In the basement of McDonnell Hall, you will find a small group of students molding clay. Students are standing at tables imagining what they are going to make next. Each student is focused and relaxed as they near the end of the day. Ms. Petty- the group advisor- is teaching a student how to mold a pinch pot. This is the pottery window. 

Petty is the teacher for the pottery window. Mia Robinson, a senior who was in the class last year said, “She’s the sweetest soul.”

Isabel Marie MacLean-Cury, a senior who took pottery window last year said “She’s also very gentle when she gives any constructive criticism or anything that she’s trying to give you instructions on. She’s not harsh with her words at all.” All the students love Petty and think she is a kindhearted teacher. 

One perk that students get to have in pottery window is that you are free to create whatever you want with clay, and they get as much clay as you want (with the exception that it must be able fit it into the kiln). A kiln is what you use to make your pottery hard and stable. Pieces of pottery can stay in the kiln for 10 hours! Students can paint their pottery different colors. If they want to eat out of your dish that they made, they have to glaze it before putting it in the kiln. 

Molding with their hands is a better technique to create sculptures, while a pottery wheel is a better tool to create mugs and pots. It is up to individual students what materials they decide to use! Some students like Robinson prefer the pottery wheel. “I think I’m mainly focused on like making bowls and mugs on the wheel instead of like building something with my hands.”

Robinson said that you “put the clay into a ball, compacting the clay all into the middle. So, you’re like, pushing down really hard while it’s spinning. And so then, once you do that you put your finger in the middle and drag both sides out and then kind of just do whatever you want. You’re just constantly having like a constant speed.” 

Pottery window is very laid back for a class at the end of the day. Students can let their mind wander and be super creative with what they make.  Audrey Lorenz a freshmen in pottery window stated that it “is relaxing for end of the day.”

Petty does teach some lessons on how to create basic pottery like a pinch pot, but students have the freedom to choose if you want to do that or not. In pottery window students can also take their projects home. Bonus: they can take other people’s projects that they left behind. According to Robinson “I know at the very end of the year the things people didn’t take home, we got first dibs on.”