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October 17, 2008 by Brad
Filed under: Education

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Unique program offers all kinds of after-school classes to local residents - Lifestyle - (HometownAnnapolis.com)

Unique program offers all kinds of after-school classes to local residents
By Colleen Dugan — The Capital
Chess instructor Vincent Tavani, who attends St. John’s College, shares a laugh with St. Anne’s second-grader Julia Anderson while discussing the various chess pieces.
Annapolis
By THERESA WINSLOW, Staff Writer
Published October 16, 2008
Chad Ivey is no slouch as a student.

But that should come as no surprise, since the 11-year-old has been staying after school, learning how to sit up straight and maintain proper posture.

Chad, a sixth-grader, also has had lessons on manners as part of an etiquette class he’s taking at St. Anne’s School of Annapolis. It’s just one of a host of new and innovative classes being offered there through a program called Enrich Annapolis!

The idea is to offer interesting after-school choices to children ages 2 and older from the entire area, not just those who attend St. Anne’s. There are also adult classes. Most are in the $80 to $120 price range.

“We want to be part of the community (and) contribute to the community in every way,” said Head of School Frances C. Lukens. “Part of our job is to give children the opportunity to … find their passions and fulfill them.”

This fall there are 21 offerings, including etiquette, orienteering, chess, fencing and music instruction. For the winter and spring sessions, the program will expand to 58 classes. Each session runs eight weeks, with most classes meeting once a week for either one or two hours.

Among the winter-spring choices will be languages like Mandarin Chinese and Latin; creative writing; archery; yoga; ballroom dancing; teen stress management; primitive cooking; and military history. Tutoring also will be offered. A golf school, slated to start next fall, is yet another offshoot of the program.

The program was organized by Susan Judge, the director of community programs and events at St. Anne’s. Mrs. Judge also spearheaded the school’s Annapolis Music Festival this past spring, which was open to the entire community as well. “I hope that people unplug from video games and TV and come back to lighting fires within themselves,” she said.

Enrich Annapolis! is an outgrowth of a much smaller program at the school. Three years ago, officials began thinking of ways to expand it, and the current offerings are a result, Mrs. Judge said. She lined up teachers and classes through a lot of networking.

“The bottom line is that if everything in here doesn’t get filled (that’s OK),” she explained. “But the opportunity for learning and expanding your horizons is there.”
The thrust of learning

This fall, 241 people have signed up for after-school classes, coming from as far away as Prince George’s County.

One example was homeschooling parent Cheryl Reynolds of Bowie, who takes voice lessons while her son, Ethan, 9, takes fencing. “I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “(We) look forward to it.”

Like many of the parents who signed their children up for fencing, she was especially happy to find somewhere a bit closer to home for lessons. The next option was Columbia, she said.

“Everyone here is so friendly,” said Celina Haas of Arnold, whose son, Christopher, 10, is also enrolled in fencing. “I think it’s wonderful to open this up to the whole community.

Christopher, who attends Broadneck Elementary School, said he’s been interested in fencing ever since seeing it on the Nickelodeon TV show, “iCarly.” “It looked cool and I got into it,” he said. “I like learning the proper footwork and, of course, the swords.”

Unlike Christopher, Chad initially wasn’t too thrilled when his parents signed him up for etiquette class, which is taught by Mrs. Judge and former debutante Kim West, who is also a nationally known children’s sleep expert based in Severna Park.

But Chad changed his mind after a few meetings. He said the instructors make learning things like how to talk to people on the telephone and how to greet people fun and entertaining. “A lot of people will appreciate you (if you know the proper etiquette),” he explained. “If you go over to someone’s house and you don’t have good manners, they won’t want you to come again. I don’t want that to happen.”

As he spoke on Tuesday afternoon, fencing class and chess class were getting organized on opposite sides of the school building. Seventeen students practiced fencing footwork on the gym floor under the watchful eye of two instructors, while another group was mulling the movement of pawns, rooks and knights in a very quiet classroom.

Chess is taught by three St. John’s students, including 19-year-old sophomore Christine Fuller, who is a top-ranked player. Ms. Fuller said she was 12th in the nation as a high school senior.

“I like teaching kids and I like what a difference it makes in their lives,” she continued. “Chess gives them (skills they can) apply to other fields.”

St. Anne’s third-grader Clare Sweeney, 8, was one of the chess students deep in thought as she played a game. “It’s fun and it’s not like any other game. It’s very creative.” she said.

Julia Anderson, 7, who also attends St. Anne’s, said she feels like she’s engaged in battle when she sits in front of the chess board. “I like that you can see different things in different pieces,” she said, scrutinizing a possible move. “It almost feels like you’re in it.”

Vincent Tavani, 20, another St. John’s sophomore, said he likes to see the students learn and grow, which is one of the main goals of the after-school program. Like Ms. Fuller, he was moving from table to table, discussing strategy with the students.

“It’s really interesting to see how they develop,” he said.

For more information about Enrich Annapolis!, call St. Anne’s School at 410-263-8650 or visit the Web site at www.st.annesschool.org.