Parish Extend offers opportunities for after-school enrichment
With a single strand of yarn, I found myself tangled in the creative energy of Parish Episcopal School’s after-school enrichment program, Parish Extend, where hallways buzzed with students exploring passions beyond the classroom — from fiber arts to cooking to public speaking.
In Weaving Class, third through seventh graders transformed threads into twill masterpieces under the guidance of art teacher Samantha Cooper, a fine arts graduate in fibers and surface/textile design, who brings both expertise and enthusiasm to every loom.
“Each culture has its own history of weaving to produce fabric,” she explained.
Cooper encourages students to take ownership of their craft, letting them choose colors and textures they like.
“I don’t put any restrictions on them, whatever yarn they find, is what they can use,” she said. A soft, fuzzy chenille yarn was a particular class favorite, adding texture and vibrancy to every piece.
“You really get to express yourself with what you do,” said fifth-grader Charley Cleland while demonstrating the process. “You push down the pedals to create different patterns. Just watch … over two, under two … now make sure it’s just loose enough here and then feed it down so it’s nice and tight here.”
Fourth-grader Margaret Gross, the youngest participant, discovered weaving in Cooper’s art class.
“I loved it and it’s even more fun now that I can finish a piece,” she said. “And I’m gonna help teach some of my classmates.”
Margaret, explaining the difference between a plain weave and a basket weave with the patience of a master weaver, showed me the loom’s pedal order function and hand tension.
I followed along but soon tangled my warp threads.
“It gets much easier with practice,” Olivia Ferrari reassuringly told me. “At first you have to look down at the pedals, but later it comes natural.”
“We can always fix a mistake,” Cooper reminded the class (and me), untangling my threads before sending the shuttle back smoothly across the loom.
Down the hall, Aspiring Artists transformed blank canvases into bold, expressive works under contemporary painter Melanie Brannan. Using techniques such as subtractive painting and triple-loading brushes, Brannan encourages students to embrace “the beautiful and messy world of art” — each piece becoming it’s own Ms. Mel Original.
Meanwhile, with the scent of muffins drifting from the kitchen, Sage food director and Cooking From Scratch instructor, Christian Santiago, looked on as third- through sixth-graders sliced, diced, and sautéed the ingredients for spaghetti pomodoro.
Even the youngest learners explored science in Geology Rocks and Dinosaurs Roar, led by STEM teacher Jennifer McGraw. Fossil digs, volcano builds, and model Earth projects brought the prehistoric world to life.
With more than 100 classes in art, music, sports, STEM, and more, Parish Extend transforms after-school hours into a laboratory of creativity and growth.
“It’s where passion meets possibility — and every student leaves a little more inspired than when they arrived,” said Parish Plus director Niki Kamdar.