Story and photos by Bailee Hale ’31
Have you ever wanted to sculpt clay during the school day? Seventh and eighth graders at MICDS are currently in Winter Term and taking the course “Create With Clay.” Create with Clay consists of building four art pieces, all of them using hand building methods. They make coils, slabs, and hollow forms by pinching. This class is led by Jayme Zimmer, Middle School Arts Teacher.
When the students walk into the Freeman Arts Building, they go upstairs to Jayme Zimmer’s class. They go to their seats and wait for her to give instructions. Kate Bakula ’31 was asked what she thinks is unique about this class and said, “This class is really fun, and you get to learn different techniques of clay, also how to glaze different pieces.” On day seven, you learn how to glaze 1-2 different pieces with tons of different techniques.
Many students love doing the clay work in this class. Ms. Zimmer was asked what she has been observing lately about this class. She said, “This clay building class for Winter Term has been super fun and really giving students a chance to enjoy the clay building, and learning all the different methods and techniques without the stress or a grade or anything like that. So we’re already becoming a nice little family here and having a good time in the studio at the same time, it’s been really fun.”
The kids in this class have worked really hard on their projects; they have been glazing with special techniques. When I asked Brooke Schukar ’31 what she likes to do in this class, she replied, “I like to create with clay because it is very fun and mindful. Another thing that is great about this unique class is that I get to make sculptures of people I admire.”
Making art can be tiring and time-consuming. Thanks to Ms. Zimmer for teaching and putting in LOTS of effort! Even though it can be tiring and time-consuming, Ryleigh Darby ’31 said, “In this class, we are always working on something artistic.”
Most students don’t have the privilege to work with clay like this, but thanks to Ms. Zimmer, it’s possible.