Beauty School knock outs raise money for Haven House by displaying talents

Model tryouts began last Thursday for the Austin Kade Academy’s annual student hair and fashion show. The show displays the students’ work and raises money for the Haven Shelter.

The fashion show is on March 27^th at 7p.m. and costs $10 at the door. Last year the students raised $8,000 for the shelter and this year they hope to raise more than $10,000. Joshua Laird, a cosmetology student of two months, said, “We’re giving back to the community.”  

According to the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership (EICAP), the Haven Shelter offers many different opportunities and help to women and families in areas such as GED classes, Life Skills Training and Self-Esteem, Budgeting, Reunification of Families, Advocating for Families, Job Skills, Emphasis on Education and Self-Reliance.

Tyler Price, one of the school’s founders, said, “The Haven is working on breaking some new ground to expand and get better facilities.” Instead of simply giving free handouts, the Haven tries to work with people so that they can help families who are in need. Price said, “[The Haven] helps get them back on their feet.”

All of the families at the Haven house are given free tickets so they can enjoy the hair and fashion show. Laird said, “We’re trying to focus more on the kids this year.” One way they are doing this is with the show’s theme, which is super heroes and villains.

Many know the term “beauty-school dropout” from the musical Grease. For some, beauty school is not highly thought of, but The Austin Kade Academy, which started two years ago, tries to prove that beauty school can be just as intense and prestigious as any other route of education. Students can learn esthetics (advanced skin care), which can get them jobs at spas, salons, or even a doctors’ office. Another route is Cosmetology, which deals with many different things, like hair and skin.

According to www.austinkade.com, “The more services you can perform with a client the greater chance they will return to you.” Classes at the Austin Kade Academy are very intimate; the students get more one-on-one interaction with teachers because class size is roughly 12 students.

The Austin Kade Academy was founded with family in mind, being named after the founders’ sons Austin, the oldest son of Tyler and Allison Price, and Kade, the youngest son of Brian and Brandi Cornelison.

Natalie McBride, who has been studying cosmetology for four months, said that she has always wanted to do this kind of work; she even got big doll heads for Christmas so that she could cut their hair. McBride said, “It was just a perfect fit for me.”

The students do a lot of work to put on this show; they choose the models, choose a wardrobe, apply make-up and style hair. They also pick out the music and participate in some way through the whole process. The fashion show is a great way for the students of Austin Kade Academy to showcase their talents, and to raise money for a good cause. To support the Haven house the fashion show is a great place to help out and be entertained.