Kansas City Missouri School District
by Mary Spencer
April 15, 2009 |
Putting style in high school
Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts may well be just the cure for the latest urgency in “school reform.”
Don’t let the name fool you — its curriculum is practical, up-to-date, and its students graduate with very marketable skills. From Grammy Award winner Brian Kennedy to digital media gurus, to fashion rock stars, many graduate to tech- and business-savvy careers.
There’s no secret to student engagement here — take the school of fashion design. One could easily find the next hot urban outfitter here. The designs are not only original, but also wearable. At the school’s April 3 runway show, for example, one design — a thigh-length, alabaster ball gown with flowing Grecian aqua scarf drapes — was not only a flattering piece, but also a stunning work of creativity, as the designer’s creations were made of retrofitted draperies. The student’s clothes would be finds in any boutique.
The runway show offered instant gratification for the student designers as they proudly strutted their original creations. As students explained their works — and the labor of design skill and academics it takes to master the world of fashion design and marketing — the need for schools such as Paseo was clear.
One of the stars of the show was Kendal Hearing. His mission, he said, was to let every woman know that fashion is a style you can make your own. Kendal claims that when he was born, the only world he could see was the world of fashion. The Hearing Collection is filled with color, as is his signature line of scarves.
Kendal is making a name for himself already in his teen years through fashion. At the Paseo Fashion Show boutique, a line of adults wound out the door to see his pieces for sale. In a switch from the typical relationship the community has sometimes had with area teenagers, people surrounded him and crowned him with success rather than approbation.
Paseo fashion instructor Pamela Lucas graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in the industry for over 15 years, altering for Camille Cosby and designing for Lee jeans. Lucas relates to the students and believes in real-world knowledge, the perfect stitch and learning the practical way to start a business.
Perhaps this is the lesson meant for all who would take on the task of school reform: take a cue from one of the fashion student designers who already knows his customers and tells her he “wants to make every woman feel free like a rebel in the world of fashion.”
Maybe success is as simple as preparing a young adult to enter an industry that will allow him or her make money for what they love to do while having fun. It doesn’t have to be a million — what’s important is that the community knows that it has a rock star.
2009 Archives:
February Student rescues family from CO-filled home
2008 Archives:
February School District honors Kansas City pioneers & Attucks students learn power of positive choices
January Safety a top priority for KC public schools & School district tries to reach dropouts
2007 Archives:
December Lincoln Prep top in the nation in 2008
November Parents Have Power
October Early Reading First
September National Attention on Reform Initiative
July Neighborhood Schools for Everyone
June Year-End Wrap-Up from Head of Schools
May Summer School Starts June 18 , Summer School Is for Everyone & Parent Power Prepares You for College
April Wake Up: It's Time to Take a MAP & Lincoln Goes to Robotics Finals
February See the Stars at Southwest High School
January Parent/Teacher Conferences Coming Up & College Degrees for District Parents
