South East Consortium at Radio City Rockette's Christmas Spectacular

This past Saturday, South East Consortium started the holiday season off with a trip to New York City to see the world famous Radio City Rockette’s Christmas Spectacular.  Seventeen SEC participants took the train to grand central station and walked through the city to Rockefeller Center to Radio City Music Hall for the 11AM show.  South East viewed the hour and half show from the beautiful grand mezzanine at Radio City taking in all the splendor and delight of the holiday season with dancing reindeer, whirling snowflakes and a visit from hundreds of dancing Santa’s. After the show we ate lunch at TGI Fridays.  Truly a wonderful way to start the holiday season!!!

Teen Adventure at Muscoot Farm

MOOOOOOOO! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!! These were the sounds that filled the air last Saturday at Muscoot farm in Valhalla. Teen adventurers traveled to the working farm for a picnic lunch, a nature walk and some time to get up close and personal with some of the farm animals.

The adventurers arrived at the farm by 1pm and settled down for a packed lunch. There was a chill in the air but good company warmed us up. After lunch the teens strolled around the farm and saw all the animals including a row of gorgeous cows, sheep, chickens, roosters and two very lively horses. The crowd favorite was the huge pigs and their little piglets. Before our nature hike we passed by two donkeys that gave us an enthusiastic EEEEEE-AAAAAA and we were off on the trail!

The crew took a 35 minute walk over rolling hills. Our destination was a gazebo perched on a hill top. To our left a view of the beautiful fall foliage and to our right a gently sloping pasture filled with sparrows darting this way and that. We descended down the finely manicured path to the base of the pasture to take in one last look before heading back to the farm.

The teens took one more look at their favorite animals (the piglets) and then up to the picnic area for a well deserved snack. Then it was back on the bus and back to Mamaroneck with another adventure in the books.

Mummy Bash

This past Saturday, October 24th, South East held our Annual Halloween Dance, this year themed "Mummy Bash"! We saw all kinds of amazing costumes! All that attended enjoyed a great night of dancing, refreshments and hanging out with friends! 

Go Army!

Last Saturday October 17th South East took a group to Michie Stadium at West Point to watch the Army West Point Black Knights take on the Bucknell Bisons. The weather was absolutely perfect football weather and for lunch we got to enjoy football stadium staples, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken finger with fries and giant salted pretzels. Everyone had a great time and the Black Knights won 21-14! Go Army!

Junior Chef

These little chefs are doing big things in the kitchen this fall.

Students at Cottle Elementary School in Tuckahoe are taking part in an afterschool cooking program in the school teacher’s lounge every Tuesday afternoon.  Children ages 5-12 take part in all essential steps of meal preparation; cutting, scooping, mixing, spreading and pouring to create delicious and nutritious afterschool snacks.

The Junior Chefs instructor, Karen Ramlakhan, has had previous success at the Teen Chefs program up the road at the Tuckahoe Middle/ High School. The award winning Teen Chef’s program, now in its second year,  has teens cooking, frying and slicing to create slightly more sophisticated meals from their junior counterparts at the elementary school.

The Junior Chef’s program immediately follows the Cottle Crew afterschool sports club held in the Cottle Elementary School gymnasium. The Cotte Crew practice sport specific skills like baseball, volleyball, soccer, kickball and more. The Cottle Crew walks down the hall to Junior Chefs after working up quite an appetite! “It really is a great combination of programing. You have the exercise and movement component with a healthy snack right afterwards. The best part is the kids themselves make their snack making it even more meaningful.” said program supervisor Jack Reisman.

The little chefs have a big menu planned this fall. Already they have made ants on a log and peanut butter snails (celery, peanut butter and raisins) and yogurt parfaits (low-fat yogurt, frosted flakes and honey.) The yogurt parfaits were an immense hit with these inspiring culinary artists, So much so that several did not want to eat their final product because they were so proud of their work. “NO!” piped one student, as he delicately wrapped his parfait in tin foil eyeing all staff members who stood close by. “I can not eat this now. I need to show my dad first!”

