll through this national arboretum
• Country Music Hall of Fame
• Belle Meade Plantation
• Grand Ole Opry
• Ryman Auditorium
• Jack Daniels Distillery (Lynchburg)
• Live music everywhere
College tour information: www.vanderbilt.edu
