Clay Ketter, one of Sweden’s most prominent artists and a 1985 Purchase College alumnus, is featured in a David Schwarz Project 11 exhibition at the Purchase College School of Art + Design.

Ketter moved to Sweden 20 years ago from New York City.  The exhibition includes works created from 1996-2009 that reflect everyday domestic interior and exterior architecture.

The Ketter exhibit is on view through Dec. 18 in the Richard and Dolly Maass Gallery, Monday- Friday  9-5.  Purchase College at 735 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase.

“Clay Ketter works with diverse materials that fall outside the bounds of traditional painting: gypsum board, spackle, paint, wood, and plastics,” according to a release on the exhibit. “Traditional treatment of color, surface, and layers are evident in works as Trace Painting #6, made with household paints and wallboard, and Surface Habitat for Appliance, made with building materials and IKEA cabinet components.  Comparing these two works engages a dialogue around the practices of building, everyday work, the readymade and traditional painting.”

Ketter, born in Maine, now lives in Lilla Uppakra, Sweden. He is the recipient of the Carnegie Art Award in Nordic Painting, multiple Sveriges Bildkonstnärsfond (Swedish endowment) and has had recent solo exhibitions at Sonnabend Gallery in New York , Moderna Museet in Stockholm Sweden, and Bartha Contemporary Gallery in London England. His solo show at Galerie Daniel Templon in Paris, France opened this October 2009.

Ketter is represented by Sonnabend Gallery NY, Galerie Daniel Templon Paris, Wetterling Gallery in Stockholm and Bartha Contemporary London.

The David Schwarz projects are made possible by the generous support of Jeanne and David Schwarz.

School news from Carmel:

“Our annual Community Open Forum is set to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at George Fischer Middle School. This is your opportunity to provide the district and the Board of Education with feedback on such priority topics as Curriculum and Instruction, Communication, Facilities and Transportation and Budget and Finance. Information and a registration form will be posted on our website at http://www.carmelschools.com.
The Olympics of the Visual Arts will take place on April 15, 2010 and is a state level art show/competition. The event will be held at Saratoga Springs, NY and is open to all students K-12. Any interested students who would like to form a team to create an art project to enter should contact their art teacher or Mr. Lomdardo, the District Director of Arts at alombardo@carmelschools.org.  All school buildings in the district are encouraged to enter. Awards will be given at the event. For more information, visit www.nysata.org. and click “programs”, then “Olympics of the Visual Arts”.

The Carmel High School Spanish Club Coat Drive to benefit Putnam Community Action Program continues until December 18th. Please donate men’s, women’s and children’s coats. All donations should be cleaned and on a hanger. They can be brought to Carmel High School. For more information contact Dr. Karin Brenner at Carmel High School at 845 225-8441, ext. 446.

George Fischer Middle School Parents:  The back lot paving is now complete. Beginning Monday, Nov. 23, the procedure for afternoon pick-up of students will resume in the back parking lot.

On Monday, Nov. 23, during PLC time, all Carmel High School 9th graders should report to the gym at 7:10 a.m. A speaker from The Women’s Shelter in Mahopac will speak about bullying/empowerment, self-esteem and conflict resolution.

Fifteen Hastings High School students were inducted into the National Honor Society at a ceremony on Thursday.

They were: Lauren Berke, Anna Bernstein, Niko Gelfars, Aliana Heffernan, Daphne Lee, Jordan Lerner, Eleanor McQuistion, Hannah Murphy, Stephen Pecylak, Maud Reavill, Ben Roif, Catherine Smyth, Nicolee Spiller, Miya Tsudome and Charles Zahn.

Here’s an event about teen-age depression, how it manifest itself and where to seek treatment.

The movie More than Sad will be shown at the Chappaqua Public Library tomorrow night, followed by a panel discussion with mental health professionals.

Teenagers, parents, school psychologists and social workers are invited.

The evening begins at 7:30 p.m.

The library is at 195 S. Greeley Ave.

CONTACT: Lindsey Smith at 845-489-8818 or amity.and.equality@gmail.com  or Mona Cavalcoli at 914-487-2460.

When Monecia Samuels wanted her students at the College of Westchester to hear a well delivered speech, she took them to hear Sal Capiello, the owner of Tuscany Cafe in White Plains.

Here’s a description of the field trip courtesy of Jessica Del Balzo.

Capiello gave a speech on persuasive speaking that students from the Oral Communications class described as informative and entertaining.

“I learned a lot from Sal—specifically, the five p’s: Proper preparation prevents poor performance,” said one student, David Occhino. “To be a persuasive speaker, I also learned that you have to be confident about the product that you are trying to market and confident in yourself and know the product in and out.”

Samuels said her students took away a sense of what it would be like to run their own business.

“I wanted them to get exposed to a business owner to find out what it’s like day-to-day to own their own business and for them to be able to ask any question about life in the business world,” she said.

“What’s great about Sal is that he’s an entrepreneur,” she said. “He’s not your traditional speaker who’s only hired to give speeches. I wanted them to see that in the work world, no matter what you do, you’re going to have to speak, formulate your thoughts and communicate what you need in order to get what you want.”

