Decoratively colored glass sculptures with intricate designs line the walls and tables of the shop. A student rotates a piece in front of the fire hole, heating it up to sculpt it.

Palo Alto High School art instructor David Camner teaches a sculpture class incorporating several mediums, including clay, bronze metal, wood, found objects and glass. Camner, who has been working with glass since 1969, said his class emphasizes the sculpting of glass as another form of artistic expression. “The basic thing is I teach sculpture,” Camner said, “I see glass as just another medium to work with.”

The program has experienced great success since it was started five years ago. Student interest for working with glass has increased and classes have expanded greatly. The development of the program has received wide acclaim. “My program is a source of pride in the community,” Camner said.

Along with beginning and advanced glass blowing classes, instructors Anthony Alfaro and Jonathon Tepperman teach weekend workshops that span from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The cost for the workshops is $375 per person with a limit of four people.

The workshops offer basic introduction on glass blowing techniques and safety procedures. Most participants are first-timers, but teachers accommodate those with previous experience.

A few Gunn students have taken advantage of the weekend workshops. Senior Caroline Cross took the workshop last November and found it enjoyable. She said that the first day they focused on safety and making solid objects, such as paperweights. On the second day, they began to blow glass, making hollow pieces such as cups and ornaments.

“The weekend classes are good because you have a big amount of time to work,” Cross said. “You really need an entire weekend to devote on it.” Cross said that the small class size allowed for more individual attention and time with the materials. In one weekend class she was able to learn several techniques and make ten pieces. “You have to work really fast or else it will cool off and you can’t work with it,” Cross said.

The idea for a glass blowing class at Palo Alto High was first conceived in 1999 when Camner brought a group of students to a weekend workshop in Santa Cruz to learn how to blow glass. The students wanted to start organizing trips to blow glass on a semester basis. Camner decided that instead of raising money towards repeating the trip he would use this money to build a glass shop that students could use all year.