Palo Alto High School’s glassblowing studio is receiving over $150,000 in new funding, which will be used to replace old equipment, according to assistant principal Jerry Berkson.
The funding will come from a Career and Technical Education grant. The current tools are out of date, and no longer meet safety requirements, according to Michael Da Ponte, Paly’s glassblowing teacher. Da Ponte says this will also increase the energy efficiency of the equipment. Among these new tools are a $54,335 furnace and a $7,886 glass warmer. However, these prices are subject to change, according to Berkson.
The department will also get two new kilns, which Da Ponte says will increase the amount of artwork that kids will be able to create. Senior Oliver Rasmussen, a glassblowing student, says he hopes that the new equipment will help get more people excited about glassblowing.
“It [the equipment] will make a lot of things easier, encouraging students to push themselves and grow as artists,” Rasmussen said. “We’ll have to see what actually happens … but I hope it increases involvement because glassblowing is so rare and unique that students should take advantage of it.”
