Students at Shadow Ridge are gearing up for an exciting opportunity: attending the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Detroit, Michigan this coming March. This annual event provides a unique chance for young artists to immerse themselves in ceramics, develop their skills, and learn new techniques.

According to Mrs. Brackney, “Students go and we get to develop what they already learned in ceramics and learn new techniques. We get to immerse ourselves in three days of ceramics all day. We learn different techniques from different artists. It’s super fun.” 

Attending NCECA also allows students to travel outside of Las Vegas, experiencing new cultures and perspectives. 

Mrs. Brackney shared, “This year it’s in Michigan, which is where I’m from. So I get to show them different cultures and things that I was exposed to when I grew up.”

To help fund their trip, students are creating and selling handmade ceramic pieces. 

Mrs. Brackney explained, “They are doing basically anything. So dishes mostly, bowls, cups, platters, mugs, pins. Some teachers have ordered sculptures, we have ornaments, basically anything that someone wants made, we can do. Like, if you see an inspo on Instagram or something, then we can make it.” 

Every piece sold supports the students’ trip, as all funds from the sales go directly to help pay for their travel and expenses.

“All the money earned from our fundraisers goes to pay for students’ trips. They put down a small deposit and then they fundraise the rest,” she said.

In addition to purchasing ready-made pieces, families and community members are invited to join a special Paint Your Own Pottery event on December 13th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Ms. Brackney described the event: “You put down your deposit of $10, and then that holds your spot. We have tons of already bisque pieces for people to glaze, and they can glaze it however they want. They’ll do the underglaze and design it however they like, and then we will run them through the kiln, and they get them back.”

The $10 deposit is credited toward any pieces participants choose to glaze.

For those unable to attend the event, pieces can also be ordered online through the school’s Linktree.

“If you don’t go to school here and you register to come, then we send you an invoice link after you register so you can pay online,” Ms. Brackney explained.

Handmade ceramics offer a personal and lasting touch that commercial products simply can’t match. 

“Handmade pottery is always better than commercially made pottery because it’s cool to see the process it goes through and to have pieces that last a long time,” Ms. Brackney said. 

Supporting our students through purchasing these unique creations helps them not only reach NCECA but also continue growing as young artists.