If you can’t put your daughter to bed without her favorite dolly, or if your son won’t go anywhere without his toy train, you’re not alone—this could be classified as an extremely intense interest, which research finds that one third of children develop in their early stages.
“This was one of my favorite pieces of research I ever did,” says Judy Deloache, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, who published a study in 2007 called Planes, Trains, Automobiles—and Tea Sets. “In part, because it was inspired by my young son’s extremely high level of fascination with animals.”
But what causes these extremely intense interests, or EIIs, in very young children? Scientists don’t quite know. One gender, however, is more affected than the other.
“Extremely intense interests are much more common for young boys than for girls,” the study says.
And while young girls are most often interested in pretend play, like playing school, dress-up or other art-related activities, boys tend to gravitate toward an interest in one particular category of objects, like dinosaurs, according to the study.
Some of the most common obsessions Deloache has witnessed, she says, are with balls, dolls, live animals, dressing up and vehicle toys such as cars, trucks and trains, but some can be highly idiosyncratic, such as one described by the study:
“One boy’s intense interest in blenders first emerged around 18 months, when he insisted ‘at least 10 times a day’ that his parents lift him up so he could see the blender on the kitchen counter,” the study reads. “When his parents bought him a toy blender, it became his ‘constant companion.’ He took it everywhere and even slept with it. He began asking to see blenders when visiting friends’ homes. At the peak of his interest, around 2.5 years of age, it broadened to include other kitchen appliances—food processors, mixers, toasters and coffeemakers. He started making up to 25 drawings a day of blenders and kitchen appliances, many with faces on them. Eventually, his parents replaced his toy with a real one (less the motor and blade) that they found at a garage sale. This boy’s parents knew their son’s interest was quirky and unusual, but they thought it was cute and were supportive of it for the two years it lasted.”
And in another boy’s second year, the study describes an interest in brooms and sweeping floors, which soon expanded to cleaning brushes and later generalized to all sorts of brushes, including hair brushes, paintbrushes and toothbrushes.
“His parents indulged his passion to the extent that there were eventually toothbrushes in every room of the house so he would never have to be without one,” the study says.
When asked if parents should encourage these types of obsessions, Deloache says “should” isn’t quite the right question and there may not be an answer.
“For most of the EIIs that we observed in our sample of children, I don’t see any way the interest would be problematic unless it prevented children from learning in other domains,” she says, adding that 92 of 177 parents interviewed reported going along with their kid’s interest by buying toys that supported it or providing opportunities to engage in relevant activities.
And for the vast majority of young children, Deloache says these obsessions aren’t undesirable, unhealthy or problematic, “probably only when an EII could be dangerous or destructive,” such as a fascination with fire, she adds.
ID Tech Summer Computer STEM Camp. Photo: Courtesy camp
When school lets out, capitalize on Charlottesville’s amazing camp offerings to make this summer one your kids will remember. From outdoor survival to modern dance to computer programming, the following camps are guaranteed wins.
Nature and outdoors
Triple C Camp
An area favorite for 25 years, TCC has options for day and overnight campers ranging from ages 2 to 14. With the bulk of the camp’s counselors being former attendees, that lengthy history breathes, begetting cool legends—like rumors of an underground cave where the resident wizard lives—that are passed down from year to year, decade to decade. Situated on over 40 acres, activities emphasize the outdoors and include pony rides, go-karts, sports, swimming, inflatable obstacle courses, art and crafts and weekly field trips. triplec.camp
Living Earth School. Photo: Courtesy Living Earth School
Living Earth School
Located at the foot of Afton Mountain, owner Kate Hubb describes LES as “a nature-based educational organization with programs drawing from both ancient and modern wisdom.”