Other menu items coming up this fall include personal pizzas, quesadillas and fruit salad.

The goal of the Junior Chefs program is to teach children how to independently make nutritious after-school snacks all the while boosting confidence in their abilities. This program would not be possible without the ongoing hospitality of the William E. Cottle Elementary School. 

Fall Festival

South East Consortium took a trip to Weeds Orchard in Marlboro, NY this past Sunday. The group that attended enjoyed many fall activities including apple picking and choosing a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and for lunch they enjoy delicious BBQ. Everyone really enjoyed their time at the Orchard!

SEC at SoWe Music Fest

Last Saturday September 19th South East took a group to the SoWe Music Festival down at Harbor Island Park in Mamaroneck. Everyone had a great time listening to a variety of music. We got to enjoy food truck cuisine as we hung out with friends on a perfect day!

SEC Family Luau!

Splish Splash Waterpark

On Saturday, July 18^th SEC took a special summer trip to Splish Splash Waterpark in Riverhead, NY.  The day started with rain, but after a quick stop for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts we will well on our way to for fun filled day of water adventure.  Thrill seekers enjoyed riding the Abyss, Lazy River, Hollywood Stunt rider, Mammoth River and spending some relaxing time in the wave pool.  After the park we had dinner at Applebee’s.

You're Invited!

STEM FAIR

The teen adventurers had a small sojourn this past Saturday. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the South East Consortium offices the Hommocks School was holding their 2nd annual STEM Alliance Fair. With a picnic lunch behind us and an adventure ahead  the teens piled into the SEC bus and headed over to the familiar stomping grounds.

STEM (Science. Technology. Environment. Math) is a grassroots organization working out of communities throughout the nation with the goal of inspiring young people to innovate, initiate and imagine through science and technology. One of the many programs the STEM Alliance offers are community fairs where demonstrations are held, students present science projects, classes are offered and fun is always had.

More than just your run of the mill “science fair” the STEM fair is more of a festival, a celebration of science and innovation for young people. Saturday’s event saw architecture, physics, fire trucks and operational hoses, a green house, robots, cannons, an a real life astronaut, hover boards and much much more! Best of all was this was all accessible and hands on for children and the kids in all of us.

Amare Stephens had a captivated crowd as he built an impressive tower of thin blocks over 8 feet high. Natalie, Ryan and Lukas took a spin on a hover craft while Alec inspected to the two fire engines parked outside. Liam and Rafael took turn on a fire hose blasting some water into the parking lot.

The fun and learning was not just contained to the first floor of the school. The group ventured upstairs to see what the library had to offer. There the teens found a hover craft building station where they were instructed to build a structure that would float in an air vent. Ryan was thrilled when his craft was successful.

Amare and Lukas hunkered down across the library and got hard at work on their robotics. Participants were instructed to build a miniature Ferris wheel via tablet consisting of gears and rods. No easy task! But our teen adventurers were successful and we had a working Ferris wheel for our Lego riders in no time.

It was a day of problem solving, learning and fun! Our teens are looking forward to their final adventure for the spring season next month!

Big Apple Circus

On Sunday May 17th the Sunday Excursions group traveled to Queens, NY to see the Big Apple Circus. Aboard the South East Consortium bus we headed to Cunningham Park to eat subway sandwiches for lunch. After lunch we took in the beautiful day as we walked to the circus tent to prepare for our show.

The performances kept us on the edge of our seat as we watched contortionist, jugglers, trampolining, tumbling, plate spinning, flying trapeze, quick change and more! Some of the highlights for our circus goings were the acts that involved animals such as a "Living Carousel" with real live camels, horses, mini horses and lamas. Also the "Down on the Farm" act that involved horses, mini horses and dogs doing a variety of tricks, so cute! Francesco the clown kept us laughing and entertained between acts. 

After the circus we headed back to Mamaroneck and ate dinner at Frankie and Fanucci on Mamaroneck Avenue. We started our meal with mozzarella sticks and bruschetta, than a caesar salad and for the big finale we had enjoyed their wood oven pizza and it was simply delicious!! 

