Photo by Skip Lawrence Art teacher Lisa Cutchin is pictured on Thursday at Saint John Regional Catholic School in Frederick.

"Henri Matisse said that," Cutchin said when asked about the message. "I want my students to know more about the artists, what they went through, and how they thought."

Her undergraduate degree in art history comes in handy when she wants to fill her students in on the background of artists and what made them tick.

But she is just as handy when it comes to creative assignments for her budding artists in pre-K through eighth grade.

Her own specialty is clay, and she takes full advantage of the commercial-sized kiln in her large, airy art room. Glazed, fired clay projects from past students dot a classroom busy with displays, art supplies and projects in various stages of completion.

Cutchin, 54, is a late bloomer in the field of education. She started teaching at St. John six years ago after a 25-year career in corporate human resources, including 17 years with Lockheed Martin. Between the two careers, she took a short detour as a children's librarian.

Frederick County Public Libraries first hired her as a substitute. She had to be prepared to cover any job in the building. Her training as a children's librarian, telling stories and reading books to small children, made her aware how much she loved working with youngsters.

Just as she was offered a full-time children's librarian position, she was told of a long-term substitute teacher slot at St. John, where she volunteered. She said no to St. John, citing her need for the benefits provided by the library job.

She still believes God played a role in St. John crafting a full-time position: four days of teaching each week and one day working with QUEST, the school's enrichment program.

"The principal who was here then said, 'We're opening a new school and we're going to have a kiln -- do you know anything about clay?'" she said.

As an undergraduate student at American University, Cutchin won a fellowship to study with a clay artist.

"I looked up and knew God was smiling down upon me that day," she said.

Today, she encourages the creativity that exists in all her students, she said. She also incorporates math and science in her projects -- a way to do her part in areas where American students are falling behind their global counterparts.

Recognizing an abundance of spatial learners among her students, she has introduced them to Sonobe cubes. The cube is built from six pieces of folded paper, using origami techniques.

"Figuring them out really involves advanced geometry," Cutchin said. "I tell the kids that if they really enjoy this kind of activity, they should think about being engineers, architects or computer programmers."

She teaches photography to her seventh-grade students and runs an after-school stock market club.

"Many kids don't think they're creative, but I tell them there are many different kinds of creativity," she said. "And I tell them yes, they are creative."

She works hard to ensure that some project, some outlet, proves that true for every student.