“We help students connect with the natural world and empower them to become better caretakers, mentors and leaders,” she says. Featuring a variety of summer programming for children ages 4 to 17, LES offers pre-school, day camp and overnight options. Its trademark overnight camp, Earth Roots, allows kids to explore forests, swim in mountain streams and, Hubb says, discover “the magical world of nature through building natural shelters, making fires without matches and preparing wild edible plants for food.” livingearthva.com
Virginia Outside’s Charlottesville Outside Camp
Specializing in week-long adventure camps and conducted in conjunction with the American Canoe Association, the COC offers an intensive outdoor experience for fourth- through eighth-graders. “From fishing, to mountain biking, to kayaking, to snorkeling, to just picking up rocks in the river to see what’s there,” says camp instructor Josh Hage, “we encourage our campers to explore.” virginiaoutside.com/summer-camps
Science and learning
Space Explorers Residential Camp
A program of James Madison University’s John C. Wells Planetarium, camps are three weeks long and geared toward students in second to 10th grade. “We seek to inspire and excite the next generation of scientists and engineers,” says Shanil Virani, the planetarium’s director. “The goal is to demonstrate to students that science is constantly changing, constantly uncovering new clues about why our universe is the way it is…We’ll ask questions and then use the scientific method to try to answer them.” jmu.edu/planetarium/space-explorers-camp
Mountaintop’s educational camp seeks to connect kids to the food they eat in a fun and adventurous way. The program has a variety of two-week-long offerings catering to a broad range of campers from pre-K to high schoolers. “Attendees will enjoy the special flavors of food cooked with friends,” says Patricia Colby, head of school. “Seed campers will explore topics in zoology, botany, art and geography.” Counselors, Colby says, “offer gentle guidance that comes from years of experience.” mountaintopseedproject.org
ID Tech Summer Compute STEM Camps
Hosted jointly with the University of Virginia, this summer’s camp will mark its 13th anniversary. ID Tech offers elementary schoolers and older students with a passion for technology the ability to explore structured courses in coding, game design, app development, web design, videography, photography and much more using brand-name products like Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Google and Microsoft. With a student-teacher ratio of 8:1, the camps emphasize hands-on instruction. idtech.com
Arts
Light House Studio Summer Camp
Founded in 1999, this award-winning filmmaking education center offers summer workshops for 8- to 18-year-olds as well as a weeklong intensive camp for high schoolers interested in film and videography. The workshops range from basic to advanced techniques and provide access to skilled professionals and top-notch equipment.
“We seek to develop students’ artistic vision,” says education director Amanda Patterson. “We believe in fostering collaboration and community, the creativity of young minds and the benefits of a hands-on, mentor-based approach.” lighthousestudio.org
Wilson School of Dance Summer Camp. Photo: Courtesy camp
Wilson School of Dance Summer Camps
Founded in 1977, WSD features summer offerings for kids ages 3 and up. “Whether students hope to become professional dancers or are looking for a fun physical outlet, we offer excellent instruction in a friendly, inspiring atmosphere,” says founder and director Juanita Wilson Duquette.
The camp’s teachers offer individual attention at all levels of experience, with dance styles including jazz, ballet, tap, pointe, lyrical, Broadway, hip-hop, contemporary and princess ballet. wilsonschoolofdance.com
The Virginia Consort Choral Academy Summer Camps
This weeklong camp offers high school-aged students the opportunity to study and explore musical opportunities at a professional level. Guided by local choral directors, students will prepare and perform a choral masterpiece with soloists and an orchestra under the direction of veteran music director and conductor Judith Gary. According to Gary, the staff is “dedicated to creating an exciting and enriching educational experience that helps students more fully understand music theory, vocal production, music history and conducting technique.” virginiaconsort.org
The string ensemble kicked off its fundraising efforts in September with a performance on the Downtown Mall. Photo: Courtesy CHS Orchestra
“If you’re brought up in Charlottesville, this city is the center of the universe,” says Laura Mulligan Thomas. “It’s a great town; a wonderful place,” the long-time conductor of the Charlottesville High School Orchestra quickly adds. But when her young musicians perform further afield (in France, Italy, England and Switzerland, for example), she says it broadens their perspective and opens their eyes to the possibility of living somewhere else and getting to know “people who have a different mindset than you.”
In June, the 55 members of Thomas’ CHS String Ensemble will have an opportunity to expand their worldview when they travel to Ireland, where, in addition to serving as ambassadors for Charlottesville and the United States, they will perform in ancient castles and join local musicians for an Irish music jam session.
“Traveling overseas is an incredible experience,” says senior Cameron Ciambotti, who’s played the violin for 12 years, three of them in the string ensemble. “But traveling overseas with musicians to both share and experience music is a unique experience that most are unable to have. In Ireland, we will be able to understand the culture in much more depth by making connections using the world’s universal language: music.” She says that by bringing their music to Ireland, CHS students will be exposed to the unique sounds the country offers, and “learn more about the culture than we ever could have without music.”
