Sitting in Peer Group his freshman year at South in 2012, Alex Remeniuk, now a South Ceramics Teacher, watched in awe as his friend displayed his ceramics project. Discovering the beauty and practicality of ceramics, Remeniuk enrolled in a ceramics class soon after and fell in love with the compelling atmosphere of the class and working for, not perfection, but perseverance, he said.  

Becoming an art teacher was not always Remeniuk’s goal; engineering was his first choice. He was finally pushed towards teaching art after his friends took notice of his passion and told him to follow it. Remeniuk attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned his Bachelor Art Education. Returning to South in 2020 after finishing his degree, Remenuik hopes to inspire students to fall in love with art the same way he did.

 “I found my way to where I was living, breathing, talking about art 24/7,” Remeniuk said. “And I wanted to stay involved with it. So I just focused on art.”

When Remeniuk began teaching, his main goal was creating a safe and welcoming environment where students could feel seen and valued. He focuses on creating personal relationships, encouraging collaboration, and respect with shared expectations, student choice, and celebrating individual and group success, Remeniuk said. 

“Over time, these relationships and shared experiences create a strong sense of belonging and trust that supports both learning and personal growth,” Remeniuk said. 

In addition to personal connection, Remeniuk creates a collaborative atmosphere for his students and gives more freedom to the artists, senior Caitlyn Davis said. The class taught her to think outside of the box and challenged her to create a vision for her art. 

“[Remeniuk is] really good at supporting you, encouraging you to try new things and steering you in the right direction without being critical,” Davis said. 

Remeniuk finds joy in watching his students put their heart and soul into their creation and have it come out as something they are proud of. He teaches students to find the little victories and connect with their work. 

“We’re putting ourselves out there and creating that space where it’s all right if your piece doesn’t make it,” Remeniuk said. “[We focus on] what we can learn from that and taking it to the next project.”

  Remeniuk works to push kids outside of their comfort zone and challenge them with projects like the coil project. Coiling is rolling out long coils of clay and using that to construct bowls and vases. The project is one of the more challenging due to height, but also one of the most rewarding final results for the students, Remeniuk said. 

“[Ceramics is] a whole new learning experience,” Remeniuk said. “It’s truly rewarding in the end.”