Asa is a good-natured, kind artist. The last unit we did on campus was ceramics, which Asa loved. He immediately began making clay pizzas! This started a trend and soon, many of his classmates were making pizzas as well. For each one, Asa used a round slab of clay for the pie dough, added small disks for pepperoni and a coil all the way around the edge for the crust. He then carefully glazed them, using yellow for the cheesy surface, red for pepperoni and brown for the crust. After transitioning to virtual learning, Asa attended most of the live zoom sessions and completed a diverse range of work including a rainbow painting and a magical wand. The wand in particular stands out. Asa attached feathers and cotton balls in addition to adding a blue colored pencil to the tip of the wand. This idea was also popular and inspired some of his classmates to attach pencils to tips of their wands as well! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Asa this year.

Aze is a good-natured, curious artist. She is expressive and likes working with both two and three dimensional art materials. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Aze made a wonderful pizza. She used a round slab of clay for the pizza dough, added small disks for pepperoni and a coil all the way around the edge for the crust. Aze then carefully glazed it, using yellow for the cheesy surface, red for pepperoni and purple for the crust! At home Aze attended almost all of the live zoom sessions and completed the assignments. The magic wand she made stands out! Aze wrapped yarn, tinfoil and other recycled materials around a stick to make the wand and at the end she fashioned two perfect one inch shiny cubes out of tinfoil, and hung them from short strings at the end of the wand. They not only looked magical, but transformed into a percussion instrument as well! It’s been a pleasure working with Aze this year.

Lyyli is a confident artist who oftentimes has an idea of what she wants her artwork to look like before she begins. Lyyli works hard to make the art materials match what she envisions in her mind’s eye. She enjoys working in both two and three-dimensional materials and is a perfectionist, always taking the time she needs to complete each piece up to her high standards. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Lyyli made a teapot with a lid and a pizza pie. She carefully constructed the teapot and was excited to learn how to add the spout with coils. Lyyli carefully glazed this piece green and black. It is functional and should make a lovely pot of hot tea! The individual slices of pizza are covered with toppings and Lyyli glazed each one differently, creating a multi-colored pizza pie; each piece is delightful! After Lyyli successfully transitioned to virtual learning, she attended most of the zoom sessions and worked independently to complete projects. A highlight was the guitar she made out of recycled materials including an egg carton and paper towel roll. She used rubber bands for strings and made frets out of pencils so that the guitar can actually be tuned! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Lyyli this year.

Nathaniel is a good-natured, enthusiastic artist. He listens to directions, follows instructions and works with great focus in both two and three dimensional mediums. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Nathaniel loved working with clay. He made four sculptural pieces including a coyote and a small human figure. He did a good job blending the clay together when building and also learned the importance of hollowing out thick sections, like the head of his coyote, to protect against cracking. This spring when classes went remote, Nathaniel took some time to adjust and then attended all of the live zoom sessions. The string instruments that Nathaniel made in an integrated sound unit we did with the classroom teachers were amazing! He made both a banjo and a guitar out of recycled materials. The pieces were structurally sound, beautifully constructed and musical! Nathaniel used pencils as frets to change the sound of each (rubber band) string. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Nathaniel this year.

Sonny is a good-natured enthusiastic artist. He listens to directions, follows instructions and works with great focus in both two and three-dimensional mediums. Sonny works at his own pace and takes the time he needs to make sure his work is up to his high standards. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics. Sonny loved working with clay and made two sculptural pieces including a coyote. He did a good job blending the clay together when attaching different pieces and learned how to hollow out thick sections of his sculptures so that they wouldn’t crack in the kiln. When classes went remote this spring, Sonny attended all of the live zoom sessions. The recycled tower he made out of cardboard boxes, egg cartons, paper-towel tubes and plastic containers was amazing! Sonny figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of the tower. As the tower grew taller, Sonny found himself standing on a chair to reach the top. He had to balance the size, shape and weight of each piece so it wouldn’t topple over. It’s been a pleasure working with Sonny this year.

Alastar is a good-natured artist who approaches each assignment with an open mind. Both his recycled tower and marble run, which he made at his home this spring just after classes went remote, showed great ingenuity and playfulness. Alaster used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create the sculptures. He figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of his tower. This knowledge carried over into making the marble run. As he learned about force, gravity and friction, Alaster adapted his marble run by making switchbacks to make sure the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. Both sculptures were a big success! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Alaster this year.