Before heading to the Emerald Isle, though, the group still has some fundraising to do (the trip will cost almost $200,000). The kids have held car washes and sold concessions at University of Virginia events. A March auction will feature 14 violins painted by local artists, including Meg West, Christy Yates, Sharon Shapiro and Judith Eli, as well as CHS and UVA students. The instruments are currently on display in the windows of several downtown shops, like Tuel Jewelers, The Shoe Store Next Door, Angelo Jewelry and Lynne Goldman Elements, before moving to Studio IX, where they’ll remain until March 25.
One of everyone’s favorite annual fundraisers occurred in January, when the entire orchestra performed Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, which included a post-show “petting zoo” that gave audience members an up-close look at the instruments, and an opportunity to meet the high school musicians.
“Peter and the Wolf has been the most phenomenal tool,” not only for raising money, but for “getting kids engaged and excited about playing instruments and for developing our program,” says Thomas, who had only eight orchestra members when she arrived at CHS 35 years ago. “I can’t tell you how many children have come to the show and then decided to pick up an instrument and learn it well enough so they can be part of our orchestra,” which now has 139 members and has won numerous awards and honors.
For Ciambotti, being part of Thomas’ orchestra also comes with the gift of making music with people she has known for a long time. She sits next to a student with whom she plays in the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia and sings with in the school’s a cappella choir. “We know each other’s musical tendencies extremely well and we are able to play as one,” she says. “This is definitely a pattern throughout the entire orchestra—we are so close that, no matter how the technical parts of the pieces sound, we will always be one cohesive unit.”
Wanna help?
Contributions to the CHS String Ensemble’s June 23-30 trip to Ireland can be made at chsorchestra.org.
When Erin Maupin was little, her mom used to make a version of Hungarian goulash she called Hungie Gungie. All these years later, she chose that name for her Etsy shop, where she sells her homemade (mostly) little girls’ clothing.
Always the creative type, Maupin was a pastry chef before she chose to stay home and raise her children. She discovered the kids’ naptime was a perfect window for her to get crafty.
“I had friends who’d asked me to make things for their daughters. Then they encouraged me to make things to sell,” she said. And Hungie Gungie was born.
Besides enabling her to sell adorable outfits, the small online shop supports her addiction to textiles.
“I love fabric!” she laughs. “If I can make enough throughout the year to cover the cost of fabric, I don’t feel so bad buying it.”
Local clothing line Hungie Gungie is named after a dish from the designer’s childhood. Photo: Courtesy Hungie Gungie
Erin has a few favorite designers and buys most of her fabric online. She uses many others’ patterns, but her signature “bloomers” for older girls are her own design. She averages sales of five dresses per month between her Etsy shop and requests from locals who know her products.
She’d like to do more, she says—maybe even teach a sewing class for kids—but wants to keep expansion plans in perspective. After all, her 8-, 6- and 4-year-old keep her plenty busy.
“I don’t know about the future,” she says, “but for the time being, it’s exactly what I want to be doing.”
Bri Chrispin, pictured here goofing around with her little, Ty'Mirra, started volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters because, she says, she "always wanted a little sister." Photo: Eze Amos
While it’s important to be generous year-round, the holidays provide parents with an opportune time to teach kids about giving back, either by donating their time or goods to those in need. Here are some local ways to help out this season, from food-delivery to gift-wrapping. By Shea Gibbs and Wistar Murray
Better together
Mature teens who have graduated from high school and want to give back to their community may be drawn to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Certain “Littles” (ages 6 through 18) might benefit from being mentored by an energetic young-adult “Big” who overcame his or her own childhood struggles relatively recently. The proximity in age could uniquely qualify the Big to understand what the Little is experiencing.
The Blue Ridge Bigs match support team is always meticulous in placing Littles with Bigs, assessing a number of personal factors when they make their matches. After all, the Big/Little relationship is a bond that might last for many years. And the reciprocal benefits endure forever. When teen volunteer Bri Chrispin joined the program, she was motivated in part because she’d “always wanted a little sister.” Mentoring has taught her the importance of patience as well as influence: “Once a Big, you really have to be careful of the words you speak and your actions,” she says. “A child’s mind absorbs so much, and if we, as their mentor, aren’t acting right, how are we to teach them?” Teens are also welcome to volunteer to offer childcare during parent orientation. blueridgebigs.org
Special delivery
Kathy O’Connell first began volunteering at Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville/Albemarle because she was looking for something she could do with her preschool-aged daughter. She is now the assistant director of the nonprofit, and knows firsthand that MOW is a powerful way for families to bond while they serve their community.
