DeSmet School sixth grader Esmay Anderson is putting the finishing touches on “Mr. Snuggles,” a carefully painted black cat on the side of her clay pumpkin. It’s a sunny October day, and she and her classmates are learning how to shape clay on some picnic benches. Parked on the school lawn behind them is a bus painted bright pink, orange and blue.
“I think it’s really fun,” Anderson says. “We have, like, one more week with them, which is really sad. This makes me really calm and happy.”
A review like that is music to “Wheels on the Bus” founder Elisha Harteis. She’s a local artist who was inspired to bring ceramics to students after Missoula County Public Schools cut into arts programming last year to balance the budget.
“My passion is during the school day,” Harteis says. “How to keep kids engaged in education, I think, is through art.”
Art – and getting a little messy.
Instead of seats, this school bus has clay throwing wheels, giving students an opportunity to shape bowls, plates, pots, vases and more.
Harteis and her instructors can bring this clay studio anywhere. They launched this summer with a series of camps through Missoula Parks and Rec. Thanks to private donors, Harteis’ bus will be at DeSmet school every week for the rest of the school year, free of charge.
Superintendent Matt Driessen says it's the wrong move for schools to target the arts when budgets are tight.
“You know, when kids are excited about what they’re doing, that actually changes them,” Driessen says.
And these kids left little doubt they were excited about their clay creations.
