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APRIL 16, 2009 ISSUE

Fashion Show At Pioneer Academy’s Open House April 21

Story By Bernadette Cahill

Anna Jaquays, pictured on left, and Sabrina Buckner, pictured on right, model second-hand clothes that will be used for the Pioneer Academy Fashion Show on Tuesday, April 21. Photos by Jamie Bledsoe

Members of the community, former students and their family members, plus the families of current students, are all invited to the eighth open house of Pioneer Academy on Tuesday, April 21.

The main feature of the open house will be a fashion show, in which students will model outfits they have chosen themselves from donated second-hand clothes. There will also be refreshments, but the event is partly a fundraiser so there will also be a yard sale.

Pioneer Academy is a program at Watauga High School for students who are at risk of dropping out. The special program serves 80 students who are capable of work at grade level or above. In addition to academic assistance, the academy provided a variety of supports based upon the specific needs of the students. The academy’s community support group has been responsible for creating scholarships and a discretionary fund for these needs.

This is the first fashion show Pioneer Academy has organized.

“Last year, Bare Bones Boutique donated a bunch of stuff for a weekend yard sale and I saw how many clothes were there. That’s when I got the idea for our next open house,” said Kim Houck, director of Pioneer Academy. “We could utilize the second-hand clothes out there and [also] boost the self-esteem of our students. We could take [used] items and recycle them [and we could] have these kids be the ones who are being showcased.

“It’s about how both sexes can feel good about themselves. It takes a lot of nerve to stand up in front of a group and model clothes,” added Houck.

There are 80 students in Pioneer Academy, according to Houck. The event is multi-purpose.

“This is a comprehensive event so that we can celebrate and socialize and show to the community what we are about. It’s an open house, a homecoming, for all of those who have been in our program before to come back and say hello, for parents to meet the teachers and socialize and it’s open to the whole community.”