Each day, more than 30 volunteers pack and deliver approximately 275 hot meals to locals who are homebound due to aging, illness or recovery. Close relationships between drivers and those they serve inevitably develop along regular routes. Sometimes these Meals on Wheels volunteers are the only people a client sees that day. Deliveries are a special opportunity for kids to get to know folks of different ages and backgrounds. And for a small child, ringing doorbells and donating meals can feel like an adventure.
Volunteers have been known to bring children, grandchildren and even newborn babies along on their routes and they often find that clients welcome the sight of younger generations. Kids who aren’t free for lunchtime deliveries can still volunteer to pack “Blizzard Bags” of nonperishable items for clients to have on hand when the roads are impassable. The MOW organization encourages parents to work together with their children to help their community. “Families have so little time together as it is,” says O’Connell. cvillemeals.org
Raise the woofMake dog treats at home and hand-deliver them to the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA. Or, if your little one is too young for baking, gather blankets and donate them to the shelter.
Restorative riding
Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy is a unique volunteer experience for kids who want to help others with special needs—well, because horses.
“Mainly what it is is seeing the progress of the kids,” says Sarah Daly, CART’s director and an instructor. “And it’s especially great if they like being outdoors and loving horses. That’s it, you know—loving animals and people.”
CART offers therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, spinal cord/brain injuries, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida and hearing/visual impairments. The riding, which provides patients with much of the same physical benefits as walking or running, has been shown to improve those with special needs’ physical and emotional well-being.
Teens 14 and up are invaluable helpers for the program, according to Daly, as they walk alongside or in front of the mounted horses during classes. Certified instructors like Daly lead the courses and offer training to each volunteer. Classes are one hour, once a week, and each session is eight to 10 weeks.
“People that are interested will just call up,” Daly says. “The one thing is they can’t be afraid of horses.” cartcrozet.org
Bake moreMake a few extra pies during Thanksgiving dinner prep and bring them to the local firestation for those working over the holidays.
Ryleigh Katstra helps continue the Neighbors-4-Neighbors program, a campaign that has provided for more than 300,000 food-insecure people in the region since its inception. Photo: Rammelkamp Foto
At the table
Food inspires strong feedback in just about every kid on the planet. Children all have their favorite dishes and those that they categorically refuse to eat. So volunteering at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank might be appealing on a visceral level, especially when kids learn that food insecurity affects one in six of their young peers.
Volunteers need to be 12 or older to work in the warehouse, but kids of any age can serve as “Hunger Heroes” by organizing food drives in their schools or neighborhoods, like UVA grad Nicole Muller of Albemarle County, who, when she was only 16, launched the now-national Neighbors-4-Neighbors food drive. Since its inception, the campaign has provided meals for more than 300,000 food-insecure people in the region. Charlottesville teenager Ryleigh Katstra has since upheld Muller’s legacy with food drives of her own, and this year mobilized Neighbors-4-Neighbors campaigns at 30 schools. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s website provides kits that contain all the materials that Hunger Heroes need to get started. brafb.org
Warm wishesOrganize a pajama drive for kids at local homeless shelters. Gather up gently worn clothing and ask friends and neighbors to do the same.
Making house calls
Most folks know Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing for those in need. What they might not know is all the other fun and philanthropic things the organization does.
And while Habitat’s construction projects are, for the most part, limited to those 18 and up, kids of all ages can get involved in other ways, be it in the Habitat Store or organizing events like the annual Rake-a-Thon.
“The Rake-a-Thon event planning is supported by our Youth United Team—a group of 10 high school students from six different schools in Albemarle County,” volunteer engagement associate Amy Allamong says. “It gives them a chance to see what it takes to plan a successful event, and they recruit fellow students to join with them the day of.”
The Rake-a-Thon is held every year in November, but young volunteers have opportunities to help the homeless or those in danger of becoming homeless year-round. In addition to helping out around Habitat’s local secondhand store, young folks can organize or participate in the Lego Build—“a youth activity we use to teach what a ‘safe, decent, affordable’ home means,” according to Allamong—or the lunch bunch, where groups of volunteers bring a midday meal to Habitat construction sites.
