Improv for Middle Schoolers Back at the Burgdorff

Local teaching professional Lulu French to lead kids' workshop

Returning to bring the rollicking art of improv to Maplewood this month is local improv performer and teaching artist LuLu French, who brings an impressive resume to Maplewood’s “Performance Classroom”, this year sponsored by the Theater Project. Lulu has developed a dedicated student following, and regularly performs with some of the best improv groups in New York. “Improv is important on so many levels — it really teaches you to listen and work together, which aren’t just theater skills, they’re life skills,” said French. This winter’s offering will be a 10 week program for those in grades 6-8, beginning Friday February 17th. French started teaching improv at Gotham City Improv in January of 2000, and has represented GCI on numerous …

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Thread, Yarn and Paint on Springfield Avenue

Feeling crafty? creative? Springfield Avenue has you covered.

Summer may be winding down, but that's no reason to give up on all the crafty camps that summer bring for kids. There's plenty to creatively look forward to on Springfield Avenue, for your child(ren) — and for yourself. At It's SEW Crafty, fall brings loads of cool ideas to what some may consider a lost art. Katie Clayton, aka Crafty Katie, can teach everyone from kindergarten to adult to sew. And she teaches her way. “My mother taught me how to hand sew when I was eight. I began sewing my own doll clothes out of felt and old tee shirts. Then my grandmother taught me how to use a sewing machine and tried to guide me while I made a skirt for her mother.” said Katie. “My grandmother didn't have the patience for a beginner seamstress, but I …

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Teaching Art in an Inspired Setting

The Art Studio in Maplewood has been bringing children, art and nature together for six years.

A secret garden with a tree house is not the usual place to hold an art class. But for Susan Cohen Harris' Art Studio in Maplewood, it is.  “Now remember we talked about Frida Kahlo last week...” Cohen Harris asks her charges, a mix of second and third graders as she shepherds them into the garden. They beg to go up into the tree house.  Cohen Harris' studio is a two story carriage house. The bottom is filled with everything from gardening tools to various boxes of colorful things that could inspire imagination. The second story is a light and airy space with a big table. In it's center are buckets of colored pencils. But the weather was too nice to spend any time up there. Everyone was outside. They were in the tree house that has a …

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Video: Chef Jesse at Maplewood Library

Chef Jesse, locally renowned for Carolina cuisine, presented in Maplewood and will do so again at the Adult School.

From the moment he first stepped foot into his mother's Southern kitchen, Chef Jesse says he knew that cooking was what he was destined to do. This week, Chef Jesse put his heart and soul into a soup demonstration at Maplewood Memorial Library. More than 30 culinary enthusiasts turned out on Wednesday to watch Jesse Jones create and then taste his Soul Kettle Cuisine line accompanied by his amazing cornbread. Jazz vocalist Jackie Jones performed while the soup simmered. Patch videographer Barry Kaufman was on hand to capture some of the demonstration. If you missed the library presentation, don't worry. Another opportunity to see Jesse in action is coming soon. On Oct. 15, Chef Jesse will demonstrate his famed Carolina Cuisine—a fusion of …

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109 CHS Students Were AP Scholars Last Year

2009 graduate Jonathan Hall-Eastman was named one of two State AP Scholars in New Jersey.

The National College Board has announced that 109 current Columbia High School students and 2009 graduates have received Advanced Placement Scholar Awards for the number of AP courses taken and the high scores received on AP exams at the end of the course. This year, a record number of Columbia students received special recognition, including one student who was named a State AP Scholar, one of only two in the state. Jonathan Hall-Eastman, class of 2009, was named a State AP Scholar after scoring a 4 or 5 on 19 AP exams. Included in the 19 exams were four in subjects not even offered at Columbia this past year. A State AP Scholar award is granted to the one male and one female student in each U.S. state and the District of Columbia with …

YMCA Accepting Registrations for Fall

Programs begin this week, but there's still time to sign up.

The Fall I session at the South Mountain YMCA is underway, but it's not too late to register for programs for children and adults. The Fall I Session, which started on Sept. 8, runs through Nov. 1, and offers a wide variety of exciting programs and classes including: Youth Specialty Programs Children ages 3-5 years old have the opportunity to enroll in one of the South Mountain YMCA’s Youth Specialty Programs, designed to stimulate a child’s development in a fun and meaningful way. These programs include; Music and Me, Treasure Quest, Fun with Phonics, Math Blast, Creative Ballet, Funky Dance and more. Youth Sports The South Mountain YMCA offers a full array of sports classes and clinics to children as young as 3 years old including …

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