Author: LILE RUGGIERO

Thank you for a great semester!

 

 

 

I am thinking of focusing my video news project on the various ways that people have been coping with the pandemic, specifically with solitary hobbies. I think it would be interesting to explore the different ways that the people close to me have been spending their time, considering the restrictions in all of our social lives. From home exercises to baking to learning a new language, solitary activities have become the new norm.

TRACK: Back in early March, Westchester, NY was one of the first locations in the United States to see a high number of COVID-19 cases. According to The New York State Department of Health, as of November 1, 2020, Westchester County has a 4.23% rate of coronavirus cases, which is one of the highest infection coronavirus rates in New York State when adjusted for population.

AMBI: Keyboard typing

TRACK: Grace Ruggiero attends Rye High School as a freshman, while Charlie Hafitz attends Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua as a junior. 

TRACK: Westchester County schools have been taking the utmost precautions with their students’ health. Charlie Hafitz recalls an experience with the school nurse after requesting Tums for a stomachache. Move this anecdote to the top.

ACT: I went to the nurse’s office for that bit of a stomachache to get some Tums and since a stomach ache and nausea is a symptom of the corona virus they isolated me in a room and put on big dress and masks and they called my parents and they forced me to all go home.

TRACK: When the whole fiasco was over, it turns out it was just a tummy ache. While these precautions do seem extreme, it is clear that each high school is going to great measures to keep its students safe. 

TRACK: Both high schools have taken similar precautions to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, including mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing, and hybrid scheduling.  

ACT: GRACE: Rye High school has implemented multiple rules during the pandemic to refrain from outbreaks such as one-way hallways and social distancing at all time including at lunch.  

TRACK: Horace Greeley High School has implemented quite a complicated hybrid scheduling system, which has changed throughout the course of the school year. For the first month of school, they divided the days into two parts with an hour-long transition period between. Charlie would go in twice every 3 days – morning or afternoon.  

ACT: CHARLIE: Now it’s 50/50, so I go in everyday either morning or afternoon.

TRACK: Rye High School has a more streamlined scheduling system allowing students the option to participate in a hybrid schedule or a fully-online schedule.

ACT: They split us up into 2 groups and as a group B student, I go in Tuesdays and Fridays and group A goes in Mondays and Thursdays and Wednesday’s everyone is remote and we get out early for cleaning. 

TRACK: As high school sports play a huge part in student’s lives, both Horace Greeley and Rye High School have handled the situation similarly.

ACT: Rye responded to sports by continuing all low-risk sports in the fall with masks and social distancing but all high-risk sports have been postponed to the Spring if they are fall sports. Confirm examples of each kind of sport.

TRACK: High-risk sports include football and volleyball, while low-risk sports include cross-country. Each high school has a protocol for students showing symptoms of COVID, which varies by school. At Rye High School, dramatic measures are taken to prevent any spread of the virus.

ACT: If a student starts showing symptoms of COVID-19 they alert the teacher immediately or alert an adult that works at the school and the nearest adult will escort them through a special hallway which nobody uses except for these students who are having COVID symptoms and they take them to the COVID-19 nurse which is a totally separate nurse than the regular one

TRACK: For both students, virtual learning has been a challenge. 

ACT: Personally, as a visual and hands-on learner, it is very difficult to receive information and be tested on it while doing virtual school.

TRACK: It is clear through the accounts of Grace Ruggiero and Charlie Hafitz that high school for the 2020-2021 school year looks very different compared to previous years. Looking ahead, there is much uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Westchester County schools will continue to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances of the virus in order to keep their students and districts safe and healthy. 

For Baruch College, this is Lile Ruggiero in Westchester County.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind – Interview with Grace Ruggiero

Introduction: I had the chance to chat with Grace Ruggiero, a long-time home socializer for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, to learn about her experience as a volunteer.

Track: Grace has been a home socializer for the organization that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss.

Grace: I have been a home socializer for Guiding Eyes for the Blind since I was in kindergarten so I’ve been doing it for about 10 years.

Track: Becoming a home socializer is a great way to help out an important organization, and as Grace can attest to, a great way spend time with an adorable animal.

Grace: I was really interested in volunteering because I’ve always wanted a dog my whole life and my mom and my family saw this as a way to get that out of my system without actually getting a dog.

Track: Grace gets the opportunity to socialize two young puppies for about a week, and she is often the first person the puppy is going to after being born.

Grace: We get the puppies when they are about 6 weeks old that’s the bare minimum

Track: All home socializers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind must go through intense training in order to be able to handle young puppies and prepare them for seeing eye dog tests.

Grace: To become a home socializer we had to learn how to like to cope with the dogs’ emotions because some of them could be anxious because we’re getting them right from their mom.

Track: After being socialized by Grace or another home socializer, the puppies then have a long journey before becoming a full-time guide dog.

Grace: The puppies go to 2 more homes after they go to us and after that, they go to a pro socializer for about a year for intense training.

Track: Grace is very thankful to be able to volunteer for such a great organization while doing something she loves.