“We really like to hit home on what it means to have a place to live…What does having a stable home mean?” Allamong says. “A lot of children might grow up in a family that moves every six months. We want young people to know what it might mean if they didn’t have to do that.” cvillehabitat.org
Gifts that keep giving
Christmas is 15-year-old Mariah Payne’s favorite holiday. And through the support of her parents and church, she’s come to appreciate giving back. So what better way to get involved than through Be a Santa to a Senior, Home Instead Senior Care’s annual gift drive?
“I love it,” Payne says. “You don’t have to do a lot, and you can make someone’s day. It’s a nice feeling that you can make people happy just by wrapping gifts.”
Home Instead has been sponsoring Be a Santa to Senior, where elderly in need submit a few gift requests and donors give money to buy them or the time it takes to wrap them, since 2003. In the last 13 years, 60,000 volunteers have given 1.2 million gifts to 700,000 senior citizens.
Brittany Gilliam, Home Instead’s administrative assistant and holiday program coordinator, says the local chapter wants to take the program a step further this year and have volunteers adopt lonely seniors and spend time with them, bring them gifts or make them meals.
Payne says she’ll definitely be up for the changes.
“It would be nice to meet some of the people to see the smiles on their faces,” she says. beasantatoasenior.com
Mail callLeave a small gift (a gift card to a local coffee shop, for instance) for your family’s regular postal worker.
Teen volunteer Kit Tremaglio helps out with JMRL’s Star Wars Read Day. Photo: Martyn Kyle
Best for bookworms
Volunteering at Jefferson-Madison Regional Library teaches kids all the skills they’re likely to need when they enter the workforce—but hopefully they won’t notice with all the fun.
Sure, kids 13 and older who sign up to help at JMRL can expect to learn how to use a copy machine, laminate, operate a die-cutter and generally organize materials for library programs. But it’s the programs, like the recent Star Wars Reads Day, that will keep them interested and coming back for more.
“Teen volunteers help staff with a variety of things,” says Tim Carrier, JMRL’s young adult services manager who coordinates the teen volunteer program. “They may help us get together booklists or brochures. We also get them out to the branches and into the public. They do provide a lot of helpful service for us.”
Young people can also get involved with the library’s teen advisory board, which meets with a staff member once a month to offer input on the library’s programs. The advisory board is the teens’ chance to push projects “that benefit the library and to help actually implement a big program,” Carrier says.
According to Carrier, volunteer need at JMRL is branch-specific, so teens and parents looking to sign up at specific locations may or may not find a spot. Being open to work wherever there’s a need will improve your chances. jmrl.org
Hands-on history
Though teens may initially be turned off by volunteering anywhere with the word “school” in its name, you can assure them that they won’t be taking any pop quizzes at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Instead, they’ll get the opportunity to flex their creative muscles by helping to plan community programs like open mic nights, story slams and cookoffs at the legendary Starr Hill school. With help from young volunteers, last summer’s Day Soiree brought alumni together for festivities as the historic institution celebrated 150 years of history with art, food, games and live music.
Renowned activists, academics and historians are often scheduled to speak at the Heritage Center on a range of topics relating to diversity in our community. And a gallery boasts the permanent collection, Pride Overcomes Prejudice, as well as rotating exhibits of contemporary artists. Teen volunteers at the center also get the opportunity to research Charlottesville’s African-American history, which was especially rich in the neighboring Vinegar Hill neighborhood. They may even lead a school tour because who knows better what will appeal to young student visitors? If event planning and local history don’t immediately entice service-minded teens, caffeine might. The Heritage Center’s coffee bar is also run by volunteers. jeffschoolheritagecenter.org
Helping handsVolunteer to help an elderly neighbor by raking leaves or shoveling snow.
Eliot Harris explores the Virginia Discovery Museum. Photo: Jackson Smith
Play time
If your teen is bogged down by adult responsibilities, volunteering at the Virginia Discovery Museum might be just what he or she needs to reconnect with the child within. Volunteers at the downtown institution are encouraged to interact with young museumgoers as much as possible. This means that playing with toys is a big part of the job description. During their shifts, volunteers are also tasked with maintaining the museum’s safe environment and tidying the exhibits, because as Director of Operations Lindsay Jones says about the museum’s famous collection of cars, trains, costumes, crafts, building blocks and books: “Everything travels.”