Nearly two dozen needy families will each have a Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings thanks to the students and parents of the Greenburgh school district.

The Parent Teacher Association, working with the district’s Early Childhood Program, has been running a food drive since early November. Pre-schoolers brought in canned and boxed goods in their bookbags and parents dropped off many items, including stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams and sparkling cider. School officials said Stew Leonard’s in Yonkers has agreed to donate 20 turkeys, completing the traditional Thanksgiving meal for families who will pick up the bags of groceries on Friday.

Dawn Male, principal of the Early Childhood Program, said today she is heartened by the community’s support.

“With the economy the way it is today, it shows that people care about their neighbors,” she said. “They’re not able to give much, but I see small bags coming in and growing into big boxes of food. All of these small contributions. It’s us pulling together to make a difference.”

Families were selected by teachers and other community members based on financial need, some low-income, others who might have recently lost jobs, Male said. She said the drive might collect more food than is needed and any surplus will be donated to a local food pantry.

For information on the food drive, call 914-949-2745. Donations can be dropped off at the Early Childhood Program building, 475 W. Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale.

Westchester Community College received a national citation for expanding its efforts to increase diversity in enrollment, employment and other areas.

The Association of Community College Trustees has given the college the 2009 Charles Kennedy Equity Award for a variety of initiatives aimed at increasing the number of minority and women students and faculty, encouraging minorities to enter tougher specialties and helping immigrant students succeed.

“As the institution has become more diverse we wanted to do more in terms of matching our faculty population as much as we could with our student population,” Patrick Hennessey, said WCC’s director of college-community relations. “We really have stepped up the effort in the last couple of years.”

A key part of those efforts is the college’s $40 million, 70,000-square-foot Gateway Center. When opened next year, the center, the first new building on the college’s campus since 1998, will house the college’s English Language Institute and provide resources for traditional and immigrant students. The award application also highlighted two initiatives begun this year: the Dr. Julius Ford Teaching Fellowship, which assists minorities in preparing for tenure track teaching and administrative positions, and the college’s first annual diversity adjunct job fair.

“This is an extraordinary honor which makes me extremely proud of my association with Westchester Community College,” said Toni Cox-Burns, a trustee of the college. “I am pleased that our ongoing efforts to assure diversity are being recognized.”

For more information on the college’s diversity initiatives and the award, click here.

(Photo courtesy of WCC: left to right, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown; WCC trustee Toni Cox-Burns; ACCT chairman Arthur C. Anthonisen)

Three Bronxville High School students were selected for the 2009 All-State Mixed Chorus.

They are seniors Thomas Dawson, a tenor; and Joe Wood, who sings bass; and junior Hannah Geiling, a soprano.

The announcement came from the New York State School Music Association, which sponsors the All-State Conference each year for high school juniors and seniors. The 2009 conference will take place Dec. 3-6 in Rochester, New York, with concerts in the Eastman Theatre.

Senior Amanda Rodriguez, harp, was named an alternate for the All-State Symphony Orchestra. Senior Jonathan Sturr, bassoon, was named an alternate for the All-State Symphonic Band.

More than 6,500 sophomores and juniors throughout the state auditioned for the All-State competition at their local solo festivals last spring, performing solos and sight-reading before adjudicators. Approximately 900 students were chosen to perform in one of eight vocal and instrumental ensembles at the conference.

PHOTOS:

Thomas Dawson

Left to right: Hannah Geiling, Amanda Rodriguez, Joe Wood, and Jonathan Sturr.

The Hastings school board meeting scheduled for tonight has been moved to the Farragut cafeteria because all of the district’s teachers plan to attend.

The president of the Hastings Teachers Association, Nate Morgan, will address the board on behalf of the faculty.

The meeting will start at 8 p.m.

The district and teachers are in contract negotiations.

Nine Bronxville High School students were selected for area all-state music ensembles by the Westchester County School Music Association.

The concert was held Nov. 5 at SUNY Purchase.

Junior Hannah Geiling, soprano, was chosen for the mixed chorus and was also named to the 2009 All-State Mixed Chorus.

The following students were named to the orchestra: Monica Devlin, senior, clarinet; Nora Gerson, senior, violin; Chara Louka, junior, viola; Amanda Rodriguez, senior, harp; Caroline Ruby, senior, French horn; Jonathan Sturr, senior, bassoon; James Thurm, sophomore, viola; and Ellen Tighe, sophomore, viola.

This marks the seventh consecutive year that Sturr has been selected for all-county (grades 4-9) or area all-state (grades 10-12) honor ensembles. It is the eighth consecutive year for Devlin, who continues a family tradition. Together, she and her siblings, clarinetist John Devlin (Bronxville High School ’04) and flutist Maria Devlin (Bronxville High School ’07), auditioned 24 times for all-county and area all-state honor ensembles, and were selected each time.

Performers were chosen on the basis of auditions at last spring’s New York State School Music Association Solo Festival. Westchester County School Music Association, the county arm of the state association, sponsors the Area All-State Festival each year as the equivalent of an all-county festival for Westchester sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Left to right: Amanda Rodriguez, Caroline Ruby, Monica Devlin, Nora Gerson, Jonathan Sturr, Ellen Tighe, Hannah Geiling, James Thurm, and Chara Louka.
Photo credit: Sharon Slote, Bronxville schools.

