Schork Interns, Cuba–Westchester, Yorktown Seniors, Armonk Carnival

Two years ago today, our friend and colleague Robert Schork passed away. I had long hoped to create a more formal internship program in his honor—originally imagining it for just one intern. But this spring and summer, I’m fortunate to be working with a full group of sharp, curious young journalists. It felt only right to recognize them as the first class of Robert Schork Memorial Interns, a tribute to Robert’s legacy of precision, thoughtfulness, and editorial integrity.

Allow me to introduce:
– Miriam Gold, George Washington University
– Elaine Clarke, Georgetown University
– Caroline Haviland, Rider University
– Elissa Leka, Fox Lane High School
– Maddie Stone, also Fox Lane (and also my daughter!)

Two more who joined a bit earlier and got a quick intro last week:
– Ava McGinty, Monmouth University 
– Chloe Kohl, Byram Hills High School

We’ll have more interns joining in the coming weeks, and I’ll introduce them as they come aboard. For now, I’m thrilled to welcome this talented team.

Below you’ll find pieces from McGinty, Stone, and Kohl: a warm portrait of rural Cuba through a Pleasantville lens, a look inside a Yorktown art exhibit featuring inspired seniors, and a preview of Armonk’s beloved Fol-de-Rol festival.

Best,

Adam Stone, publisher 

Cuba Meets Westchester Through a Pleasantville Resident’s Lens

By Ava McGinty

Customers walking into The Black Cow Coffee Co. in Pleasantville are greeted with a smile from the staff and Nilda Guttierez Romeriez. 

Dressed in a patterned shirt, pouring a rich cup of Cuban coffee into a glass jar, she looks entirely at home, a story that lives in a moment frozen in time. 

She is one of many featured in Portraits From the Cuban Backroads, photographer Todd Shapera’s tribute to rural Cuba, on display at the café through May.

From 2016 to 2023, the Pleasantville resident took… 

Read more here.

‘Did I Do That?’: Seniors Surprise Even Themselves at Yorktown Art Exhibit

By Maddie Stone

During a recent visit to Yorktown Assisted Living, 99-year-old Grace Colesanti reflected on a lifelong love of art that began in childhood and never left her.

“I was always sketching, even as a child,” commented Colesanti, who prepared a prominent self-portrait for the event. “My mother said, even if I didn’t have a pencil in my hand, I’d find a crayon or whatever… [Now] I look up at [my self-portrait] and say, ‘Did I do that?’”

The self-portrait was one of…

Read more here. 

Fol-de-Rol Brings Fun and Funds to Armonk Community

By Chloe Kohl

Since 1976, Armonk families have looked forward to the annual Fol-de-Rol each June, a weekend full of fun and community-building events. The Armonk Lions Club, which sponsors and organizes the event each year, has been working hard to make the 49th annual Fol-de-Rol (hosted on the weekend of June 5) even more special than the rest.

The annual Fol-de-Rol — French for “foolishness” — has been a…

Read more here.