By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State University’s Office of Student Engagement organized Paint and Sip on Monday, an interactive art lesson where students created mocktails while painting together in the Art Building Ceramics Room. The activity was part of Student Engagement’s endeavors to help students relieve stress from final exams for the spring semester.
Students paint and draw on ceramic cups. 
Kaley Rajewski paints her design on a ceramic plate. 
Student Engagement hosts Paint and Sip inside the Art Building Ceramics Room. 
Mocktails were made by students to help relieve the stress from Finals week. 
A ceramic bowl painted on. 
Cade Becker traces his concept on his plate. 
Students’ works were put on display or taken home for their use. 
Roommates painted a birthday-style plate to commemorate one year since moving into their dorm.
Student Engagement Assistant Director Ali Colwell formalized the idea of an activity with arts and crafts from her enjoyment of creative works.
“I really like doing crafts,” she said. “It’s something to get students’ minds off studying for finals, and it’s different [than what we’ve done]. We’ve done Paint and Sip in the past, where we painted on canvases or had a teacher show us what to do, but we wanted to do something different and have something that students can take with them and use in real life.”
Many students painted on ceramic cups and plates with their designs based on imaginative scenarios or campus commitments, like student groups or academic fields.
“We were concerned that we wouldn’t have a lot of people because it’s finals week,” Colwell said. “We didn’t know if students were going home or if they even knew about the event, but we’re glad that a lot of people showed up. Students are looking for something fun to do before the end of the semester, and it’s either with roommates, before they move out for the summer, or to hang out with their friends to finish the year.”
Most students felt this engagement helped them escape the hectic week.
“This is relaxing for Finals week,” said sophomore Hannah Selle. “It was perfect to participate in just to take a break from studying. I made a ceramic flower vase with a tulip on it and based it off spring since I did pastel spring colors. [I think] I did good.”