IRONDEQUOIT BUSINESS STUDENTS learn lifelong lessons

inside and outside the classroom

Irondequoit High School's Fashion and Entertainment Business classes held a fashion show on January 20, 2010 at 6:00 pm in the Irondequoit High School Auditorium. The Fashion Show consisted of three 15 minute fashion shows managed, planned and coordinated by the three Fashion and Entertainment classes taught by Mrs. Jeanine Lent.

This year two of the teams decided to combine their efforts and donate the money they raised to Anna’s Wish. The other team wanted to be different and donated all the money they raised to the Josh Rojas Foundation. "The two charities are very fitting because Josh Rojas Foundation supports families that have lost a child and Anna’s Wish is a charity that was founded as a legacy for Anna McKinney, a 5 year old who lost her battle with cancer on January 2, 2010" Mrs. Lent commented. The Yellow Team coordinated a "Celebrity Scandals" themed fashion show and raised over $350 for Anna’s Wish. The Blue Team’s show had a "Going to the Movies" theme raising $465 for Anna’s Wish. Lastly, The Pink Team showed off a "MTV Reality Show" theme and raised $470 for the Josh Rojas Foundation. Tickets to the show cost one dollar with an option to donate more.

"We really wanted to raise money for a local charity so that Rochester area kids will benefit. We also thought that because this charity is so new that the money would allow the McKinney family to realize Anna’s wish." says Olivia Quinlan, Yellow Team President. Anna’s Wish is dedicated to providing support and gifts for children who are battling cancer. Many families struggle financially during this time because of medical bills, food and supplies during long hospital stays, and lost wages due to taking time off of work to care for the child. The sole purpose of Anna’s Wish is to help families provide their children with the holiday joy they deserve and to perhaps forget about the worries that cancer brings if even for a few short moments. For more information check out www.annaswish.org.

Brittany Rivera, Pink Team President says, "Many of us went to school with Josh and understand the importance of supporting this charity. We really feel motivated and connected to helping out a charity with such a worthy cause and we also wanted something different from the other classes." The Josh Rojas Foundation provides support and resources for families who have suddenly lost a child, to provide information regarding a congenital condition known as Megalencephaly, to provide monetary recognition to the youth of the community who have demonstrated excellence in art, academics, citizenship, sports and/or music and to make grants to public institutions that serve the youth of the community. For more information check out www.joshrojas.org.

The Fashion Show is an apprentice style assignment that is graded as the final exam for the students in the Fashion and Entertainment Business classes. Mrs. Lent explains that "this challenge is the culminating project that demonstrates all the learning we did in class. Students are responsible for all of the management functions of this event including marketing, accounting, sales, talent management, site management, etc." Students will also be graded on their effort, teamwork, preparation of the event, number of tickets sold, money raised, number of people in attendance and professionalism.

"Students are using all of their creativity to create exciting shows for the audience to watch. What really amazed me this year is how many local businesses supported the students by donating prizes for the raffle. It is really rewarding to watch how excited the students get about raising money for charity." Mrs. Lent comments.