Harrison REVIEW THE
February 15, 2019 | Vol. 7, Number 7 | www.harrisonreview.com
SPORTS
Huskies name new football coach By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor Three months after Dom Zanot resigned from his position as head coach of the Harrison football team, the Huskies have officially named his successor. At a Board of Education meeting on Feb. 6, school administrators tabbed Jay Ciraco to helm the Huskies’ program, putting an intensive hiring search to bed. Ciraco, 34, has deep ties to the program, having graduated from Harrison High School in 2002. As a quarterback, he helped guide the Huskies to three Section I titles and a state championship in 1999. “I’ve been telling everyone this has been a dream come true,” Ciraco told the Review. “There’s such a rich history and tradition behind the job. In my mind, I didn’t think this was going to happen so quickly.” Ciraco previously served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Scarsdale High School from 2005-2016, during which time the Raiders reached a Class AA Section I final for the first time in the program’s history. In 2017, he returned to the Harrison sidelines where he served as an assistant. The newly appointed head coach said that he appreciated the opportunity to continue his apprenticeship under Zanot and
believes that his predecessor left the program in good shape. “It’s really a testament to Dom Zanot that he got people to come out and participate,” Ciraco said. “Just in terms of the numbers and the buzz, with what he was able to do, he got people excited.” As part of the interview process, Ciraco met with both school administrators and various stakeholder groups that included returning players, parents and members of the Harrison Husky Football Hall of Fame. Having donned the Maroon and White, Ciraco came into these interviews with a keen sense of the integral role that the football team plays in the Harrison community at-large. A particular point of consternation among Huskies’ boosters over the past decade has been Harrison’s inability to beat rival Rye. In 2017, the Garnets overtook the Huskies for the all-time series lead, and will head into the 2019 season having won 17 of the last 18 meetings between the schools. “I know what this community expects and I know where the program needs to go,” he said. “We’ve been through some high times and I think we have the ability to get back there. We have the participation and the talent.” But Ciraco was adamant that winning will not be his only objective, explaining that he would
Westchester County Executive George Latimer and the Westchester County Board of Legislators on Feb. 11, joined with ArtsWestchester, to announce 45 Westchester arts organizations who are the recipients of matching funds from the Art$WChallenge grant program. This matching grant program, made possible with $200,000 of Westchester County support, provides much-needed funding for arts and culture in the county. In total, the 45 arts organizations raised $526,158 in new private funds through the 2018 Art$WChallenge program. Together with the matching county funds, the program successfully leveraged a total of $726,158 for arts and culture in Westchester. “The Art$WChallenge program administered by ArtsWest-
disappearance. On Feb. 5, the Greenwich Police Department in Connecticut reported that they had recovered the body of a young woman in their jurisdiction. This woman was subsequently identified as Reyes. The Greenwich Police Department, assisted by the New Rochelle Police Department, initiated an investigation into her death.
chester is a powerful example of a forward-thinking public/private partnership that pays dividends for the economy,” Latimer said. “Since the inception of the Art$WChallenge in 2007, a total of $5,467,804 in private and public monies have been raised and invested in Westchester County’s cultural industry. This investment makes good sense when you consider that on an annual basis, arts and culture add $172.3 million in total economic activity to Westchester.” Janet T. Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester, added, “On behalf of ArtsWestchester, I would like to thank Westchester County and the Board of Legislators for spearheading a program that over twelve years has raised more than $3.6 million in privat funding for the arts community.” (Submitted)
The following 45 arts organizations were awarded matching grants as listed through ArtsWestchester’s 2018 Art$WChallenge program
On Feb. 6, Jay Ciraco was officially named the new head football coach at Harrison High School. Ciraco was a three-sport standout during his playing days at the school. Contributed photo
re-affirm Zanot’s emphasis on mentoring well-rounded student-athletes. “Academics is a big focus of mine, we want the kids to understand they’re not just here to
play football,” he said. “We want our players to be accountable and develop themselves in the classroom.” CONTACT: sports@hometwn.com
Ex-boyfriend arrested in New Rochelle missing girl death On Jan. 30, New Rochelle resident Valerie Reyes, 24, was reported missing from her home by family members who were concerned for her well-being. The family also reported that they had last heard from Reyes on Jan. 28 in a phone call where she expressed fear for her safety. The New Rochelle Police Department initiated a missing persons investigation into her
Latimer announces $200K in matching arts grants
During this joint investigation, detectives identified a possible suspect in the homicide. On Monday, Feb. 11, detectives of both police departments located this suspect, Javier Da Silva, at his residence in Flushing, Queens. He was taken into custody and brought to New Rochelle Police Headquarters. Members of the F.B.I. Safe Street Task Force were contact-
ed due to the interstate aspect of this case, and joined in the investigation. It was determined that the suspect will be charged criminally under Federal Statutes and was subsequently released to the custody of the FBI. He was arraigned on Feb. 12 in federal court and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District. (Submitted)
• Arc Stages, $5K • Axial Theatre, $4,650 • Ballet des Ameriques School and Company, $5K • Blue Door Art Center, $4,955 • Caramoor Center for Music & Arts, $5K • Clay Art Center, $5K • Clocktower Players, $2,410 • Copland House, $5K • Downtown Music at Grace, $5K • Emelin Theatre for Performing Arts, $5K • Friends of Music Concerts, $1,350 • Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, $5K • Historic Hudson Valley, $5K • Hoff-Barthelson Music School, $5K • Hudson Stage Company, $5K • Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art, $5K • Hudson Valley Writers Center, $5K • India Center of Westchester, $5K • Jacob Burns Film Center, $5K • Jazz Forum Arts, $5K • Friends of John Jay Homestead, $5,000 • Katonah Museum of Art, $5K
• Lagond Music School, $2K • Lyndhurst, A National Trust Historic Site, $5K • Mamaroneck Artists Guild, $4,915 • Music Conservatory of Westchester, $5K • Neuberger Museum, $5K • New Rochelle Council for the Arts, $5K • New Rochelle Opera, $5K • Pelham Art Center, $5K • Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, $1,913 • Picture House Regional Film Center, $5K • RiverArts, $2,012 • Schoolhouse Theater, $5K • Songcatchers, $5K • Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation, $5K • Taconic Opera, $5K • Tarrytown Music Hall, $5K • The Play Group Theater, $2,500 • The Rye Arts Center, $2,600 • The Symphony of Westchester, $870 • Westchester Philharmonic, $4,875 • Westchester Children’s Museum, $5K • White Plains Performing Arts Center, $5K • Youth Theatre Interactions, $5K
For more information about ArtsWestchester, visit artswestchester.org.