Bowls made for 7th annual Empty Bowl Dinner at SHS

For the past six years, the Springfield High School Arts Academy and River Valley Technical Center’s Culinary Program have worked together to host the annual Empty Bowl Dinner at Springfield High School.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/bowls-made-seventh-annual-empty-bowl-dinner-shs

Bowls Made for Seventh Annual Empty Bowl Dinner at SHS Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 3:23pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD, VT -For the past six years, the Springfield High School Arts Academy and River Valley Technical Center’s Culinary Program have worked together to host the annual Empty Bowl Dinner at Springfield High School. This year is the seventh year for the event, and the dinner is scheduled for November 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a snow date of November 20. “I started the Empty Bowl Dinner seven years ago,” Springfield High School Art Teacher Lisa Murray said. “I knew that there were empty bowl dinners around the world, and I thought that if the culinary arts program could do the food, we could do the bowls. It’s a way to give back to the community.” Bowls that are featured at the dinner are made by students working under the guidance of potter Susan Leader, who has aided students in the bowl making process since the Empty Bowl Dinner began. Murray said that the in the past, the dinner has been very successful with around 200-300 people coming annually. “The Empty Bowl Dinner is a way for students to bring their families to the school,” she said. “People look forward to it, and have come to expect it every year.” The Empty Bowl Dinner is also a way for Murray’s students to display artwork they have worked on during her classes. All of Murray’s students from a variety of different courses are doing art projects on poverty, which will be displayed at the dinner. Murray asks students to do poverty research and conduct a thoughtful investigation into poverty both locally and globally. Although the Empty Bowl Dinner is still more than a month away, students and some community members have already begun making bowls using a potter’s wheel and clay. “People make the bowls and then they dry for around two weeks,” Murray said. “They are then fired for eight to nine hours, glazed, and then fired again. It’s a huge, huge process getting all the bowls out and then sorting them. The goal for the Empty Bowl Dinner is to have 150-200 bowls available for purchase.” On Wednesday, October 1, students from the pre-school World of Discovery III came to the high school to make bowls. Seven children age’s three to five were all given the opportunity to make bowls with Leader’s help. Vermont State Representative Alice Emmons also made a bowl, as did Director of the Springfield Family Center Stephanie Thompson. “I’ve been involved with the Empty Bowl Dinner since it started,” Thompson said. “It’s exciting to see all the bowls the night of the event and it’s amazing to make a bowl because your hands can make a completely different shape from the next person.” Thompson said that the Empty Bowl Dinner is a fundraiser for the Family Center and a great way to get engaged with the community. “There is great food, and the partnership with the culinary program is amazing,” Thompson said. “It’s usually a good turnout and the musical program afterward is always nice as well.” Potter Susan Leader has been involved with the Empty Bowl since its start, but has been making pottery for much longer. “I got inspired to make pottery as a teenager when I met a potter named Armand Henault at my first summer job at the Grist Mill in Weston,” Leader said. “I watched him work, and I’ve been interested in pottery since then, and have been making it for almost 45 years.” Leader said that her favorite thing about working in the high school is being able to work with school-age people. “It’s a real pleasure and honor to work with young people,” she said. “It’s so exciting to be able to experience and be with people who are just discovering the excitement of doing what you love so much, and it’s really fun to be in school and working with the students.” Bowls made for the Empty Bowl Dinner will be on display at the event. A bowl can be purchased for $20 and a meal without a bowl is $7, and children under three are free. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Springfield Family Center Food Shelf. According to a postcard advertising the event, soup, pasta, bread and beverages will be served by the Culinary Program at the River Valley Technical Center. - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/bowls-made-seventh-annual-empty-bowl-dinner-shs#sthash.jMV4gw6F.dpuf