Art is a beautiful thing that comes in many forms: painting, drawing, sculpting, etc. However, we could argue that kindness is another type of art, and Grace Berry, an RMA Upper School EC student, combines this beautiful art form with more traditional, hands-on art by spreading kindness through her ceramics projects.
Grace does all of her artwork at school in her Ceramics class with Mrs. Hunter. She says she really enjoys this work because she can “make ceramics for people she likes.” In fact, each piece that she creates is for somebody at RMA who is special to her. This year she’s already gifted her art to Ms. Baker, Mrs. Ballance, Ms. Weaver, and Mr. Stone.
Ms. Baker is somebody that Grace considers a friend, which is why she decided to give her her favorite piece: a clay gingerbread man. Grace says that they have been friends since last year, and she thought to herself that she should make something for her to show her gratitude.
She also made artwork for Mrs. Ballance and Ms. Weaver, whom she knows because they both go to her church. Outside of church, Grace sees Mrs. Ballance every day at school as she greets students coming in, and while she doesn’t see Ms. Weaver very much on campus, Grace describes her as a “pretty fun lady [who is] very sweet to everybody, not just [her].” As a gift of thanks for this kindness, she made a pumpkin for Mrs. Ballance and a pinch pot for Ms. Weaver.
The final lucky recipient of Grace’s art thus far is Upper School history teacher Paul Stone. Grace met Mr. Stone when she helped with the school’s coffee cart, which has replaced the old “Sparkle Cart.” Each week, the Upper School EC students send out a form teachers use to select from tea, coffee, and lemonade or hot chocolate (depending on the weather). Students then use the coffee cart to deliver these beverages to teachers on Friday morning. This not only spreads positivity throughout the hallways; it also helps the students “gain communication and social skills,” says Mrs. Whitehead, Upper School EC teacher. When Grace began helping out with the coffee cart each week, she met Mr. Stone and wanted to make something for him because she found him funny and liked his accent (for our readers who don’t know, Mr. Stone is British), so she made a tray for him to use.
Other than the act of giving, Grace enjoys the process itself. She says that she “likes the way the clay feels” in her hands before it has been fired in the kiln. We are glad that she enjoys creating art just as much as we enjoy seeing it, and we love the way that she uses it to spread kindness. With half of the school year left to go, we are sure that Grace will make many more pieces to bless RMA faculty and staff with her talents.
