Gena Wikstrom
Desert Edge High School (DEHS) in Goodyear hosted members of the Ceramics Club to enjoy a field trip to the high school’s ceramics department. Arranged by DEHS’s Ceramics Department Visual Arts Instructor Ryan Williams, it was our second year of going to the high school for a “senior” field trip. During the event, we were guided in the creation of a clay mask by high school students who served as our teachers.
We were provided rolled and block clay, shown a variety of cultural clay masks, and encouraged to develop an idea of what kind of design we imagined. With the help of DEHS ceramics student encouragement, create we did! Most of us have never worked with forming clay. Even with the students’ guidance, the creative disparity between our ceramics members was obvious! But we were not without laughter, encouragement, and just plain fun. The students were engaging, and we were able to discuss individually their career aspirations, hurdles, goals, and challenges. What a great group of kids! Many of the students participated in a field trip to PebbleCreek in January where they created a beach/ocean scene on a bisque plate. To get to know these kids is an honor as each is exceptional!
The partnership between Desert Edge High School and the Ceramics Club of PebbleCreek continues to carve a path that is rewarding and beneficial to both entities. The biggest benefit? We from PebbleCreek Ceramics get to hang out with kids who warm our hearts and bring us to a clearer understanding of the changing world of education.