Youth make paintings in the creative arts area at the Black’s Academy of Excellence in the basement of Zion Central Middle School. The academy provides kids with an opportunity for exposure to crafts and hobbies in a non-traditional way that could be a pathway to a later career. (Photos by Greg Harutunian/For Chronicle Media)

It started several years ago, when Charles and Juanita Black began offering honey filtered from the beehives on their Zion farm.

The rural 8-acre property along Delaney Road gave the family, with their children, William and Ayashia Bevly, a chance to bond and also raised the possibility of teaching others what has become a hobby and art form.

After applying and receiving a $100,000 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education, through its after-school program initiative, Black’s Academy of Excellence was formed as a non-profit agency. The goal was to provide kids with an opportunity for exposure to crafts and hobbies in a non-traditional way that could be a pathway to a later career.

Zion Elementary School District 6 was enthused by the idea and approach, eventually settling on space in the Central Middle School’s basement. Three large rooms, each with their given crafts for the day, have become a hub of activity not only for the kids but families.

“We do different programs, and our programs include beekeeping, fish farming, gardening, creative arts, and culinary arts,” said Juanita Black. “Every Tuesday and Thursday, we alternate between them. We also have vendors come in and teach them different skill sets like videography.”

“One afternoon, we had Lake County Circuit Court Judge Reginald Matthew come in,” she said. “He held a mock jury trial and gave a lesson in court proceedings, as well as deliver inspirational messages that the kids can do things, if they apply themselves. We try to do as much as we can, exposing them to a career but at the same time, keeping them busy.”

The academy’s culinary arts area gets ready to make spaghetti, meat sauce and garlic bread during a session.

There are no cellphones allowed while programs are being run, and a main theme of keeping everyone engaged. On one recent day, the kitchen area was making spaghetti and sauce, with garlic bread, as the culinary specialty, as another room had creative painting and printing up original design T-shirts by the kids themselves.

As for the food, the students get to enjoy their own cooking and efforts by eating at the table. What is left over will go home with them to their families. The skills learned in the kitchen are also translated into something practical, where the kids actually apply their knowledge in whipping up dinner for their families.

“One night, I made lasagna for dinner, and my family was surprised,” said Sienna Miller. “I like coming here after school, because there’s always something different going on. I like cooking the best, though.”

The creative arts area had clear plastic tarps covering the tables and several volunteers mixing paints in separate batches. Each student was given a canvas and allowed to express himself or herself visually. The young artists did everything from splashing on all the colors to moving a frame around to angle the paint drippings.

There are 30 students from Central Middle School participating in the programs. School officials are supportive of the venture and looking for ways to expand it.

Supervision and kitchen safety were also on the menu for the day.

“I love this. I wish they would have been here earlier,” said Tara Thomas, the School District’s academic enrichment coordinator. “We have two middle schools, Central and Shiloh. Next year, we would like the kids at Shiloh to get the same opportunity to join the program, as they are close by, and can just walk over.”

“The leaders are patient with our students,” she said. “I would recommend the district to consider helping with funding.

“What I like about it is, it’s an incentive. If the kids realize they are not doing well in school regarding behavior, they may not be able to participate. They want to participate. It helps us, a two-way street, and a win-win.”

Christopher Johnson, Zion Central’s principal, said, “Black’s Academy has partnered with us this year, and helping sixth- and seventh-grade students develop positive social skills and professional skills outside the classroom. They’ve taken them to their farm, teaching craftsmanship, and they’ve been very successful.”

Juanita Black also said a summer camp is in the plans. The camp would include meals, supervision, and of course, hobbies like beekeeping. Funding is being researched through private and business donations, or individual assistance.

“We want to help kids grow,” Black said. “If they get the urge to continue with something they’ve learned through the program … what better foundation?”

For information on Black’s Academy, go to www.blacksacademyofexcellence.org.