 

Audio: https://soundcloud.com/lile-ruggiero/guiding-eyes-journalism

For my radio project, I would like to focus on the ways that high schools in Westchester County have been evolving to accommodate the needs of students during a pandemic. I would like to interview my sister, who is a freshman at Rye High School about her experience as her classes have been split with half virtual, half in-person. I would also like to interview my stepbrother who is a junior at Horace Greeley High School and compare his experience to my sister’s. Each high school has a different approach to student and parent demands while trying to minimize COVID outbreaks.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic swept the globe leaving businesses dramatically impacted by the extreme changes in consumer behavior. Small businesses were left to fend for themselves before gaining access to financial relief through the CARES Act. One pizzeria and Italian restaurant in the heart of Yonkers, New York was one of the thousands of small businesses impacted by the wrath of the pandemic.

Dom & Vinnie’s, located on Saw Mill River Road in Yonkers, New York has been my home for the entire course of my life. My grandfather Dominic, along with his brother Vinnie, opened the restaurant after moving to the United States from Naples, Italy. I personally began working in the family business as soon as I was able to walk. Currently, my father Joseph and his cousin Mike manage the restaurant while holding true to the family values passed on from previous generations.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I watched my family’s business preserve through the toughest times. In April, my family was directly hit by the pandemic leaving Dom & Vinnie’s with no choice other than to shut down for many weeks. Our waiters, waitresses, busboys, pizza men, delivery drivers, and chefs were left without work. George, one of our amazingly talented chefs, was left to file for unemployment along with millions of other Americans.

According to a survey of more than 5,800 small businesses taken between March 28 and April 4, 2020, small businesses saw a dramatic economic impact of the Coronavirus 2019 pandemic. Mass layoffs and closures had occurred only weeks into the crisis. The survey found that small businesses were financially fragile. The median business with more than $10,000 in monthly expenses was left with only about 2 weeks of cash on hand. With the length of the pandemic unknown, many of these businesses failed to reopen after the initial closure.

While not every person that works at Dom & Vinnie’s is a blood relative, everyone is family. Dom & Vinnie’s prioritized everyone’s safety, but it was incredibly difficult knowing that the workforce was struggling on many fronts. Luckily, with the state’s go-ahead, Dom & Vinnie’s was able to reopen with outdoor seating, but normality was not quick to resume.

Signs detailing COVID-19 guidelines, social distancing rules, and polite requests to wear a mask now line the pizzeria doors and walls. Every single business, both small and large, can be found to have this new pandemic décor throughout physical stores. Customers, all abiding by the rules, wear their masks as they politely ask for a pizza slice to go.

The lunch-time rush did not feel familiar, as one single group of men sat to have lunch in the back. In the dining room, customers are permitted to remove their masks when seated, as all the tables have been marked for social distancing. On a typical early afternoon in a pre-pandemic world, there would be a line out the door for a table in the dining room. Today, the population inside the pizzeria consists of Uber delivery drivers, our own delivery drivers as well as people quickly stopping in for a pick-up order.

As everyone adjusts to the rules of living through a pandemic, Dom & Vinnie’s has held onto the same values as we always have. Muffled conversations through uncomfortable masks and dramatic hand gestures are substitutes for the big hugs we previously gave to frequent customers, who have become family over the years. Small businesses have been struggling the most during the pandemic, and it is incredibly important to support the small businesses in your neighborhood, like Dom & Vinnie’s, through these tough times.

The talk “Then, Now, Next” hosted by Isolde Brielmaier brought together two photographers, Arielle Bobb-Willis and Quil Lemons, to speak about their work, their inspiration, and the ways they have adapted during the COVID environment. Both Arielle and Quil began photographing at young ages when their interest in creating art through images piqued. Their photographs were displayed to highlight some of the themes that each artist focuses on.

Arielle Bobb-Willis’ images were quite unique, as I have never seen photographs as colorful and playful as hers. She went on to explain how photography has helped her through times of depression and anxiety, with color being a symbol of recovery for her. Arielle’s photographs are saturated with color, joy, and movement. The use of her subjects is very unique, as many of the models’ faces were intentionally covered. My favorite of her photographs included her models wearing clothing in a nontraditional manner, like wearing a sweater backward covering the model’s face. Her photographs are almost sculptural, with movement and awkwardness being a common theme. Arielle talked about the duality in her imagery, using the example of people simultaneously being healed and healing.

Quil Lemons is a very talented photographer, as he has done recent shots for Glossier. He spoke about the ways his artwork highlights vulnerability, both in terms of sexuality and gender expression. He talked about the ways he uses photography to release whatever is on his mind. Both Quil and Arielle were affected by COVID as shooting became more difficult. They both spoke about how important it is to be comfortable with adversity, especially as an artist. Listening to “Then, Now, Next” offered me great insight into the lives of two young photographers and helped me learn more about the importance of inspiration and joy within photography.

For my photo essay, I plan to explore the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses in New York. My family’s pizzeria and Italian restaurant have been dramatically impacted by the pandemic. I would like to explore and document the specific ways that small businesses, especially family-owned businesses, have had to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances.

From my father wearing a mask more than 12 hours a day to my grandparents not being able to work during regular hours, I would like to photograph my family’s experiences over these past months. Westchester, NY was one of the first COVID hotspots, with my family’s restaurant shutting down during the first few weeks of the pandemic. The ways that small businesses have had to adapt in order to compete with many larger corporations have been crucial over these past few months. I look forward to exploring and documenting the struggles and adaptations that small family businesses have made in order to survive, both literally and figuratively.