SUMMER
2020
A BLANK SLATE MEDIA SPECIAL SECTION •JULY 10, 2020•
22 Staycation 2020 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 10, 2020
Arts center offering virtual camps BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z The Gold Coast Arts Center has learned to adapt to the limits caused by the coronavirus pandemic with virtual classes and sessions that cater to children, teens and adults. “All of our faculty, staff, students and parents have all learned to adapt and embrace this ‘new normal,’” Gold Coast Arts Center Executive Director Regina Gil said. “We can’t be afraid of it.” In early March, when the coronavirus pandemic began to affect the lives of Long Islanders, Gil said the staff started to come up with various plans to prepare for whatever obstacles the virus could cause. “One of the challenges we faced was adapting the courses to a virtual platform in such a rapid time frame,” said Ellen Schiff, director of the center’s School for the Arts. “We did not want to lose the momentum that each class had going into the pandemic, and I say we’ve accomplished that goal.” According to statistics provided by Schiff, more than 250 students were enrolled in the center’s virtual spring classes. She said that the center maintained close to 90 percent of enrolled registrants for virtual classes since the pandemic began. Now the center is offering a variety of programs that include drawing and
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLEN SCHIFF
The Gold Coast Arts Center has had to adapt to the limits set forth by the coronavirus. creating new cartoon characters, singing, dancing, robotics, ceramics and more. Despite no in-person instruction, the virtual aspect has allowed a wider range of content to be produced, and a broader audience for it. “We’ve been able to get instructors from California and Florida, and even had someone from Colorado who signed up to take a class,” Gil said. “Now, people aren’t just judging us on our convenient
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location [in Great Neck], but rather for the content we can provide anyone, which we take great pride in.” Schiff and Gil both touted the instructors’ dedication to creating innovative content and maintaining positive and strong-rooted relationships with their students despite not being immediately present with them. “The directors, teachers and staff meet virtually every day,” Gil said. “Our dance teachers, for instance, have a deep bond and relationship with their students. For them, it’s more than just learning a few steps or a general routine. It’s a trust thing.” “There’s so much personal attention that our staff provides our students on a daily basis,” Schiff said. “It’s about know-
ing the students and knowing the potential each one has.” Schiff said there are a number of aspects that make the center’s virtual classes special and successful such as small class sizes, immediate feedback on work progress, encouraging social interaction, real-time direction from instructors, and specialized teaching for children from 4 to 16 years old. One of the newer courses that Gold Coast offers for interested teenagers is a college essay writing class designed for high school juniors and seniors. Students in the course will learn about common application essay questions, discuss strategies, and develop techniques that will enable them to write the perfect reflective and personal essay. The center was also able to secure the Distant Cousins Band based in California to help educate teens on how to write, collaborate on and perform music. The band, Gil said, has tremendous experience in writing music for television and film. “We haven’t really been able to offer these programs to a targeted teenage audience in the past since the ones in the area would be typically busy with work, internships or other activities,” Gil said. “Now, we’re able to keep them entertained throughout the whole summer.” Gil said the center, with help from the Village of Great Neck Plaza, was able to obtain permission to use the center’s parking lot for an outdoor painting session on July 22 and 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, testimonials, videos and other resources for virtual summer camps, Gil said, visit https:// goldcoastarts.org/school-for-the-arts/ online/.
Enhance staycations with themed fun days Staycations will be a popular option for many people this summer. Enhancing staycations with entertaining themes can improve the fun factor. While any themed day can be inspired by an active imagination, these ideas can get the creativity flowing. · Superhero day: Embrace your favorite superhero by dressing up in his or her colors, donning a superhero T-shirt or watching an action-packed superhero movie. · Pajama day: This is a fun theme for rainy days when Mother Nature keeps you indoors. Stay in your pajamas all day and enjoy a cozy, lazy day. · Alma mater day: Parents and children can pull out their trusted college T-shirts, sweatshirts or other school attire. Bake up some tasty treats in school colors and then find some old photos or look for highlights of
your alma mater’s sports teams online. · Throwback day: Take a step back in time by playing games or engaging in activities from your youth. Teach youngsters about the toys you enjoyed or watch movies from the era in which you grew up. · Crazy hair day: Embrace bed head, plug in the curling iron, double down on hair gel or pomade, or put those wacky coiffures into full effect. · Cultural day: Tap into your personal heritage by researching your family tree and then preparing a meal that coordinates with your heritage. · Arts and crafts day: Get crafty by tackling a creative project that the family will enjoy. Or engage in individual projects before comparing the final results collectively. Push staycations to the next level with entertaining days based on certain themes.
Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 10, 2020 • Staycation 2020
23
Virtual summer camp for chess playing Virtual summer camp is very new to all of us, Make Your Move Chess Academy has created an online curriculum that’s fun, interactive, and educational. Our camp kicked off on July 6, we received great feedback from both students and parents. We are always thinking of how to improve ourselves to help the students.
After the first day of camp, our director of technology has built a camp chat room on our website for the students to interact with each other, have fun while learning chess. You can learn more about us at www.mymchess.com or Facebook: @makeyourmovechessacademy. Submitted by Make Your Move Chess Academy of Manhasset
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24 Staycation 2020 • Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 10, 2020
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