Greensburg Salem High School students use art, manufacturing skills to honor school board

As Lola Slavnik put the finishing touches on her landscape painting during art class at Greensburg Salem High School, she had no idea her work would be shared with the community.

Prints of Slavnik’s painting were among the handmade gifts given to the district’s nine school board members in January in honor of School Board Appreciation Month.

“I think it’s cool,” said Slavnik, a 10th grade student, “because I just took this as a fun class and now other people are getting to see my work, too.”

Five of tech education teacher Alan Gray’s students also contributed a gift — sets of two-toned wooden coasters engraved with the district’s “GS” logo.

The students are part of Gray’s Maker Class, dedicated to walking students through creating, designing and building items. The class plays on the concept of a maker space, combining traditional woodshop tools with modern technology such as laser cutters.

“Essentially the goal is ‘Let’s get you working with your hands,’ Gray said. “Let’s get you solving creative problems — going through the entire process from start to finish — and you take ownership.

“It’s not designed to be as streamlined as a typical project would be in a classroom where a teacher gives you directions and you have a set of parameters. The goal is for you to have complete ownership.”

Gray launched a maker club in the fall to expand on the class. So far, it has gathered about 15 members.

Students craft gifts for school board

Gray’s maker class students spent about four of their 85-minute class periods creating nine sets of four wooden coasters — gluing the two tones of wood together, cutting the coasters to size, using a router machine to create edges, engraving each piece with a laser cutter and covering them in a mineral oil coat.

“For a little square coaster, they did quite a few steps,” Gray said.

Art student Katie Barry said her landscape painting project encouraged her to experiment with texture and color mixing.

“I did a lot of testing and trying to make things look accurate,” said Barry, a 10th grade student.

For Lauren King, the challenge lied in perfecting her painting.

“It was new for me — actually going back to a painting to keep working on it,” said King, an 11th grade student.

“Usually, I sit down and paint it and I’m done,” she said with a laugh. “I got to keep coming back to it with new eyes.”

Collaborating with the community

This isn’t the first time the high school’s art students have given their art to the community, said teacher Darryl Audia.

Audia’s students participate annually in the Greensburg ArtsWalk, an event held by downtown Greensburg businesses, Seton Hill’s Art and Performing Arts centers, the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

The art students also have painted wooden chairs and old skateboards to be auctioned in an event hosted by the district and the Greensburg Business and Professional Association.

“I just think it makes it real, makes it relevant for them,” said Audia, who has taught art in the district for more than two decades. “They feel like it’s worth their time.”

Gray aims to emulate those opportunities for his maker club students.

“The kids are grateful to be able to have hands-on learning experiences,” he said. “And I believe, truly that, based on my interactions with these students day to day, they want to leave an impact on where they grew up or where they live.”

Though tech education teaches useful skills for manufacturing or trade careers, they are also beneficial to homeowners, Gray said.

“We’ve all had a leaky faucet,” he said. “We’ve all seen people doing trade-based work. It’s out there.”