Members of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) at Hempfield High School are currently hard at work creating a woodblock print to raise money for the Hempfield Fire Department. NAHS is not yet collecting money for print purchases but is accepting reservations while supplies last. To reserve a print, email dan_clarke@hempfieldsd.org.

The limited-edition print is being handmade by NAHS with an etching press and will be laser-engraved onto blocks of wood. The design for the print was created by student illustrator Lydia Card, who will sign each finished product. The print is 11 by 14 inches and will also be matted and ready to fit a 16-by-20-inch frame. Only 101 prints will be made; 100 will be sold, and one will be given to the Hempfield Fire Department. Half of the money raised from sales will also be donated to the fire department, and the remainder of the profits will be used to cover the cost of materials such as ink, paper and wood blocks and to support the students in NAHS.

NAHS has previously aided local charities through projects such as making holiday cards; however, the woodblock venture is larger in scope than most of them. Dan Clarke, an art teacher at Hempfield High School, is assisting the group of students with the process of making the prints. Clarke previously worked in the printing and commercial art industry and is using his experience to guide the students through the project. NAHS decided to benefit the Hempfield Fire Department with this sale because NAHS member Alex Shufflebottom is a member of the company.

"The goal of the project is a little bit different than when we've made holiday cards. If you have this piece of art in someone's home, it's a reminder of this entity in the community that's volunteer based," Clarke said. "It's like having a billboard for the fire company in people's houses. All of our classes are great and let our students produce great work, but this lets them have a direct positive impact."

After Card illustrated the firetruck and firehouse, Clarke combined them with text to create the final design that will be printed on the wood blocks. With the help of Jacob Settle in the high school's tech department, the design is able to be applied to the wood with a laser engraver, allowing the artists to accomplish a level of complexity with the piece. Once the blocks are engraved, they are sanded down and sealed to allow each unit to withstand the pressure of the printing press. Each print will be slightly varied, as the students are rolling the ink by hand. NAHS members have been staying after school to assist with the project.

In addition to completing projects like prints to benefit local organizations, members of NAHS regularly take educational field trips together. This year, the group of artists traveled to Philadelphia to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation, and they have previously traveled to New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the end of April, students visited Hershey Gardens for a group sketching session.

"It's a really rewarding process. I've learned a lot through printing and from being in the club," said Jeralynn Liranzo, a freshman at Hempfield High School. "It's really great being able to see art I otherwise might not be able to and put the inspiration back into my art."