During the May 2019 Project Week, students from 8^th, 9^th and 10^th grades prepared for their upcoming Empty Plate Dinner, which will be held on the evening of Thursday, November 21 at 6:30pm.

This years’ Project focuses on childhood hunger and the prevalence of “food insecurity” in our community. Students researched non-profits working to address the issue and voted on an organization to support.

The students chose to support No Kid Hungry, a national campaign working to eliminate child hunger in the United States, by hosting a dinner featuring the almost 100 ceramic plates they made. Tickets are $30 per person and include conversation, a beautiful student-made ceramic plate, and a hot meal.

We look forward to welcoming many of our GISW parents and students at our dinner. If you would like to attend and support our students and No Kid Hungry, please email Ms. Cheshire at acheshire@giswashington.org with the amount of tickets you would like to purchase. She will send you an invoice for the total amount and you may then pay online. You may also purchase tickets directly from Mrs. Cheshire with cash or check made out to “German School Society.

Making the Ceramic Plates

Each plate is the product of a lengthy, hand-made process. First, clay was rolled through a slab roller. The clay slab was then cut into a circle and then pressed into a paper form and smoothed. The clay was set out to dry overnight until it became “leather hard.” Then it was trimmed and refined and air-dried again until it reached the “bone-dry” stage.  The bone-dry plates were then bisque-fired to about 1,200° F. At this point, the plates can be handled without as much risk of breakage and are ready to be glazed. The students used masking tape to create designs on the plates and then applied three layers of underglaze, which is the color you see on the plates. Lastly, the plates were painted with three layers of clear glaze and fired to about 2,300° F. The end product is a beautiful, colorful, shiny, and food-safe one of a kind work of art.