Eastchester REVIEW THE
July 7, 2017 | Vol. 5, Number 27 | www.eastchesterreview.com
GIVING BACK
The village of Bronxville has started a community Giving Garden, a volunteer-run vegetable garden organized by the Green Committee, which donates 100 percent of its produce to local families in need. For story, see page 3. Photo courtesy Facebook.com/ bronxvillegivinggarden
Bronxville sixth-graders Sixth-graders build models of lunar colonies
As part of an i2 Learning experience, Bronxville Middle School sixth-graders worked together to investigate what it takes to live on the moon. Throughout a weeklong investigation, they discovered how to supply water, food and air to the moon before building their own models of possible lunar colonies. The students applied their science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, skills through a number of hands-on activities. Using a variety of supplies, they collaborated in groups to build their lunar colonies, which featured living quarters, lab/workspace, food supply, water treatment, power supply, thermal protection, breathable air, transportation, communication and waste facility. “I was so impressed at the in-
genuity of the students in their use of supplies,” said teacher Julia Brogan, who oversaw the projects along with teachers Christopher Lockwood and Frank Viggiani. “Although they had the same task and very similar supplies, each colony looked completely different. The students were totally engaged and authentically interested in finding the answers to their own inquiries regarding the moon and if it can sustain life.” In addition to the physical structure, the students also created a slideshow presentation that explained their design and thinking behind their projects. “They needed to have valid scientific reasons for including the components and their purpose in order to sustain life on the moon,” Brogan said. Lockwood said the learning experience allowed the students
to collaborate and meet the challenges they were presented with. “They worked through frustrations, re-grouped and tried again independently,” he said. “I was very impressed with their curiosity and willingness to adapt to a new environment.” As a way to make a connection to their learning experience, the students went on a field trip to the Lower Hudson Valley Challenger Learning Center in Airmont where they took on the roles of astronauts, biologists, scientists, navigators and engineers. As part of their visit, they participated in a variety of hands-on simulation activities and mock space missions. “What I found inspiring was the way the students worked together on planning the lunar colonies, building the colonies, and then writing up the information
on Google slides,” Viggiani said. After conducting extensive research and building a model of a lunar colony, sixth-grader Dallas Aganew said he thinks it’s possible to live on the moon. “In the next 100 years, we might have a colony up there,” he said. “You have to know how to reuse stuff and you have to be innovative in order to live on the moon without having to keep replenishing your supplies.” i2 Learning, an organization that works with world-class scientific and academic institutions, introduces students to the engineering design process and challenges them to think critically and solve problems. The learning experience was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation. (Submitted)
Uber, Lyft become legal in Westchester County By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer Westchester County won’t be able to regulate ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft beyond the state law, which goes into effect this week. But that won’t stop county lawmakers from trying. The county has decided not to opt-out of the New York state law regulating ride-hailing companies outside of New York City. Although Uber and Lyft drivers have frequently taken fares within Westchester over the last few years, they have done so illegally, as neither state nor county law has permitted it. That is set to change on Thursday, June 29, after press time, when a new state law overseeing ride-hailing becomes official. But some, including County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, have criticized the state law for not having the same safety regulations as are required by the law which has allowed ride-hailing in New York City since 2011. “When the new state regulations came out a few weeks ago under the Department of Motor Vehicles, that failed to give Westchester County residents the same protections as New York City, we had to take action to try to fix this kind of problem,” Astorino said at a press conference with Uber and Lyft representatives on Tuesday. Ride-hailing in New York City is overseen by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, TLC, which requires all drivers to be fingerprinted. But the law in the rest of New York state puts those regulations in the hands of the state DMV, which will not require drivers to be fingerprinted. “But in Westchester, because we border New York City… we
of course wanted to go a step further and create a system that included fingerprinting for drivers in Westchester County,” Astorino said. With that in mind, county and ride-hailing officials created “Thumbs Up,” a voluntary program in which interested drivers would get fingerprinted by the county and then be added to a pool of approved drivers for ride-hailing, taxi or limousine services. Drivers whose fingerprints are clean would also be awarded a decal from the county, verifying that those drivers have been vetted by Westchester. The process would cost $90 to drivers and, according to the county executive, would be completed in three days or less. Astorino asked the ride-hailing companies to integrate the Thumbs Up program into their apps, allowing users to see beforehand whether their driver has been fingerprinted before ordering the car. Neither company committed to that policy in the short term, adding that the deal was new and they were considering their options. In the meantime, Astorino said, users will have to decide when their car arrives whether they feel safe entering a car based on the presence of a Thumbs Up decal or lack thereof. But those companies will have to address the question of cancellation fees, which are normally charged to users who solicit a ride through the app and then turn a driver away. When asked if Uber would charge a cancellation fee to those who turned down a ride because a driver did not have a Thumbs Up decal, UBER continued on page 9
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