The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist

The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist

The student news site of Bloomington High School South

The Optimist

Glazing and Firing with Potter Sam Mehay

Junior Sam Mehay slaps the clay down on the potter’s wheel as it starts to spin.
She starts to mold it with her hands. At first you can’t tell weather it will be a vase, cup,
or anything else. It’s hard to know until the potter takes his or her creation off the wheel
and places it in the kiln.
Mehay has taken the ceramics course about 10 trimesters since her freshman
year either as a credit or as a teacher’s assistant. She loves Stephanie Benham, the
ceramics teacher, and she said, “it’s calming” and she likes to know she can make
things others can’t.
Mehay has two favorite pieces. One is a female symbol with pictures painted on
it with things she is passionate about such as body image and feminism. She like that “it
was a statement piece” it wasn’t just ‘oh that’s pretty’ or ‘I really like the colors’ it was
‘wow I like the message’. The other is a flower to hold flowers. Benham had someone
come up to her and say they saw this flower vase shaped as a flower and would like
someone to make on for her. Benham goes to Mehay to make the vase. At first Mehay
thought it was too complex for her and she could never do it but “once I finished it, I felt
a sense of accomplishment” she said.
Stephanie Benham is the ceramics and printmaking teacher at BHSS and she
loves how dedicated Mehay is with her work. “She’s very meticulous about her work,”

Story continues below advertisement
Leave a Comment
Donate to The Optimist
$360
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Bloomington South High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Optimist
$360
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Optimist Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *