The Rangeley Friends of the Arts recently announced that Stephanie Chu-O’Neil will be the new site coordinator for its free after-school program: CASA – Creative After-School Arts. The program is open to students in grades 5-12, and will meet after school, until 5 p.m., Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday.

Chu-O’Neil will bring her expertise and experience in writing, publishing, video editing, photography, painting, sculpture and fiber arts as well as general crafts to the planned activities. She is passionate about the arts and believes that “in every aspect of life, creativity is needed in order to excel in whatever field one chooses. Everyone has a great source of creativity within them, however, the earlier you bring that out in children, the better chance that it will become an integral part of their lives. Additionally, it’s like a muscle. If it rarely gets used, it’s not very strong. I’m hoping to exercise this inherent gift by letting the CASA participants explore a multitude of different mediums. Of course, you can’t learn unless you’re interested, and most kids need to have some fun in order to stay engaged. I’m very much looking forward to that part as well,” according to a news release from the Rangeley Friends of the Arts.

She hopes to collaborate with interested community members to give of their time to share a skill, donate supplies or offer creative input.

CASA will offer band again this year, although due to COVID-19, band-instructor Schrader is still working out what that will look like.

For more information, visit rangeleyarts.org.