Due to the small size of the museum’s permanent staff, enthusiastic volunteers (ranging in age from 15 to 85) are crucial to keeping the galleries open to young visitors. Teens who volunteer their time can expect to gain valuable job experience, hone their intergenerational social skills and teach kids a little something about how the world works. Teens who can’t commit to a regular volunteering gig during the school year can help out at annual special events like the Discovery Dash, the Boo Bash and the Santa Pancake Breakfast, or they can intern at the museum during the summer months for school credit. vadm.org
Finn Faulconer in Finding Neverland. Photo: Courtesy subject
Charlottesville is fortunate to boast a rich local theater scene with myriad opportunities to get involved. Theatrical training is worthwhile even if you don’t have stars in your eyes; but for kids hungry for that theater life, growing up on C’ville’s stages provides the training and support they need to take their next steps. Read on to learn more about a few local theater kids making it big, regionally and beyond.
Finn Faulconer
12, tutored by On Location Educational services
Current role: George in Finding Neverland (now on its first national tour)
Charlottesville acting opportunities:
A Christmas Carol at Four County Players
Fiddler on the Roof at Ash Lawn Opera
Les Misérables and To Kill a Mockingbird at Live Arts
Mary Poppins at Shenanarts
Training:
• Ballet, tap, contemporary and hip-hop dance lessons with Charlottesville Ballet Academy
• DMR Adventures Dream Team and DMRinNYC
• Virginia Consort Choir under Donna Rehorn
• Voice lessons with Liz Leone and Doug Schneider
• Private audition coaching with Melissa Charles for NYC auditions
How do you find acting opportunities?
My mom found the New York auditions I’ve done on Backstage.com and Actors Access, and also from my NYC-based manager, who scheduled the audition appointments for us.
Why do you enjoy performing?
My favorite part of theater in Charlottesville is the sense of community with the cast. The camaraderie you build is so strong. The show I am working on now, Finding Neverland, is very intense, and everybody is very professional. We are all still close, but I do feel the pressure to up my game. What I love about Finding Neverland is that I get to work with other boys (the boys are like my brothers) and with dogs!
Words of advice?
Start with community theater. If you don’t get the part you want, do the show anyway and stick with it. Try not to be nervous during auditions—remember that everyone wants you to succeed. Keep auditioning and participate in as many shows as you can!
Anya Rothman (second from left) in Because of Winn-Dixie. Photo: Courtesy Delaware Theatre Company
Anya Rothman
11, sixth grade
Current role: Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.
Charlottesville acting opportunities:
Fiddler on the Roof at Ash Lawn Opera
Getting Near to Baby at Live Arts
Annie, Once on This Island and Cinderella at DMRAdventures
The Sound of Music at Albemarle High School
Les Misérables at Charlottesville High School
Alice in Wonderland, The Sound of Music and Seussical with Black Box Players
(Previously, Anya played Sweetie Pie in Because of Winn-Dixie at Delaware Theatre Company and Annie Who in the national tour of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.)
Training:
• Master classes in acting, singing and dancing; private coaching; DMR All Stars troupe, DMR Dream
• Team troupe at DMR Adventures with Melissa Charles
• Tap and hip-hop at Charlottesville Ballet Academy
• Tap at Live Arts
What is your favorite project to date?
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be Because of Winn-Dixie. I especially loved working with the dogs and all the people involved. Plus, since it is a new musical still being developed, I got to work directly with the writers, Nell Benjamin and Duncan Sheik, which was an incredible experience. I made some wonderful friends in the show, too, who I still keep in touch with.
Words of advice?
Work and train hard, keep auditioning, learn from your mistakes and don’t give up. Actors don’t get most of the roles they audition for—that’s a normal part of the business, so don’t take it personally. And don’t be jealous of others—celebrate each other’s successes. Pursue other interests that are not theater-related in the times between shows and auditions. That way you can have many kinds of fun and success.
Mila Cesaretti in Fiddler on the Roof. Photo: Courtesy subject
Mila Cesaretti
15, Charlottesville High School sophomore
Current project: The 39 Steps at CHS, which will compete at the Virginia Theatre Association festival in Norfolk.
