Grant funds after school pottery class

Lillian Miller

Ninth grade art teacher John King and other teachers have put their minds together to come up with an after school pottery class. They were able to make these classes possible due to a grant from the Altoona Area School District Foundation .

This after school class gives the students an opportunity to create many different things.

“Students in the pottery class will have the opportunity to work on a pottery wheel. They will be creating things like bowls, cups and vase. They will also be creating a ceramic mural,” King said. “ I had a lot of students who were interested in learning more about pottery and meeting after school was a good solution because we couldn’t cover everything in class.”

Students attending the after school class were in King’s pottery class or recommended by eighth grade counselor Sarah Janser.

Students in the pottery class have joined for various reasons.

“I joined the after school pottery class because I wanted to learn more about pottery because I find it interesting. I also like to see how pottery is easier for some people than others,” ninth grader Jessica Helsel said.

“Pottery is a very fun and easy way to create artwork. Also, you can actually use it in everyday life which is nice because it doesn’t just hang on a wall or sit in a picture frame,” ninth grader Haileigh Kenawell said.

“I went to the after school pottery class because it will help me out when I eventually begin taking professional pottery lessons,”ninth grader Makayla Gauntner said.

The teachers involved in the after school pottery class are: John King,  Vida Szabat, Wanda Vanish and  Michele Holton.

Willow Yingling
Wow! Reporter Lily Miller tries pottery for the first time by watching Jessica Helsel make a bowl. The look on her face pretty much shows how some students feel when facing the wheel for the first time.