Creative Center Chicago, Art Summer Camp

Starland's mission is to expose families to different creative outlets in order to discover where ones creative talents lie. Our professional and nurturing staff will help guide your child through the many artistic outlets in hopes of fitting the child to the appropriate creative medium. At Starland we take great pride in matching students with their passion.

Unlike government institutions and large corporations we take a personal approach to every child in discovering their passion and helping them refine it. What also sets us apart from our competitors are our innovative and high-tech classes. We stay up to date with the latest trends and offer your child the ability to be exposed to new technology they won't normally get until college.

We here at Starland understand that a parent's time is precious, and we save you the hassle of having to drive your children all around to different centers for classes by providing the convenience of having many disciplines under one roof. Once you visit our warm and comfortable center you will be hooked!

Learn more about the services offered by Starland:

Owner Adam More spent the majority of his working life as an options trader on the CBOE. Woke up one morning and had a revelation of creating a center for children of all ages to find and refine their creativity. I decided I wanted to give something back after years of taking from the system. I bring a genuine interest in having people find their creative voice early, and it gives me great joy to hear peoples positive experiences at the center. Once you know me you will begin to sense my enthusiasm in having people have a great experience at Starland.

Ashley Lynd is so happy to be back for her third year at Starland! She has taught performing arts on the North Shore these past 15 years as director and music director for New Trier's Performing Arts Summer Workshop, director for Edgewood Middle School's musicals, resident music director at the Wilmette Park District, and director of Northlight Theater's Senior Summer Academy. She learned her early childhood chops in Kenilworth's All Things Bright and Beautiful preschool under the guidance of the great Mary Johnson. She has been happy these past two years to see huge growth and wonderful successes in the Starland Drama Department, as well as exciting new classes in Music and mommy-and-me. Ashley has sung with The Apollo Chorus of Chicago is a proud New Trier theater alumna and has a BA in music from Drake University.

Jordyn Pins is thrilled to be the Director of Dance at Starland. Previously Jordyn choreographed for Niles West High School which received the Kennedy Center Arts Award in 2007 for the best fine arts program in the country. She taught at On Your Toes and choreographed for their award winning dance company. She taught numerous dance classes at Northbrook Theatre and choreographed for the professional theatre company as well as the children's theatre. Professionally Jordyn currently dances with Core Project.

Marta Cruz has over 25 years of experience working with and teaching children. She started out as a teacher’s aide in a full day parochial school for kindergarteners. She loved working with children to such a great extent that she continued there for 6 years. Marta is bi-lingual in English and Spanish. She taught Spanish and Crafts classes at the Park District of Oak park. After that, Marta used her teaching experience and expertise to run a home-based day care for 7 years. Marta’s greatest teaching experience is through her love to her children and grandchildren! “It is the young child’s excitement for learning and their sense of wonder that keeps me drawn to early education.” ~Marta Cruz

Alan Begoun aka 'Mr. B.' has always had a love of working with young children. He's coached little league baseball and basketball, volunteered at the J.C.C. kindergarten program and for the last two summers has been an assistant at the Chicago Botanic Garden day camp. He has honed his skills an entertainer/teacher of young children by being a grandfather of seven. Alan has also done community theater with The Highland Park players. He really enjoys assisting with the various drama and musical theater classes at Starland. He greatly appreciates the opportunity to work with these great kids.

Katie Gassel is thrilled to be working at Starland in both the Art Department and Theatre Department! At an early age, Katie went through countless boxes of crayola and made her parents prominently display her creations in frames that took up almost all of the kitchen walls. She also showed her passion for the stage as she coaxed her parents into video taping countless skits, songs, and dance numbers accompanied by her father on the piano. Since then, she has grown up a bit and taken her love for creativity to help children have this same positive experience while making their own masterpieces and performing their own skits, songs, and dances. She has had over ten years experience working with children as the camp director for Broadway Bound Day Camp in Wilmette, choreographer and director for various Edgewood Middle School's musicals, and 4th grade teacher associate at West School in Glencoe. In 2009, Katie received her Masters of Education from DePaul University. Each day in the classroom, Katie looks forward to witnessing the smiles, laughs, and recognition by each student of his or her own talents.

Anna comes to us from Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka, Minnesota, where she served as Children’s Choir director, confirmation mentor, youth group leader and Sunday School teacher. While attending St. Olaf College, Anna was president of the Philharmonia Orchestra and was also a singer in the world-renowned St. Olaf choir under the direction of Anton Armstrong.

Jennifer Ancel Reiter is thrilled to partner with Starland, to offer new and exciting programs and services for children and families in our area. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree from Indiana University, and her Juris Doctorate of Law from Northwestern University School of Law. Her primary area of practice was commercial bankruptcy. Jennifer has spent the last several years concentrating on the area of special education. She founded an organization designed to provide information and advocacy to parents of child with learning disabilities, special needs, as well as Gifted and Talented children. Jennifer is now providing Child Advocacy Services with Starland. She has also created new Gifted and Talented Summer Camps.

Kristi Lynne Mosbey is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated in 2007 with her Bachelor's degree in modern and classical dance from Belhaven University of Jackson, Mississippi. Kristi also holds her National Strength and Conditioning Association license as a certified personal trainer.

Kristi has over twenty-four years of dance training and performance experience. Some of her training highlights include her training in Vaganova ballet technique, and various styles of modern dance including Graham, Horton, and Barteneiff techniques at Belhaven University. She has had previous training in Graham modern dance technique, ballet, and jazz dance at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts from 2001-2003. Also, she has trained and performed in the greater New Orleans area with Javier Juarez Dance Company from 2000-2003. While with Mr. Juarez’s company, Kristi was trained in flamenco, Latin style jazz, hip-hop, and tap dance.

Kristi has performed in several productions with the Belhaven College dance and theatre departments. Some of her performance and education highlights include traveling to Lewiston, Maine to participate in the Bates College Dance Festival in 2006, where she collaborated and performed with Jane Comfort Dance Company and world-renowned flamenco dance artist and teacher Clara Romona. In August of 2007, Kristi traveled to New York City to attend the Dance Teacher Magazine 2007 Conference where she attended many master classes with world renowned artists such as Bill Evans, Daniel Lewis, and Gregg Russell.

After moving to Chicago in 2009, Kristi has had the wonderful opportunity to train and perform with the Chicago Latin Street Dance Company. She has also continued to further her education by regularly attending classes in tap, ballet, modern, jazz, and hip-hop with companies and training schools such as Ameba Acro-Aerial Dance, Visceral Dance, and Hubbard Street Dance. Kristi has also decided to continue her education. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy.

“From the difficulties and challenges of making the transition to Chicago, I believe I have grown as a person and an artist. I have every intention to continue to explore my world of movement through the new lenses I now have. Change is a gift, and growth is beautiful.”