Charlottesville acting opportunities:
Annie with Black Box Players
Annie and Snoopy: The Musical at Four County Players
Into the Woods Jr. and Broadway & Beyond cabaret with DMR Adventures
Adrenaline Film Project with the Virginia Film Festival
Training:
• Filmmaking at Light House Studios
• Dance lessons at Charlottesville Performing Arts School
• Voice lessons with Elaine Brown and Doug Schneider
How do you find acting opportunities?
I found out about a few training opportunities in New York City from others in our passionate local theater community. I attended Broadway Artists Alliance’s musical theater intensive in New York City for two summers, studying voice and acting. While I was in New York, I was picked up by a New York talent managerand, subsequently, an agent. Last summer, I trained more intensively in acting at the Stella Adler Studio’s Teen Summer Conservatory in NYC. I got support and training for that audition from local experts like Boomie Pedersen, and recommendations from my CHS teacher, David Becker. I’ve also performed in Richmond, playing Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof at Virginia Repertory Theater.
What is your favorite project to date?
Probably Fiddler on the Roof, as I liked the intensity and professionalism.
Words of advice?
No matter how talented you are, you will always face rejection in this field. Don’t let the “no’s” get you down—just keep doing what you love, and your passion will keep you going.
Patricia Colby because interested in the Montessori method after researching schools for her daughter. Photo: Keith Alan Sprouse
Mountaintop Montessori’s new head of school, Patricia Colby, has spent most of her adult life working in education. From South America to California to New York, Colby’s journey to Charlottesville has been long and fascinating.
After completing her undergrad work at the University of Houston, the Venezuela native pursued a doctoral degree in social psychology from the University of California, Davis, studying human adjustment—a field that is now called Positive Psychology.
“I was interested in learning what makes people thrive,” says Colby. “And this interest led me to education and goal-setting—I wanted to know what makes people feel good and perform at their best. I wanted to understand how that process worked and how it might be systematized.”
After graduation, Colby took a position at Skidmore College in New York, where she taught for six years before moving back to California and starting a family.
“My plan was always to go back to work as a college educator,” says Colby. “So when my daughter got to be preschool-aged, I started looking into programs. I read about Montessori, and I thought, ‘This is the school I want to have my child in.’”
An educational model that gives students a less-structured learning environment, Montessori struck a chord with Colby. She started volunteering and, eventually, decided to put her higher-ed teaching career on hold to learn more about Montessori methods. After 10 years in the classroom, Colby then took on an administrative role. She and her family moved to Charlottesville four years later.
“Seeing the methods and techniques the classrooms had in place, I thought back to my research and realized they were doing all the right things,” she says. “Only here, they were doing it right away; from the get-go they were giving the kids the tools they needed to thrive.”
Age 1: Finally sleeps through night. I mean, sometimes?
Age 1.5: Can eat all allergen foods. Wait, except peanuts. No, wait, do you now introduce those before 1? Gah.
Age 2: Potty trained. Just kidding.
Age 3: Preschool! Everyone in household comes down with cold that will last for next 10 years.
Age 4: Stops sucking thumb. Just kidding.
Age 5: Kindergarten! Even though you couldn’t wait, spend all of week one sobbing over baby pictures.
Age 6: Rides a bike. Or did that one time. Now scooters exclusively.
Age 7: Lies on floor every afternoon sobbing over math worksheet that would take six minutes to complete if they would actually do it. On the other hand: WHY DO THEY HAVE HOMEWORK.
Age 8: Wants a phone.
Age 9: Wants to read The Hunger Games, and
you let them because at least it’s not a phone.
Age 10: Can finally tie shoes. Not that they have ever before now had shoes that weren’t slip-ons.
Age 11: Middle school! Overnight they have B.O. and pimples.
Age 12: Suddenly actually really fun to watch their sports games.
Age 13: Teenager! Even though you couldn’t wait, spend all of week one sobbing over baby pictures.
Ma Spa owner Mary Coleman hopes to give moms room to recharge. Photo: Matthew Burke
“Moms deserve to have a space that is dedicated just to them.”
Mary Coleman should know. As a mother of seven, she’s the entrepreneur behind Ma Spa, a new business in the Legend Building on Woodbrook Drive in Charlottesville.
