Back to School Craft Bash lets kids explore their creative sides

August 7, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

POLAND

The concepts of potential and kinetic energy are among Hunter Crites’ favorite scientific topics to study, and when it came to taking the first step toward preparing to return to school, you might say he used a fair amount of the latter form of energy.

“My favorite part of making a bookmark is that it helps me be creative,” the Summit Academy of Youngstown eighth-grader explained.

Hunter was among the school-age youngsters who had an opportunity to move forward with exploring their creative sides, courtesy of Saturday’s Back to School Craft Bash at the Poland branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, 311 S. Main St.

The five-hour family-friendly program allowed participants to decorate notebooks, pencils and bookmarks as a way of preparing them to return to school later this month, noted Amanda Kollar, the branch’s assistant supervisor.

“It’s a simple drop-in, make-and-take program,” Kollar said.

For his part, Hunter, who listed science and math as his favorite subjects, assembled a rather uncomplicated bookmark on which he added mainly an apple and a series of stars, along with his name.

By contrast, Hunter’s 9-year-old brother, Aaron Crites, decorated his pink bookmark a bit more elaborately. He included a paper honey bee, his initials, a series of colors, a pattern of stars and a small football in homage to the Pittsburgh Steelers, his favorite team.

Aaron also attends Summit Academy.

Hunter said he has spent part of the summer reading books, including one on video games, and added he hopes to study video-game design when he gets older. In the meantime, the teen is looking forward to making new friends in school, he continued.

“He’s progressed quite a bit since we started out,” said Hunter and Aaron’s grandmother, Shirley Malloy of Austintown, referring to progress Hunter has made since having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Also accompanying the family was the boys’ mother, Stephanie Crites.

In addition, Hunter is enrolled in a therapeutic martial-arts program at his school, which has helped to improve some of his physical abilities as well as his focus and concentration, Malloy said, adding he recently earned a brown belt in karate.

Hunter expressed a little reluctance toward returning to the classroom and having to acclimate to a new environment, but his younger brother is excited about being back to school, partly thanks to Saturday’s program, Malloy continued.

“He can’t wait to go back to school,” she added.