Middle Schoolers spend “A Day in Clay” with potter

MIDDLETOWN, NY—Monhagen Middle School students got their hands dirty while spending “A Day in Clay” with Cliff Mendelson, a professional potter, creating coil pots. The workshop, funded by the district’s Art in Education (AIE) program, let kids try their hand at ceramics and taught them a lesson in Native American art history.

After doing a brief demonstration and showing students samples of Native American ceramics, middle schoolers rolled up their sleeves and got right to work.

Students created the bases of their coil pots and then began building the walls by adding one coil at a time—carefully joining each coil to the previous one. Once the desired height was reached, students used their fingers to smooth coils. Then, the designing began. Some students carved patterns into the clay, while others left their pots smooth. Soon enough, the coil pots, of all shapes, sizes, and designs, were finished.

Learning across the curriculum is just one benefit that AIE is providing. Accord¬ing to various studies, it has been proven that the artistic development of a child’s mind helps expand his/her capability to learn how to think creatively. Exposing students to visual arts, music, theater, dance or any arts-type activity during their school years, can help foster better problem solving abilities. Arts activities also help students communicate more effectively.