Explorations Camps

At an early age Brannan loved art. In elementary school her crayon drawings drew the attention of classmates and sometimes the objection of her teachers for not following exact instructions. At the age of 10, her mother gave her a small set of oil paints. The set didn’t come with a paint brush, so she created her first painting on a discarded wooden panel with toothpicks. From that painting, she knew she had found her place. In high school, Brannan won her first two Best of Show awards in art competitions.

Brannan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Louisiana Tech University in Advertising and Graphic Design. After graduation Brannan opened her own graphic design firm in Dallas which she had for 25 years. Her client list included national and international accounts including Neiman Marcus, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Southwest Airlines, and Mobil Oil Corporation.

In 2009, Brannan closed the design firm and returned to painting. She started working with a client who was building a home in Highland Park and wanted a few commission pieces. For years, they would meet weekly discussing art, reviewing comps, and delivering the final pieces. Overall, she painted 27 pieces for that home.

While starting this new career as a fine artist, Brannan taught painting classes to adults and children. She discovered how much she loved to teach the techniques, the history of art and the Masters. Brannan stated, “Teaching has brought so much to my own paintings. When you are teaching a Matisse, van Gogh or Kandinsky, you need to know their story, brush strokes, techniques, and palettes…I will forever be a student of art.”

DFW Institute of Musical Advancement (DIMATexas) provides after school music enrichment programs to independent schools in the Dallas Metroplex. DIMATexas was founded in 2018 by Dr. Elida Dakoli when she discovered that there was a need for high quality music instruction in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She was asked quite often to provide private piano lessons at the school her children attended. DIMATexas has since expanded into a multitude of independent schools, providing more than ten classically trained artists that teach private, semi-private, and group lessons.

Dr. Dakoli began her formative musical training at a young age in Durres, Albania and by the age of twelve she had performed her first solo recital and began performing concerts throughout Albania. At the age of 18, Dr. Dakoli was accepted into the University of Music, Tirana, Albania to study under Professor Anita Tartari and received her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. She has won many awards and has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages. In 2003, Dr. Dakoli left Albania to study at Baylor University in Waco. She graduated with a Master of Music in Piano Performance in 2005. In 2017, Dr. Dakoli earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance degree from Louisiana State University. She serves as music faculty at Dallas Baptist University. Dr. Dakoli also serves on the Lamplighter Parents’ Association and coordinates The Lamplighter School’s annual Media Center Open House Student Recital. Dr. Dakoli is a Mason & Hamlin Artist and serves as the face of and is a recording artist for PianoDisc.

 Michelle Noah holds a BFA in Art from the University of Oklahoma . She is a working artist and the owner of Nonth Street Gallery. Michelle is starting her 10^th summer at Parish teaching art, cooking and gardening.

 OontzKids DJ Academy was founded in 2016 by full-time DJ & dad Dan Quinn who helps kids and teens find their own beat, spark their own creativity and discover their own unique styles within their passion for all styles of music. Along with lead instructor DJ KB, OontzKids has grown into one of the most popular music and technology camps in DFW and beyond. OontzKids has been featured in the Dallas Morning News, CBS11, Southlake Style, 76092 Magazine, and Mobile Beat Magazine, and many students have gone on to produce and release their own original music, and even start, grow, and operate their own DJ businesses playing everything from birthday parties to school dances.

 Jeff Peck has taught for more than 20 years, including the last 13 as the drama teacher at The Lamplighter School. He enjoys helping students write their own material or choose from a wide selection of written works. He utilizes improvisational theatre in both classwork and rehearsal to demonstrate concepts and just for the fun of it! In addition to drama, Mr. Peck also has a wide range of pop culture interests including Anime (which includes Pokemon and its card game), Harry Potter, Star Wars, the DC and Marvel comics universes and his personal favorite, Doctor Who. He’s looking forward to being a guest here at Parish this summer.

Founded by Terri Braun, Kidokinetics has engaged children with fun, high-energy sports, and fitness classes since 1996. They are a premier sports, fitness, health, and recreation program provider that comes to local preschools, elementary schools, local parks, or community centers.

Terri Braun is an athlete, leader, teacher, and mother of three. Her programs keep children moving and active. The magic of Kidokinetics is that they’ve made sure achieving goals is an exciting experience — one that is so much fun, kids aren’t even aware of the fact that they’re learning.

 Premier Martial Arts Addison owner, Lea Abdalla, started this venture out of compassion for youth and a desire for positive community engagement. She left a corporate career to pursue a passion to shape future leaders and instill core values. Premier Martial Arts offers a curriculum to not only teach kids how to defend themselves through a blend of Karate, Tae Kwan Do, Kickboxing and Krav Maga, but also develop characteristics such as confidence, self-discipline, and focus. Their instructors are certified professionals trained in modern teaching techniques and martial arts skills. They not only instill hard work and discipline to drive excellence and improve self-esteem but do so while making it fun for the kids!