The H1N1, or swine, flu is considered widespread in New York and affecting school-age children in greater numbers, though most of those illnesses are
considered mild.

How is this impacting your district or your classroom? Are you seeing significant absences? If so, please call Journal News Health Reporter Candice Ferrette at 914-696-8229 or e-mail her at cferrett@lohud.com.

Consider this:

Latino representation in higher education is growing but still, only 46 percent of Hispanic New Yorkers graduate from high school in four years, a rate lower than all other ethnic groups and 9 points below the national average for Hispanics.
Hispanic students earn 8 percent of bachelor’s degrees earned in New York State, compared to 59 percent for white students.
Twenty-four percent of Hispanic students drop out before graduating from high school, a rate is higher than that of other ethnic groups.
Fewer than 11 percent of students enrolled in college in New York state are Hispanic, 52 percent are white.

WHAT: The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities will host its second annual Latino College Fair for high school students and their families. Attendees will learn about finding a college, getting into college, and paying for college.  Twelfth-grade students in attendance will be eligible for a $500 scholarship. Register online: http://capwiz.com/cicu/go/2009_Latino_College_Fair or http://www.nycollege.org

WHERE: Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, 441 East Fordham Road, the Bronx. Registration in Keating Hall.

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 21, 11:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

WHO:  Prospective college-bound students and their families; more than 40 admissions and financial aid counselors at private colleges and universities in New York ; high school guidance counselors; and financial aid counselors.

WHY:  To explain funding choices; the affordability of college through various types of financial aid and the resources available to help Latino students and families prepare for the college admissions process.

Archbishop Stepinac High School is presenting the musical “My Sister Eileen.” Here are the details from the school:

The drama club will present Joseph Fields’ and Jerome Chodorov’s “My Sister Eileen,” the stage adaptation of Ruth McKenney’s short story series. Performances will be at 7:30 PM, Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21 and at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 22.  All performances will be held at the Stepinac’s Major Bowes Theater at 950 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains.

The Stepinac Drama Club will also perform a special matinee show of the musical for grammar school children to introduce young people to the world of the theater.  It will be staged at 10 a.m. , Friday, Nov.20.

“My Sister Eileen”— which has been adapted from a series of short stories into a book, musical, two films, and television series as well as a play— tells the hilarious story of two sisters who flee their home state of Ohio for the glamour of the East Coast in search of fame and fortune. Little do they know of the colorful and off-beat cast of characters they will encounter along the way.

The performances— under the direction of Frank Portanova (’93), Stepinac High School’s vice principal for academics and curriculum and Keith Sunderland (’94), dean of students — will bring together a cast of Stepinac male student actors as well as female performers from the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Ursuline High School, Maria Regina High School, Westlake High School and Our Lady of Victory Academy.

The principal roles— Mr. Appopolous, Ruth Sherwood, and Eileen Sherwood—will be played, respectively, by Albert Stanaj, a sophomore from Yonkers; Meaghan McGrath, a senior at Maria Regina and resident of Hastings and Emily Schlotman of White Plains. Other cast members include Doug Daniels, a senior from Elmsford; Samer Akroush, a sophomore from Yonkers and Matt Lotaj, a junior from Yonkers.

Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and children under 12.  For details, or group rates: 914-946-4800, ext. 243.

Several local educators will be receive awards tomorrow afternoon at a statewide conference for teachers who work with students that speak foreign languages.

New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NYSTESOL) will hold its 39th annual conference at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains on Friday and Saturday. The conference brings together teachers, administrators and researchers to discuss classroom practices, curriculum development and other issues.

Estee Lopez, former director of bilingual/ESL programs in the New Rochelle school district, will receive the Lifetime Achievement award for her career and continued advocacy for English Language Learners.

Saul Cohen of Larchmont, chairman of the Board of Regents’ standards revision committee, and Walter Sullivan, coordinator of the Regents steering committee and director of the Center for Educational Policy and Practice at The College of New Rochelle, each will receive The Recognition Award for their work in reforming state standards for ESL.

The conference will also recognize Roberta King, a volunteer ESL teacher shot and killed in April by a rampaging gunman while teaching a class in Binghamton. King’s daughters, Ellen Brown of Scarsdale and Margaret Coleman of Pleasantville, and other family members plan to attend the conference, said Constance Dziombak, president-elect of NYSTESOL.

The event is open to the public and registration is available on-site. Information is available here.

(Photos: Saul Cohen, courtesy of New York Education Dept., Estee Lopez, photo by Linda Barat)

Girl Scouts from Westchester and Putnam counties visited Blythedale Children’s Hospital today to learn about the physical and mental challenges facing people with disabilities.

The workshop featured physical, occupational and speech therapists.

Among the girls who attended were Scouts from Chappaqua Troop 2746, who designed and created a new badge called “Challenges to Opportunities.” The intention is to help Scouts better understand how people face disabilities.

The Chappaqua troop has been volunteering at Blythedale since 2001.