BANGOR – For those who enjoy working with their hands and participating in creative events, a new school recently opened at 96 Harlow St. in Bangor that provides such an opportunity.

C.L.A.E., which stands for Creative Learning Art Animation Academic Experience, offers workshops in “Claymation” and 3-D animation. Students will learn about such things as set design, special effects, lighting and 21st century digital technology, all used to turn clay figures into animated characters. The workshops will afford students the opportunity to learn how movies such as “Chicken Run” and the “Wallace and Gromitt” series are made.

“Our whole concept is to multiage and multimix,” said Faye McDermott, co-founder of the school with son, Peter McDermott II, both of Old Town. The school is open to both children and adults with a variety of abilities and talents.

The McDermotts’ backgrounds include working with a diverse population of abilities, ranging from mental retardation to genius, including those with special needs such as cerebral palsy, attention deficit with hyperactivity and Asperger’s.

“We teach their abilities, not their disabilities,” Peter said. He spoke of one teenager with cerebral palsy who successfully ran a $3,000 camera, and of another young person with mental retardation who did high-end animation.

For three years, the McDermotts worked with educational, recreational and mental health organizations with the goal of tying the program in with the Maine Learning Results, Faye said. The curriculum itself took about a year to develop, Peter said. They achieved their Maine Learning Results goal, as the curriculum includes teaching such things as work skills, problem solving and mental health, the pair said. The program also incorporates math, science, technology, visual and performing arts and career preparation, Faye said.

“We have copyrighted this program,” she said.

Funding for the nonprofit program has come from different sources. It is a state provider, as well as an affiliate with USA Arts of Maine. The McDermotts’ contributed their own resources and held silent auctions to help raise money for the school.

“We’re hoping for grants,” Faye said.

The clay used is very expensive but lasts five to 10 years, Faye said. The room has several tables, two of which sport different themes done in clay – an outback scene done by children in Old Town and a forest scene done by Peter. The McDermotts have a videotape of different films Peter and students have produced, including one titled “Alien vs. Nature,” and a film based on Maurice Sendak’s children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” with Faye’s voice reading the story in the background. It takes 15 to 24 movements to get one second of film, Peter said.

“I have a studio art background,” he said. The 22-year-old Old Town High School graduate started as a teenager working on an animated film. He was one of a team of three filmmakers who worked on an independent project on Indian Island.

His background includes counseling and teaching at Stop Motion-Clay Animation Program at Windover Art Center, and being part of the Taos Talking Pictures Panelist of Filmmakers in Taos, N.M. He also is an artist – several of his paintings line the walls of the new school. And he paints the background scenes for the films he and his students put together. A studio art major at the University of Maine, Peter is taking time off from school to get his own career up and running.

Faye’s diverse background includes being a reading specialist, a special needs tutor at the United Technology Center, program coordinator for PAC’s Program of Academic Excellence, and owner of Teacher Delight, a teacher-parent resource.

The mother and son team work well together.

“We respect each other’s abilities,” Faye said, adding that she was “very proud” to be part of the program she and her family worked so hard to create. Husband Peter is the facilities manager for the school.

Future plans and goals for the school include working with Community Health and Counseling Services in January, working on a program with NOE, and working with home-schoolers and senior citizens, the McDermotts said. The ESL program at the University of Maine will be sending students from Japan for a Claymation workshop in February.

There will be Camp C.L.A.E. for nine weeks during the summer from mid-June to mid-August. Camp C.L.A.E. is among a list of 85 other camps eligible for scholarships for Bangor children in grades three to six through Camp Bangor, Faye said. The McDermotts also hope to work with musicians and to participate in festivals, as well.

Workshops are offered throughout the year in two-hour sessions once a week for nine weeks. The cost is $200.

Local businesses and the C.L.A.E. advisory board have been very supportive, and the McDermotts wish to thank them. Maine Gov. John Baldacci also has supported the project, Peter said.

To learn about the school, volunteer or register as a student, call 664-4734 or 827-5169 for an appointment.