Clio is a good natured artist who is open to new ideas and excited by each assignment. Clio’s marble run, which she made at home this spring just after classes went remote, showed great ingenuity and playfulness. Clio used painters tape to connect paper-towel, toilet paper tubes, and other recycled materials to make a run that spanned an entire staircase! She figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, and adapted her marble run by making sure that the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. Her marble knocked down several dominos at the bottom of the run. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Clio this year.

Hudson is a good-natured artist. He enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials and is a fast worker. In his marble run, which Hudson made at his home this spring just after classes went remote, he used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create the sculpture. Working independently, and after much experimentation, Hudson figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it. He adapted his marble run by adding switchbacks to make sure the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Hudson this year.

Mira is a good natured artist who is open to new ideas and excited by each assignment. She enjoyed all of the engineering challenges, especially the marble run, which she made at home this spring just after classes went remote. Mira’s run showed great ingenuity and playfulness. On her bedroom wall, Mira used painters tape to connect paper-towel, toilet paper tubes, and other recycled materials. She figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, and adapted her marble run by making sure that the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it jumped off the track. She did this by using sandpaper on the bottom of the track to create friction and slow the speed of the marble. Working with Mira this year has been a pleasure.

Ronan brings great enthusiasm to each assignment and particularly likes engineering challenges. He is an independent, resourceful artist who approaches each project with an open mind. Ronan worked with his sister to create a marble run at home. He went above and beyond to make the sculpture travel down an entire staircase! Ronan used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create this sculpture. He figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it; and as he learned about force and friction, he adapted his marble run slowing the marble down so that it didn’t travel so fast it went off the track. He also experimented with knocking down different items at the bottom of the track. The lighter ones fell over, but the large, heavy wooden blocks did not! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Ronan this year.

Stella is a good-natured artist with big ideas! She’s eager to do well and enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials. In the cardboard construction she made last semester when classes were on campus, Stella delighted in pushing the materials to their limit. She enthusiastically added wheels and pulleys, beads, string, felt, paper and other found objects to her construction. Yet, at times Stella became frustrated when she couldn’t make the art materials match the idea she had in her mind’s eye. For instance, she had difficulty adding wheels to her piece and wanted to give up. Encouragement and help from the teacher, and taking some time away from her project helped Stella calm down and re-engage. As she gains more experience working with both two and three dimensional art materials, it’s my hope that confidence in her abilities as an artist will continue to grow. It was a pleasure working with Stella.

Ahzli is quiet and good-natured. She enjoys art and delights in exploring both two and three-dimensional materials. For the last in depth collaborative project on campus, Ahzli chose to study the Arctic hare. She made a lovely pencil and watercolor study of the hare, and with teacher support successfully wrote three facts about the hare’s lifestyle and habitat. Ahzli then made a whimsical paper mache replica of the animal, complete with long ears that stick straight up. She covered the sculpture with soft cotton to create the fur. In the follow-up unit, Ahzli made two shadow boxes depicting the western pocket gopher. She worked independently with the hot glue gun and gained an understanding of foreground, middle-ground and background. Her dedication and interest in making art continued as classes went virtual. Ahzli participated in all of the live zoom art classes, and did many other art projects at home with the support of family members. Her mixed media collages and giant green turtle sculpture stand out as particularly adventurous! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Ahzli this year.

Aster is an independent artist and keen observer who listens intently, yet is often reticent to offer his opinions. He approaches assignments in both two and three-dimensional mediums with curiosity. Aster is slow to begin, but once an idea takes hold he works with great focus. This was evident in the last in depth project we did on campus, an animal study, for which Aster made a chinchilla shadow box and a paper mache koala bear. In making the shadow box he gained a clear understanding of foreground, middleground and background. He enjoyed painting the chinchilla and it turned out beautifully. For the koala bear, he successfully made a wire armature and newspaper body, and then added paper mache. Aster mixed up several shades of gray paint to depict the fur and added small round cardboard ears; all of which come together to create the whimsical likeness of a koala! His commitment to making art continued as classes went virtual. Aster participated in all of the live zoom art classes, and did many other art projects at home with the support of family members. His cardboard squirrel sculpture stands out as particularly inventive, as Aster wrapped yarn around the entire piece to create the squirrel’s fur. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Aster this year.