Palo Alto High School Fiery Arts

I have a bit of a torn feeling in writing this — the 2 days I spent here playing with glass was great — not sure we should advertise for the program though, as it may get the class too filled for me to join in the future.

Palo Alto High School seems like just an ordinary high school in a high-​end college town. Nice cars, smart students off to Ivy Leagues, and crazy senior pranks. Single handedly, however, Mr. David Camner, the ceramics teacher at the high school, has made this school unlike any others. He began a glass blowing program at the school, introducing ceramics students to the beautiful medium of glass. This experience changed my life. I was given the opportunity to express myself through hot molten glass, and from this I began a passion for any and every piece of glass art.
I hope I can convey to you how fortunate I was to have walked past the glass blowing workshop on my way to the parking lot from class one random day in high school. Not only are students able to learn to blow glass, but David Camner offers incredible workshops (hands on glass blowing with professional glass artists) where you get to experience a very sexy and heartfelt medium of art. There are also frequent class ornament, pumpkin, etc. sales at much lower prices than what you can find elsewhere for handblown glass, but just as good quality. This is what I hope I can recommend to you. And feel good not only about what you gain, but for what you give – the proceeds of any glass sale or workshop participation goes to maintaining the glass program at Palo Alto High School. One of only few (if not, the only) high schools with such a unique program, Palo Alto High School stands out in my mind for this very reason – enlightening me to a new passion for glass.