A ceramics lesson recently made its way from the classroom to the outdoors as Hannibal High School students transformed their pottery through Raku firing.

The ancient art technique turned dozens of clay pieces into unique ceramic products, all with different glazes and finishes. In a matter of minutes, the student-sculpted clay was heated in a kiln to 1,800 degrees, added to a barrel where it was deprived of oxygen, then the glowing hot pieces were cooled in a bucket of water. The result was as unique as each student who created the work.

“This was such an amazing event to watch the process play out,” said high school art teacher Lauren Siskavich. “The students were able to see their work transform instantly, and they were not disappointed; the finished work was absolutely incredible!”