Ma Spa’s slogan pretty much sums it up: “Come pamper your soul.” Coleman offers moms of all ages a spa-like place to nurture their heart and faith. Visitors come for 75-minute classes that begin with biblical principles and include ample time for moms to share and discuss ideas that strengthen and empower them as mothers. Before and after classes, mothers are encouraged to enjoy some downtime in the studio for coffee and conversation, or just relaxation and reflection.
The idea stemmed from Coleman’s own experiences.
“When I was younger and a new mom, I was so obsessed with being perfect, and it created a lot of guilt,” Coleman says. “Anything I can do to help other moms became my mission.”
Coleman started this concept in her home a few years ago and called it the Mom Shop. She’d invite only as many as her table could seat, and serve them supper in addition to hosting the discussion time. Even though she now has the expanded space the Legend Building offers, she still intentionally keeps the classes small because, “once you get past six women it’s hard for everyone to get a word in. Everyone should feel that they can share their own heart.”
Her website, maspacville.com, offers a current list of classes, topics and times, which change each month. Generally the moms who attend are between 25-35 years old, but some are older and Coleman emphasizes that all are welcome. To attract a wide age range, she even offers a class on mothering adult children.
“We all have new things we can learn, and each season of life brings with it new burdens or worries or adventures. I hope to help everyone at every stage.”
That’s a core part of her philosophy, as is asking moms to leave their children at home.
“That’s the message I didn’t understand back then, that I needed time away from my child. All moms need kid-free time.”
While she’s just opened Ma Spa, she’s already thinking about the future of the business. In an ideal world, she’d love to have a coffee shop in the front and hold classes in the back. She said some people are having a hard time wrapping their head around the spa-like concept she’s offering, but she’s firm about her belief that in addition to pampering our bodies, “our hearts and our faith deserve attention too.”
Eighth-grader Ally Miller is already a captain of industry. Photo: Matthew Burke
For a young teenager, Ally Miller sure has a lot on her plate: She’s an eighth-grader at Henley Middle School, a student at the Wilson School of Dance and the CEO of her own company.
In May, the then-12-year-old founded a custom cake pop company, called Pop Art By Ally, and has so far sold more than 2,000 cake pops in a variety of flavors and designs.
Miller says she has always had a knack for baking sweet treats from scratch, so it didn’t take long for her to turn her hobby into a business.
“I learned how to make [cake pops] from my cousin and I started giving them to my friends and family and they really liked them,” she says. “Then my sister’s friend’s mom asked me to make them for a birthday party and that’s how I got the idea.”
Standing in her kitchen in Crozet, Miller demonstrates the trade she’s mastered. With half dollar-sized balls of cake, which she has already rolled and chilled in the freezer, she skewers each one with a lollipop stick. Holding the pops by their sticks, she dips them one by one into a vat of melted milk chocolate, gives them a swirl for optimal choco-coverage and, holding her creation in one hand, repeatedly taps her hands together to knock off excess chocolate for a smooth, rounded finish. Miller then pokes her lollipop stick into a holding block and reaches for the next cake pop.
Photo: Scott Miller
While they’re still warm, she sprinkles the chocolate pops with pearly white sprinkles. This batch is separate from a 60-unit order she’s working on for an upcoming wedding party, but on display on the kitchen counter behind her is a plate of pops with chocolate buttons and a bow tie drawn to resemble a tuxedo, and others crafted with a white chocolate lattice pattern and a ring of pearls that look like a bridal gown.
Miller’s cake pops, which have been sold locally and shipped across the country, come in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and lemon flavors and range from $2 to $4 depending on their design and place of purchase. So while Green House Coffee, on Crozet Avenue, always has a bundle of Miller’s most basic pops in-house and sells them for $2 each, some of her more time-consuming creations may cost a couple dollars extra.
Miller says one of her favorite pops she has designed so far has been a frothing beer mug for a 40th birthday party. She has also made kittens, puppies, frogs, apples, strawberries and even Pokeballs, just to name a few, and she’s currently working on design ideas for the upcoming holiday season and the Super Bowl.
“I think Ally’s very creative and detail-oriented,” her dad, Scott Miller, says. “She has a lot of patience and she’s a hard worker.”
While her dad may help if she has a gigantic order to fill (like the 200 pops requested for the 40th birthday party), she does most of the work on her own. And as for the money she’s earned?
“I haven’t really spent it on anything yet,” Miller giggles. “I’ve been saving it.”
