Pumpkin Carving with Mrs. Keese at WCS

Mrs. Karen Keese, our high school art teacher, never lets go of any opportunity to nurture her students’ curiosity and understanding of art.

On the last day of October, although students were given delicious candy and snacks during lunch break, the most exciting part of the day for high school art students was undoubtedly the pumpkin carving activity hosted by Mrs. Keese.

Right after 7th period, students rushed into the art lab to help Mrs. Keese carry eight large, bright orange pumpkins along with carving tools she bought for her class. Tablecloths were also spread out so that the desks wouldn’t get dirty from all the pumpkin seeds. 

Finally, a long-anticipated moment for both the experienced and the novice pumpkin carvers had begun. After seeing Mrs. Keese’s skillful demonstration, the students immediately started cutting the top of the pumpkin with a serrated knife. Some made fancy zigzag openings while others stuck to the simple circular cut. 

Then came the most challenging and lengthy step of the entire process: scraping off the seeds inside the pumpkin. For half an hour, each student worked vigorously on cleaning the inside of the pumpkins as the sweet and natural aroma permeated the air. A few students grew impatient and switched to using their own hands to scratch off the gooey fibrous strands. After all, making a mess is inevitable, isn’t it? 

With time flying by, the students hurriedly proceeded to the most enjoyable section: carving their own designs onto the face of the pumpkins. Ranging from funny expressions to adorable little animals, each was unique and creative. Soon after, tiny candles were placed into everyone’s pumpkins, creating a beautiful glow inside that marked the end of this event.

“I loved this activity, but some aspects were quite unexpected!” said one of our junior art students, as she showed off her slime-covered hands.

“It is always refreshing to be able to do activities like carving pumpkins, especially since it’s been a long and frustrating day,” said a freshman.

This was truly a delightful and educational experience provided by Mrs. Keese. A shoutout to her for being such a hardworking and caring teacher, who deserves all the appreciation she gets.