Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School (LTCHS) students have been hard at work preparing for the largest fashion show the school has ever seen.
The show boasts participation of approximately 140 students out of a graduation class of nearly 320. Grad advisor and educator at the school Penny Crawford-Ritz, said the students, staff and parent volunteers have been working hard for nearly six weeks to prepare for the event.
“It’s a pretty spectacular event. The planning and everything takes about six weeks, and the kids have had a really heavy involvement for the last month. Once they get their store, and go in and get fitted for their clothes, the grads have to find their music and choreograph their number,” she said.
“The kids don’t just walk on the stage like a runway fashion show. They pick songs and themes and usually act out a story that goes with their music. It’s awesome to see. These kids are just wonderful. It’s so nice to see them strutting their stuff and having fun and being the amazing young kids they are.”
The show will be taking place on Dec. 3rd at 7 p.m. All of the funds raised from the event go towards offsetting costs of graduation events such as the graduation gala, as well as costs for caps and other accessories for grads.
The event is the largest fundraiser for the grad ceremony and events. This year is a special one with the highest rate of participation the school has ever seen.
“Our grad class is about 320 people, so to have nearly half of them in our show is quite an event. We’ve got stores all the way from Value Village to Black Knight Tuxedos and bridal stores. There’s just a huge range of clothing and brands and style. The entertainment is really unique and different,” said Crawford-Ritz.
She and the other grad advisors Rob Petrie and Lisa Olesen have worked hard helping the students prepare.
“Last week we had our initial run through and at that time, we give the kids some fine-tuning, polishing details. They take those details and practice with tips like using the full stage, connecting to the audience, or ensuring they have a creative way of entering and leaving the stage,” Crawford-Ritz said.
“It gives all of the grads who are involved to see the other groups and it really picks up the momentum of the performances.” Parent volunteers also put in effort to make the event run smoothly. Parents have collected donations for raffle prizes, assisted in setting up clothing rentals and prepare a meal for all 140 of the students for the evening of the event. Crawford-Ritz said there has been weeks of planning that go into the event to make it a success.
“Students found out what store they would be modelling for about a month ago. It’s been kind of a whirlwind since then. Before that, we host a couple of different meetings for all interested grads and we have a parent meeting for those who have signed up to volunteer to help,” she explained.
She added she is looking forward to the extravagant event and that the students, parents and staff have worked very hard to bring together this amazing show.
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