A Blair Junior Found Her Passion in a Ceramics Elective

By Ahana Samantray

MCPS offers a wide variety of classes, ranging from Advanced Placement courses to specialized electives. For many students, these classes are just another credit, but for others, they become something more. Israa Noshan, a junior at Montgomery Blair High School’s competitive STEM Magnet program, has discovered a fulfilling creative outlet: ceramics.

A Different Kind of Art

When Noshan was choosing her freshman-year courses, she knew she wanted to take an art class. Having spent years sketching and painting, she was interested in exploring a different form of artistic expression.

“I think sometimes you get so used to doing the same things that you forget there are other ways to be creative. I had spent so much time sketching and painting, and ceramics gave me the chance to try something completely different,” Noshan said.

Ceramics stood out as an opportunity to do something new and intriguing.

“You can’t just do ceramics at home, you know?” she said. “It’s like an opportunity to take advantage of, and you don’t get that every day.”

Unlike drawing or painting, ceramics allows students to work with clay to create three-dimensional objects. The process requires specialized materials and equipment, giving students access to an artistic medium they might not otherwise have the opportunity to explore.

From Learning the Basics to Experimenting With Glazes

Noshan’s skills have continued to develop as she progresses through the ceramics courses.

In Ceramics I, students begin by learning the fundamentals of working with clay, including handbuilding techniques. They can also choose to work on the pottery wheel, although it is not a requirement. While projects provide structure, students have room to make creative decisions about their pieces.

As students advance, the class offers opportunities to experiment with more complex techniques, including glazing, which gives finished ceramic pieces their colors and surfaces.

Noshan described glazing as one of the more unpredictable aspects of the process. A glaze’s appearance before firing does not always match its final color, and combining different glazes can produce unexpected results.

“You never know the outcome,” Noshan said, explaining that even when students use the same glazes, their finished pieces can look different.

Through ceramics, Noshan has explored an art form that combines creativity with experimentation. Each project offers the chance to try something new and create an object that is uniquely her own.

Making Time for Creativity

For high school students balancing demanding coursework, extracurricular activities and other responsibilities, finding room for an elective can be difficult.

Noshan sometimes visits the ceramics classroom during lunch, planning around tests, retakes and other schoolwork. She said she adjusts her schedule to make time for her projects while keeping up with her academic responsibilities.

Despite those demands, she has continued taking ceramics for three years.

“At school, you’re always thinking about your next test, your grades or what assignment you have to finish. In ceramics, I get to focus on something I’m making because I want to make it. It’s a different feeling from working toward a grade,” Noshan said.

“I feel like it’s therapeutic for me,” Noshan said. “It’s like a nice break from all the stress that I have during school.”

For Noshan, the class has become more than a way to fulfill an art credit. It is an opportunity to step away from academic pressures and spend time developing an interest of her own.

Making Room for Something New

Course selection can be difficult for high school students. Many students approach it strategically, prioritizing the courses they believe will best prepare them for the future.

“I think it’s easy to get so caught up in grades, college and making sure every class you take will benefit your future that you forget to do things simply because you love them. Not everything has to be a stepping stone to something else. Sometimes, it’s enough to have something that makes you happy,” Noshan said.

When she first enrolled in ceramics, she was not necessarily searching for a long-term passion. She wanted to take an art class and try something different. Over time, that decision became an opportunity to discover an interest she continues to pursue.

“I’m glad I gave ceramics a chance, because I don’t think I would have discovered how much I enjoy it if I had only chosen classes based on what seemed most practical. Sometimes you have to try something without knowing where it’s going to take you,” Noshan said.

For Noshan, one art elective became three years of working with clay, experimenting with glazes and developing a passion for ceramics.

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