At Cedar Hill, parents are true teachers

Moms, dads give lessons after school in woodwork, cooking, public speaking - Brendan Kelly hunched over the planks of pine lumber, his eyes narrowed in concentration under his safety goggles as he moved a power sander over the wood.  His mom, Connie, firmly held the boards in place as her 11-year-old son, a fifth grader at Cedar Hill School, finished his handmade shelf.

"I'm going to put trophies on it," announced Brendan, noting his prowess in Montville youth lacrosse and wrestling.  Woodworking, taught by parent Steven Benno, is one of 22 different classes in Cedar Hill's after-school Enrichment Program.

The classes, held mid-January through the first week of February on Friday afternoons, all are taught by more than 60 parent volunteers, many of whom rush from work to be at their son or daughter's side.  Others, like Benno, work from home and live close to the Pine Brook Road facility.  "It's my hobby," explained Benno, of teaching woodworking to the oldest students at the K-5 school. "I've been teaching classes here for four years."  See Daily Record.