After David Appelbaum’s retirement last year, Ritenour brought in a familiar face to be the the new ceramics teacher; former middle school art teacher Jocelyn Meyer.
With a new teacher also came a new after school club, which provides students an extra hour after school on Wednesdays to work on projects, or just take advantage of the many resources the school has to put their creativity to work.
Ceramics Club was created to help meet a demand with many students in the school who either would not have enough time in class for their projects, or some who just wanted to work with clay outside of their regular classes. Most of the time projects from ceramics take a lot of extended work and patience, which could tend to be difficult for many students. This club provides the opportunity for students to slow their pace and better develop their ideas with no pressure of time limits or grades.
According to Meyer, the interest of students played a very major role in the creation of the club.
“Kids are always wanting to work on clay and especially those who are not in class. But there are so many kids who want to work with clay and I just wanted to make sure there was time and space for kids to do that,” Meyer said.
Meyer also talked about how students would tend to start big projects during class but would not be able to finish them before the semester ended.
“Lots of kids who are making incredible sculptures in class run out of time and I really want to see their work completed for their own sake, because it’s so cool to see their ideas come to life. So I just want to make sure there is a set time people could come and work,” Meyer said.
The after school club gives a lot more of a relaxed and quiet atmosphere compared to a usual classroom. Students help each other while also being able to receive help and guidance from Meyer. For some members it being a smaller club is one of its bigger strengths.
Senior Ta’Mya Martin, a member of the ceramics club described the environment as calm and supportive.
“It’s really comforting, and Ms. Meyer is around to help with what you need. There are not very many people in there, so it’s easier than being in a whole class,” Martin said.
The Ceramics Club is also a space for students that allows them to experiment with their ideas without having to be scared of failure. Working on clay in ceramics usually involves making mistakes from things like cracked pieces to walls collapsing, but moments like that are all a part of the learning process. Having a mindset like that really helps students build confidence and patience which is something that extends further out than just working on art.
Senior Skylar Mays, who is another member of the club, gave advice to people who are unsure if they want to join.
“I would say join. A lot of people don’t like it at first because it is a lot of trial and error, but eventually you get good at it and start making stuff you like” Mays said.
Mays also added a reminder for people that would be completely new to ceramics.
“I would say be prepared to get your clothes dirty,” Mays said.
Meyer’s passion for ceramics goes way farther than just teaching kids art techniques. She explained how her connection with art is much more personal than it may seem.
“I love working with clay myself. I love teaching kids how to work with clay,” Meyer said.
She also went into how it can be very beneficial for people emotionally to do ceramics.
“I find that it can be a very healing and soothing material to work with, so I think it is really awesome to see students get to experience that during their school day, which can be stressful,” Meyer said.
The sense of calm that comes from working on ceramics is one of the club’s most defining features. It is a place for students to relieve pressure and calm down from all the stress that comes from school.
Meyer has come to Ritenour High School with the intention of making a difference in the student body and adding to the ever evolving art community.
