CONGRADULATIONS ALYSSA OLEA MORALES...

your new journey begins today!!

I'm so incredibly proud of you

 and all the hard work you put into getting here.

Let me introduce to you the brand new,

 full time Ceramics teacher at Chino Hills High School,

home of the Huskies!

Mrs. Morales

Alyssa fell in love with clay 

when she took her first Ceramics I class with me in 2011 as a junior

at Whitney.

Yes Huskies,

this is your teacher in High School creating her nude coil torso in Ceramics II

her senior year.

If you enter her name in the search engine upper left as Alyssa Olea,

 you can see many of her clay pieces she created in her 2 years at Whitney,

as well as all the AMAZING art displays she hung for me as my T.A, 

also in her senior year.

Then for several years after from the Fall of 2012 

to when I retired in the Summer of 2019,

 she worked for me as my Art Assistant 

two days a week while attending college 

and working a second job for her dad's company. 

                                                     

This is Alyssa and I at her Senior High School Graduation in 2012.

And during that time as my Art Assistant,

 she married the love of her life

and High School sweetheart,

Lucian Morales.

Here we are together at her beautiful wedding.

Alyssa completed her B.A., her Teaching Credential 

as well as her Student Teaching

during Covid which made it extra challenging.

She taught Art this summer at a private high school 

while she applied for teaching jobs for this Fall around the So. Cal. area.

She was hired a couple of weeks ago,

her super chill yet inquisitive Principal giving me a call to find out all about her.

Of course I gave Alyssa a glowing recommendation

and he  hired her the very next day.

Woo Hoo!!!

So this past Thursday I drove out to see her in her new classroom

and offer any help in setting things up.

I was not prepared for the exceptional Ceramics room they have built there.

It's even nicer than my college clay classrooms

with everything she will ever possibly need.

Let me show you...

Two views of how spacious the room is,

the natural lighting,

 plus stairs leading up to the other two art rooms.

How cool is that??

Oh,

and you can see her office space too by the flag.

Four electric potter's wheels

and at least 20 or more kick wheels spread not just here but around the room

with hose bib, drains and hoses to clean the clay dust off the floors.

And of course she has built in clay dust fans and filters for the air ducts.

Also a big old slab roller and coil extruder.

And get this,

at least 10 deep sinks that I counted, all with clay traps.

I only ever had 2 sinks for 36 kids per class.

It was pretty tricky at clean up time.

This is an incredibly large clay recycling room complete with a pug mill 

and several wedging tables and additional storage.

And the next room below is a drying room

and another room not shown is a huge damp room.

And best of all an outdoor kiln area that is secure and fenced in.

She's even got a large Gas Kiln that can fire to Cone 10

along with two electric kilns and a Raku Kiln.

Dang!

What a lucky ducky she is!!!!!

Alyssa I'm so thrilled for you!

In all my days I've never been in a nicer or more complete Ceramics facility.

And I'd be delighted to be your Assistant anytime you need me.

Free of charge!!

LOL

Good Luck today.

Know I will be thinking of you all day long.

Love you to the Moon and Back!!