Molding Opportunities from Clay

Upper School students demonstrated their love for throwing clay to a captive audience of Preschoolers.

Throwing clay on a pottery wheel is not as easy as it may look. It requires practice, skill, concentration, and a fair amount of serendipity. “You could fail four times in a row 
to even just center the clay on the wheel,” said Holden Groenwoldt-Dietrich ’26 (pictured above, right). “But then the next day you could crank out four bowls in a row that are really good. It just depends.”

Groenwoldt-Dietrich, and his friends Benjamin Naples ’26 (pictured above, left) and Theodoros Dimitropoulos ’26, were hooked on the potter’s wheel after using it for the first time in 9th grade. They loved it so much that they began practicing on the wheel in their free time, sometimes together as a group, other times on their own. “Throwing is something that we all really connected with,” said Naples. “We put a lot of effort into what we’re doing, and we treat it seriously.”

Upper School Art Teacher Andrea Worthey took notice, and invited the three students to give a pottery wheel demonstration to eight classes of prekindergarten and junior kindergarten students. Not only would it be a great opportunity for cross-divisional learning, but they could earn service hours as a requirement for their National Art Honor Society membership.

At first, the boys were nervous about being able to concentrate on throwing while also giving a demonstration to young children. But when they saw how excited and interested the younger students were, it got a lot easier. “They seemed like they were having fun and pretty interested,” said Dimitropoulos. “I thought it was fun.”

In spring, the boys approached Worthey about starting an AP 3-D Art and Design class at USM, which is a year-long class that requires a final portfolio of 14 finished pieces of different mediums. “I told them it’s a college-level class, and they would need to be dedicated because it’s not easy,” said Worthey. “But they wanted to do it, and they all signed up for it for fall.”

They plan to continue their demonstrations to Preschool students next year, too, and hope to take it a step further by teaching them how to make pinch pots out of clay. And if careers as professional ceramicists don’t work out, they could look into teaching. “I told them they would make very good teachers because they’re very patient,” said Worthey. “And it’s doing what you love, plus showing others, which is exciting.”