never used to like art. I’m terrible at drawing and I have always lacked artistic creativity so I generally shied away from the subject. Then, my sophomore year, I took a ceramics class, and it changed everything. My brother and sister both loved ceramics, and I decided I would try it out. We sculpted for a little while to begin with, but once we started wheel throwing, I knew this was the class for me. I wasn’t particularly exceptional when I started out, but I did love throwing so I worked hard, and continued to improve. I loved the class so much that I decided to switch into ceramics two for second semester instead of waiting until the next year. I continued practicing, going in at lunch and staying after school. I took every opportunity I had to practice. I learned cups, bowls, platters, and vases. The next year, due to lack of students for ceramics three, I completed an independent study and by the end, created a set of tableware. I am continuing my studies with a full year of throwing my senior year. This is my fourth semester of ceramics, and it is still my favorite class. It is a refreshing break from the rest of the school day where I can relax and learn about something very different from my other classes. Mr. Herman is one of my favorite teachers ever, and I credit everything I know about clay to him. I have learned new, creative ways of problem solving. But perhaps the coolest thing ceramics has taught me is to be creative and artistic, something that I thought was a lost cause just two years ago. It is only at Memorial, where we have an exceptional art department, that I could have had the high school ceramics experience that I’ve loved so much.