It was a wonderful day and a really fun trip! Fun was had by all!

TRI Sports

The kiddos at Tri Sports are hard at work this spring honing skills and having fun! The Tri-Sports program, in its inaugural year, rotates through sports on a seasonal basis; soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.

“We find that it gives participants time to really work on the sports skills, gain some long lasting progress and appreciate the sport a little more,” said program instructor Dane Arias. Dane has been a dedicated staff member at SEC for the past 3 years and really taken the Tri-Sports program to the next level in its development.

Last night’s program was a great one! Participants began the evening by warming up tossing the baseball back and forth with one another as Dane and program staff set up stations for the proceeding drills. The little athletes then completed a technical obstacle course involving an agility ladder, hula hoops and a ball toss.

“These drills are designed to help develop and improve key physical and cognitive abilities like balance, coordination, attention, and executive functioning as well as gross and fine motor movements. We try to do that in a fun way,” said an always enthusiastic SEC staff member, Gary Pace.

After a quick bathroom and water break the kids sat down and worked on coordinated ball rolling across the gym floor. This was a lot of fun for the kids and a lot harder than it looks!

The practice ended with a home run derby with a boom bat and a batting tee. Kids ran the bases while other children were taught the significance of each base. Hands in…………. TRI SPORTS!

Travel Club - Lightscapes

The night was alight with a soft and comforting glow emanating from the Van Cortlandt Manor. The Friday Night Travel club journeyed to this illuminated wonderland of elegant curiosities last Friday night to explore this Springtime delight.

The Lightscape show, in its first year, is a self guided walking tour of a lighted sculpture garden featuring all hand- made pieces  assembled on site. Recycled elements serve as eco-friendly building blocks for intergalactic flora and friendly woodland creatures. Otherworldly mushrooms, immense insects, and brilliant butterflies are among the thousands of treasures you’ll find.

The travel crew explored the Colorwheel Castle and squiggled through the Caterpillar Cavern. They discovered larger-than-life elements like a colossal praying mantis and a massive mayfly. There were scores of delightful dragonflies, cute ladybugs, and an avalanche of pinwheels!

After this sweet springtime stroll the Travel Club gathered in the hospitality tent and enjoyed some fresh popcorn and delightful conversation. The Lightscape show was an excellent compliment to the fall Jack O’Lantern Blaze traversing the same gorgeous landscape at Van Cortlandt Manor. The Friday Fun group will experience the Lightscape Show this week. Enjoy!

South East Consortium Formal 2015

It was all glitz and glamor this past Saturday at the 2015 South East Consortium Formal. The SEC formal, in its 8^th year, saw the best attendance yet from participants dressed to nines and ready to party the night away.

Sunset Rendevous on the Beach was the theme for the evening and the decorations matched the theme perfectly. Beautifully laid out table cloth of white and mahogany complemented the sand and seashell center pieces that captured the essence of the shore. Elegant and refined the formal also offered some excitement with a model volcano in full eruption! Perfect for photo ops.

DJ Mike spun some fresh tunes as everyone present spent some time on the dance floor. Bronxville High School students led by David Russert and Nina Richeter got the party started and even tired out some of our dancers! Party goers were dragged off the dance floor to eat a delicious dinner catered by Village Pizza and Pasta of Mamaroneck. After dinner it was right back to the dance floor!

Whats a party without some cake! After dinner dancers had a some party cake and were able to take a break from all the fun and excitement on the dance floor which of course included a Conga Line!

As is tradition at the SEC formal a King, Queen, Prince and Princess are named. Of course only a select few get bragging rights to this honor every year. This years prom King was TJ Marchese with a lovely Susan Eagan as his Queen. Brad Zeifer was thrilled to be named Prom Prince along with his Princess Kathleen McCandless.

What an exciting spring evening for everyone! Many thanks to the Bronxville High School students who came out and enjoyed the evening with us, DJ Mike for another great show, Village Pizza and Pasta for the delicious food and all the staff and parents who made this night possible!