This is the second year of Kalani’s Ceramics Club; however, leaders and coordinators of the body say that last year was more of a learning experience on how to run the club properly.
Vice president, Julie Yonebayashi (12), of the club called last year “chaotic.” This year is the start of a more official pace, where they plan to do more events and fundraisers.
However, more structure does not mean the club will be more strict.
“You get to create something of your choice,” Yonebayashi explains. “Like, if you join the actual class, maybe there’s going to be assignments you don’t want to do, but if you join Ceramics Club, you can just tell the leadership, I want to learn to make ‘whatever, whatever.’ And we’ll teach you and help you throughout the way to actually get your piece [to be] something you could take home and be proud of. I feel like that’s the best feeling you can have.”
The main focus of the club is to allow students to create anything they want without the boundaries of assignments, curricula, and deadlines. While also giving a chance to the students who couldn’t join ceramics class because of how sought after it is, and how quickly it tends to fill up.
Eda Choi (12) is the club’s historian and enjoys getting to share her knowledge with the freshmen club members.
“You can help them have a hobby of what we had here,” Choi states.
“I like making stuff and I felt like class time wasn’t enough to make whatever I wanted to make,” Keilani Sung (12) says. “So I thought making a club would be good, so other people can come together and then build stuff after school and be more creative.”
The shared reason behind both starting or joining the club, echoed by memories and leadership, is simple: “creativity.” Both people who consider themselves not artistic and those who do share a love for the hands-on activity that is ceramics.
“All of my classes are kind of like math, science, you know?” Sung explains. “This is like the only class where I can be creative.”
Reece Miyasato (12), who has been in Ceramics class and the club for the last two years, especially loves how the club allows him a place to “create” while at school.
“It’s like drawing where I get to express thoughts in my head onto physical form,” Miyasato says.
Kalani’s Kiln Crew has brought out the unique thoughts of many that otherwise can’t be expressed in school.
Despite the chaotic start to the club last year and all the learning their leadership has had to do to run the club, Yonebayashi reminisces on the parts of ceramics that have encouraged her to continue working and coordinating this club.
“To be able to, like, take home a piece you’re really proud of and show everyone about it and be like ‘oh, I made this,’ you know.” Yonebayashi states, “I feel like that’s such a proud moment to have, especially if you worked really hard on it and thought about it. And you’re like, I don’t know. It just makes you happy.”
Billy Bob • Oct 2, 2025 at 11:25 am
awseome the girl in the first photo is cool