About Me

Hi there! My name is Katie Jahner and I love teaching art at Olympia High School. 

I am a 2003 graduate of Oak Harbor High School (go wildcats!) and a 2011 graduate of Brigham Young University (Jimmer forever!).  At BYU, I completed a BFA in Studio Art: Ceramics which basically means I am really passionate about clay and I am also really good at doing laundry (if you've taken a pottery class before, you'll understand!).  I also completed an additional 2 years of instruction at BYU for my K-12 Art Education endorsement and somewhere in there managed to sneak in 18 months as a volunteer for my church serving Spanish-speaking families in Montreal, Canada.  I  am currently enrolled as a graduate student at the Art of Education University. 

I started working full time at OHS in 2018. Prior to that, I worked as an assistant administrator for a before/after school enrichment program at a Title One elementary school, managed a Color Me Mine franchise, worked as an artist in residence for an integrated preschool for kids with special needs, volunteered teaching art at a youth detention center, ran my own clay studio, taught kindergarten, maintained a private piano teaching studio for a few years, and taught for Olympia Parks and Rec. 

Clay is my passion--as I will remind you in class, clay is literally the fillings in my teeth and the wedding band on my finger. I live it, breathe it, and love it. I fell in love with ceramics as a high school senior and was one of the very few who went to college as an 18 year old only to declare my major immediately and never change it. I believe art is a powerful tool for understanding, exploring, healing, and relating to one another. I am passionate about teaching ceramics because of the community it creates. Clay is slow, connected, tactile, and meditative. It can also be fickle, frustrating, finicky, and incredibly rewarding. I strive to encourage a warm, vibrant environment in our studio where we can work together and celebrate our successes (and commiserate over our occasional failures!) YOU are an integral part of our studio and I care deeply for every student who shares our studio space. 

Outside of clay, I am a mom and I love spending time with my husband and our two kids. We garden, raise chickens, have dance parties, and adventure together. A few years ago I discovered alpine mountaineering and currently enjoy exploring Washington's glaciated peaks in the spare time I don't have. I am excited to meet you and I hope you paths cross in the clay studio soon!