ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 9, 1996 TAG: 9608090047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE (AP)
SOURCE: SANDRA JONTZ-MERRIFIELD POTOMAC NEWS
ART TEACHERS? Not the kind you'd expect at this summer program. These "teachers" are really four entrepreneurs who are young enough to join the students they teach. - Just about everything fits into the Rices' garage - everything but a car.
Two days a week, four young entrepreneurs invite up to 16 other children to the Westridge home for an hour and 45 minutes of crafts, fun, giggles, storytelling, snacks and companionship.
The four - Jessi Rice, Megan O'Connor, Tracy Summers and Devin Rice - had thoughts of learning a little about responsibility and making a lot of money. Turns out, they've learned a lot about both.
As owners of JMTD's Summer Arts and Crafts Program, they lament about budgets, debt, sale prices and credit.
``Seems like all of our money is going into buying supplies and the snacks,'' said Jessi, 13. They charge $5 per child per class. That money is used to buy glue, paint, construction paper, cupcake mix and frosting, streamers, pens and you name it.
``And we also have to repay loans we got from our parents to start up the business,'' Jessi said.
They've received a few cost-saving breaks besides the interest-free loan. Lake Ridge Baptist Church lent the budding business small wooden chairs so the young students would have something to sit on. They also shop at dollar stores for savings.
Some supplies come free, such as the stones collected so students could make pet rocks. But they had to put down cash for the colorful plastic jewels used for facial features for the rocks and deflated, fluorescent balloons that doubled as hair.
In all, 16 youngsters have signed up for the class, each leaving his mark with a little paint and a hand print on the garage wall as part of a mural.
Tracy, 11, joined the enterprise in hopes of getting experience before entering the education field.
``I'm learning how to handle kids,'' she said. ``I love kids.''
Megan, 12, didn't find teaching so easy.
``I learned I can't handle as many kids as I thought,'' she said. ``We've had to settle for four [students] per teacher.''
It's taken quite an effort to get the word out. The four started by printing and then coloring 50 fliers, which they circulated throughout the neighborhood and at the community swimming pool.
But it was through the ``mom network'' that most people learned about the class, including Shari Chilbert who promptly enrolled her daughters, Rebecca and Nina, ages 7 and 5.
``I love to support other children's efforts,'' Chilbert said.
Speaking of mom, Kay Rice keeps a watchful eye to make sure no one gets in too deep, but that's all she does, she said.
Classes are held Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. The program started July 8 and will run through Aug.22.
``This is a good job for the summer, but it's a killer to come up with good ideas,'' said Devin, 10. ``We stay up late at night and get up at 6 o'clock in the morning. I'm tired.''
Last week, they held a birthday party for all their students, because at some time during the year, they'd all have one, Devin explained.
The kids were delighted.
``There's a birthday that we're going to celebrate and we're going to eat cupcakes that are going to taste really, really good,'' said Kara Kostal, 4, speaking so quickly she barely caught her breath.
The four had little trouble pleasing and entertaining some of their students.
``I like the arts, the crafts, the reading, the coloring, the snacks. Everything,'' Rebecca Chilbert said, swinging her arms in a huge circle over her head.
Others weren't so easy to control and were asked repeatedly to sit down, keep quiet and pay attention so they wouldn't mix glue with the cupcake frosting.
``It's going to be a long summer,'' Tracy admitted.
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Young art students prepare to make party hats atby CNBthe Rices' home in Woodbridge. The Rice children and some of their
friends have formed art classes for children. 2. Tracy Summers, 11,
helps Olivia Branch with her party hat. The kids in the program have
to pay to attend the classes.