 Coach Ty Smith is from Chicago and started in competitive gymnastics in elementary school and by the time he was 16 he was an assistant coach. Coach Ty has been teaching recreational and competitive Gymnastics for more than 30 years. He coaches gymnasts on balance beam, vaulting horse, floor tumbling skills and uneven/parallel bars. He also has taught recreational and competitive cheerleading for more than 25 years including stunts, cheers, chants, motions, transitions, voice projection and power tumbling. He is safety certified American First Aid AED/CPR Association Advance Broken Bone Certificate.

 Serving schools and recreation centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, 8Bit Education strives to create fun, engaging STEM curriculum that encourages technical and social skills both in and out of the classroom. 8Bit Education is family owned and operated. They were founded in 2015 because they saw a need for high-quality, affordable STEM Education.

Founder, Adrian Sanchez, Jr., has been in the field of STEM Education for more than 12 years; he has worked with other companies and has seen what is possible when you open the door to the world of tech for students. He believes everyone should be able to have the experience of learning new skills and having fun at the same time!

Adrian works very closely with his brother and lead instructor, Tony Sanchez. Tony ensures the staff are properly trained to their high standards. The Sanchez brothers work diligently to keep each student engaged and will often team up to teach camps and classes. They also work very closely in developing new material and camps.

The final member of the team is Olivia Sanchez, Adrian’s wife. She works closely with the brothers to develop new curriculum as well as recruiting new partners, developing marketing materials, and working on anything 8Bit might need. 

Challenge Island® is where engineering meets imagination! It’s a one of a kind enrichment program on the cutting edge of S.T.E.A.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education and 21st century learning.  Each semester of Challenge Island takes place on a unique thematic island where our adventurous tribes tackle high-level thinking and engineering challenges at whimsical weekly destinations-combining kids’ love of creating with STEAM concepts making learning fun. 

 Serving the local community since 2020 GearMinds STEM Academy strives to inspire kids in elementary through high school through robotics and coding programs based on their integrated STEM curriculum. The curriculum promotes communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through a unique learn-by-doing approach. GearMinds also offers opportunities to participate in robotics competitions and hackathons. The Teams have demonstrated stellar performance in the First Lego League competitions since 2021 by advancing to higher levels and winning awards for Robot design. GearMinds takes pride in instilling a passion for STEM careers at a young age because they believe passion is the foundation for meaningful education and a bright future.

NuMinds Enrichment was founded in 2013 by Ben Koch and Justin Vawter with the purpose of awakening education through real inspired learning. They create engaging, mixed-age programs and empower teachers around the world to transform their students through innovative practices, divergent thought, critical thinking, and a growth mindset. They do this by incorporating their core values of presuming the best, thinking like a kid, asking questions, allowing imagination, curiosity & wonder fuel the engine and believing in unlocked potential to pave the way for each class they teach.

 Play-Well TEKnologies was founded by Tim Bowen in 1997. Tim was introduced to the LEGO® building system a year earlier and recognized it to be both a popular play medium and a tremendous learning medium. He began to develop projects which drew on his professional experience and combined the elements of fun, challenge, and learning and began operating a summer camp program, followed by after school enrichment classes. With steady growth of the company, project development is now undertaken by a staff of instructors bent on constantly improving the programs.

Play-Well strives to build problem-solving skills, provide an opportunity for creative expression foster a greater appreciation of how things work and encourage the qualities of inquisitiveness, self reliance, and self confidence in children.

 Stemtree of North Dallas is owned and operated by Sean and Allison Tremblay. They have five young kids and have seen first-hand the power of hands-on learning in the intellectual development of their own children. Sean is a US Marine Corps veteran who has since earned his MBA and handles the back-office details. Allison is a seasoned educator who is in charge of the day-to-day operations of Stemtree. She has experience teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Right before opening Stemtree, she worked at a college prep high school as the Director of Instruction and then the Interim Principal, helping to grow teachers in effective pedagogical practices. As the Director of Learning here at Stemtree of North Dallas, Allison is excited to build partnerships with area schools and to help bring high quality STEM instruction to students across all grade levels. Stemtree is entering its 3rd year of operation this summer and has won over many area families with their ability to make camps and after-school programs fun and educational at the same time!

 Techie Factory is a locally owned STEAM/Esports enrichment franchise. Techie Factory is the home of all things STEAM! They began six years ago right here in Dallas just down the road and now offer camps all over the country. They offer fun STEM options for kids of all ages but they like to make sure they don’t forget the A in STEAM. Like many folks out there they offer coding but also have Art, Music, Esports, Entrepreneurship, LEGO, and 3D Design options no one else is doing.