The Art of Tea elective immerses Upper Schoolers in the world of tea – from the harvest of the leaves to the ritual of a tea ceremony. The “hands-on, palette-on” interdisciplinary class is taught by US art teacher Auguste Elder, and combines history, geography, biology, and the visual and culinary arts. Throughout the course, students employ research skills to study varieties of teas from around the world and their historical significance, methods and production, as well as the science behind tea brewing.
As a culminating project, students curated a menu and guided adults from the Calhoun community through a tea-tasting, during which they served multiple steeps of a tea while explaining its flavor and origins. The assignment challenged Upper Schoolers by requiring a great deal of research, preparation, and public speaking skills. As they led a tea ceremony on their own, our budding tea sommeliers were able to put into practice the vocabulary, rituals and knowledge they've gained throughout the course.