These monster collaborations are two of 58.
The colorful, expressive and clearly imaginative artwork of Lucerne Valley second graders virtually sprang to life when local middle and high school art students turned the visionary monster doodles into unique glazed, kiln-fired ceramics.
The project started after Lucerne Valley Elementary School 2nd-grade teachers Mrs. Kari Berletich, Mrs. Michelle Lane, Mrs. Brittney Maurer, and Mrs. Carley Stiles came across a video of a project in which younger students teamed up with a high school class.
“We instantly loved the idea!” Mrs. Stiles said. “We wanted to see if we could make something similar happen.”
So the teachers came up with a bold assignment: They assigned the seven- and eight-year-olds to let their imaginations run free and draw their emotions as if they were monsters.
“They were not scared at all,” Mrs. Stiles said. “We asked them, ‘What does happiness look like? What about anger or silliness?’ The students were beyond excited and couldn’t wait to start creating their own unique, expressive monsters.”
Then Mrs. Stiles reached out to Lucerne Valley Middle High School art teacher Mary Vasquez. “We wanted to bring our 2nd graders’ imaginative artwork to life in the most exciting way,” she said. Ms. Vasquez’s middle-high school artists did that and more.
“The students embraced this project with genuine excitement and pride,” Ms. Vasquez said. “They loved the idea of creating artwork specifically for the second grade students, and that sense of purpose made all the difference. It did not feel like a typical classroom project, it felt meaningful. Because of that, many students pushed themselves to grow artistically, and we saw a noticeable increase in both effort and skill. Over the course of about two months, our students created 58 unique ceramic sculptures, each one crafted with care and intention.”
Ms. Vasquez explained that each piece began with ceramic clay and was carefully shaped by hand. After drying for about a week, the sculptures went through their first kiln firing, known as a bisque firing, which hardens the clay. Once the pieces successfully completed this stage, students applied glaze, a special coating that adds color and creates a smooth, glass-like, waterproof finish. The pieces were then fired a second time in what is called a glaze firing. After this final step, the finished artworks were ready to be packaged and shared with the second graders.
“This was such a rewarding and joyful project for our middle and high school students, including members of the school’s Art Club,” Ms. Vasquez said. “It truly became more than just an assignment, it was an opportunity to connect across grade levels and give back to our school community.”
“I am so impressed by the level of collaboration taking place across the district,” LVES Assistant Principal Suzie Manley said. “It’s such a powerful example of how small school districts can accomplish incredible things when supported by a strong, connected community.”
When the 2nd-graders first saw how their doodles on paper had transformed, “their reactions were priceless,” Mrs. Stiles said. “The students were absolutely thrilled to see their monsters come to life right in front of them. There were big smiles, lots of excitement, and they couldn’t wait to take their creations home to show their families.
They even had the chance to proudly show off their monsters at Elementary Family Night in March, “which made the experience even more special.”
The Monster Collaboration ceramics pieces will be shown alongside the second-grade artwork at the Middle High School’s annual Music and Art show on May 8th from 5-7 p.m. at the Sgt. Brian Walker Memorial Gymnasium at Lucerne Valley Middle High School.
“This is where the elementary students will be able to see their artwork on display alongside the middle and high school artworks and see what other artworks they can achieve when they get into middle and high school.”
A video of the drawings-to-ceramics project can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/Md1BYSy4RIQ
The Daily Press also has published an article on the art collaboration. See the article here: https://www.vvdailypress.com/story/news/education/2026/04/22/lucerne-valley-students-create-second-graders-ceramic-monsters/89711666007/?tbref=hp