Playing in the Clay

Once a week after school, Stuart Hall students can be found playing in the mud at a local Staunton business—or the clay, at least! In pottery co-curriculars at Staunton Clayground, students have been learning hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques. The co-curriculars are taught by Campus Life Coordinator Nicole Hill, who also teaches community classes at the studio.

Cary Dahl, a former parent and current board member at Stuart Hall, opened Clayground earlier this year to create a local community space for people to practice pottery as an art form and a hobby. 

The studio is within walking distance from Stuart Hall‚ between the main campus and the Eastham Center, and provides the space and equipment needed for budding artists to develop their pottery skills. Dahl has long been interested in ways to support the arts at Stuart Hall and has found that the students are a lively presence in the studio: "They bring a lot of energy and a different perspective, especially since there are students from so many different cultures. That really comes through in their art," she says. 

Stuart Hall is committed to fostering relationships and learning opportunities throughout the town of Staunton, and Dahl recalls how her own children grew more responsible and independent because of the ability to explore Staunton with their classmates. Now, as a business owner, she sees how valuable these partnerships are for the town, too.

"The closer the ties are between the school and the town, the better it is for both. The Stuart Hall students bring an energy I haven't seen with any other group of people," she says.

In the spring, an advanced pottery co-curricular will be offered so students can build on the pottery skills they have developed in the first two sessions of the school year.

"Pottery here at STU through our partnership with Staunton Clayground has allowed me to express myself and let my creativity flow while doing something I really enjoy. I took the 3D art class last year and really took a liking to throwing pottery on the wheel," says Liam '27. "I continued to foster that through the wheel throwing co-curricular this year. It’s a ton of fun and I’m hoping to continue making pottery in the spring."