The last time I walked into a middle school I was more concerned about not being called a dweeb than how art can connect kids of all different backgrounds and cultures. But this is exactly what the Hilltop Artists do. While teaching kids to blow glass and work with other art forms, Hilltop Artists - a nonprofit youth program that improves the lives of more than 500 kids a year through art classes and individualized instruction - exists to help kids succeed, get scholarships, and stay in school. It was founded in part by Dale Chihuly in 1994. Even more amazing, the program operates out of a verifiable middle school (Jason Lee). No dweebs involved.

The Jason Lee Middle School hot shop does not feel much like the usual middle school art environment with its distinct lack of 90210 merchandise, snap bracelets, and perms. (Wait, does that date me?) Instead, there is glass artwork, paintings on the walls by Dale Chihuly, and some downright scary sources of fire, glass, and metal. It's pretty obvious that anyone who doesn't know what they're doing in here is likely going to lose a hand, a limb, or a face.

"There's a big focus on artistic and creative voice, but it's not about the glass," says Outreach/Communications Director Kathy Anderson. "It's about the kids."

Hilltop Artists focuses on kids ages 12 to 20 in a unique way - a very unique way. This program is, as far as they know, the only glassblowing program in a public school in the United States. This is, your author believes, due to the fact that no other adults in the nation are courageous enough to give kids of this age permission to use fire with wild abandon.

The nonprofit program is not funded by Tacoma Public Schools but does work in partnership with the school system. TPS also provides the facility and utilities for the program.

Students in the program are extremely diverse, coming from local schools such as Mason, Wilson, Ford Middle School, and of course Jason Lee. While the program is titled after Hilltop, it strives to reach as many school districts as it can. "We see a lot of kids who are often really struggling in other areas but who really do well here. We are accepting of everybody, and they all have to work together here," says Anderson.

The way Anderson speaks of the students in the program - all so different but united as glassblowers and artists - is inspiring. She tells me stories of young gang members turning their lives around after finding a place to belong, of kids with behavioral problems having no issues whatsoever in the hot shop, and of Hilltop Artists' many programs that reach out into the community. These programs range from elective school classes, to work with court-involved young women, to a production team that creates glass to sell to help fund scholarships and the program. While the program most often reaches out to at-risk kids, kids from any school district can come to the after school program. Once a student is on the production team, he must stay in school and do well as he is paid via scholarships he earns for later.

But why glassblowing? Glassblowing is somewhere along the lines of becoming a creative and skilled rotisserie chicken (in other words, it's really flipping hot). "It is very primal," says Anderson. "It's heat, and it's dangerous and that's really appealing to kids. Another important factor is we're trusting them with that. They're working with over 2,000-degree heat, and we're trusting them." She adds that there are rules in the hot shop, important rules that create structure for everyone involved, and that may be one of the few forms of structure in some of the kids' lives. I would ensure rules in a place that gives 2000-degree glowing glass globules on sticks to kids, too, but my first rule would be don't touch.

Best of all, the students learn to blow glass for free. Due to an array of grants, fund-raisers, community support, donations, and sales of the very glass the students create, Hilltop Artists does not charge a penny from its students. Older students also earn scholarships through their work on the production team.

The community can view and purchase the work of the Hilltop Artists in many ways. The program hosts several events each year, including spring and winter glass sales, and hot shop events that welcome the community. The next event is the annual Fundraising Breakfast on Oct. 6. Artwork is always available for purchase in the hot shop at Jason Lee Middle School by appointment but also is often on display around Tacoma, including places such as the Wright Park Conservatory and Vetri Gallery.

"It's a wonderful program," says Anderson. "It's been around 16 years, and I hope it's around a very long time because I think it's very important and unique and reaches kids in ways nothing else does."

For more information on Hilltop Artists, visit their website here.