(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Pumpkinfest volunteers aren't the only helpers carving pumpkins for the pumpkin mountain which is showcased each October in mid-town. Students across the city are taking this week to dedicate time and carve pumpkins that will be displayed on the pumpkin mountain.
KQ2 got the chance to join Barbara Spencer's six-grade art class on Thursday afternoon as her students carved pumpkins.
Spencer dedicates a whole week leading up to pumpkinfest to celebrate Halloween and get ready for the festival.
"It's a great opportunity for our kids, we have a lot of kids that don't carve pumpkins at home, or have never been exposed to anything like this," said Spencer, an art teacher at Spring Garden Middle School. "And we use it as kind of an a way to teach three dimensional art. But in a medium that we never get to play with."
Two of her students, Jaylea and Casen are eagerly excited to showcase their work over the weekend.
"I wanted to do something kind of scary, kind of something reminds me of Halloween and whenever I think of Halloween I think of witches and clowns and stuff," said Casen Fortune. "I originally wanted to do a Hocus-Pocus design, but since it was letters it wouldn't have looked as good, so I decided to do something that kind of revolves around that. So I did a cauldron," classmate Jaylea Stafford added.
The students have the opporutnity to be creative by choosing a Halloween or Spring Garden school themed design.
"They'll see the they try to find their pumpkin and see if they can spot other peoples in their classes. And it's really, really gratifying that they get to see their art in action," Spencer explained. "It's a great environment to be around. It's just really a fun thing, it's like a really fun class to me. I've always really liked art," said 6th grade student Jaylea Stafford.
