With the beginning of the 2023 – 2024 school year, a page is turned and a new chapter begins. For new faculty members at PLHS, this means a fresh canvas. 

Among those who are currently adding to their canvas is the new art/pottery teacher, Blanca Cawthorn.

Walking into a new class at the beginning of the semester it can feel like uncharted territory, so Ms. Cawthorn paved a road map of an average day in her pottery class.

“Well in Pottery it’s very Hands-On, so usually just setting everything up and getting everybody going on the project that they’re working on, and then it’s just kind of assisting and supporting as students start working with the clay”, Cawthorn said.

Even with a road map, tips and advice from the one who is grading the papers are always helpful.

“My tips for students entering my classroom is for them to just have an open mind and respect the environment and the opinions and the ideas of others in the room,” Cawthorn said.

While students have things they may look forward to in the year, like homecoming, socializing, or just making it out with good grades, teachers do too.

“This year I look forward to, probably just making it out with a positive outlook since it’s my first year teaching, just feeling confident in myself that I had a successful year”, Cawthorn said.

Art is something that is used to put raw human emotion on the page, to express a message. When support or encouragement is needed to help students understand this, Ms. Cawthorn is happy to help.

“I genuinely am here for the students, any type of support they need”, Cawthorn said. “Art is a very expressive subject so just giving the safe space they need to just come in and be comfortable, and kind of get all their creative ideas out into the open”.

With the new year starting up, Ms. Cawthorn hopes to fill her canvas to the brim with enough colors and memories to last a lifetime here at PLHS.