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Friday, December 14, 2012

A Clean School is a HappySchool: PSA


Desserts, Designers, and the Dominican “Struts Its Stuff”


Desserts, Designers, and the Dominican “Struts Its Stuff”          

Joy Cho

 

 

            What happens when you put fashion, food, and fun into one night? An enjoyable evening with over 150 people in attendance and close to $4,700 raised for the Dominican Republic--at least, this is what happened with Desserts, Designers, and the Dominican. The fashion show and silent auction, generously sponsored by local boutiques, businesses, and the WCS community, went off without a hitch, but the planning process of the first-time event was no simple or easy .

            Jessica Bush, co-leader of the event, admits that she went to her mom for comfort during times of frustration--which there were plenty of. Being rejected by stores and businesses were quite common occurrences. But discouragement was quickly cast aside when the big picture came to mind. Jessica says that helping the Dominicans kept her motivated and pushing forward even when she was tempted to give up. She has doubtless gained valuable professional skills through the experience as well. “It’s taught me organization skills,” she reflects. “It helped me break out of my comfort zone in a lot of areas.” Most importantly, though, she was blown away by God’s control over the whole event. “It made me trust God a lot more,” Jessica says. “It was incredible to see how He was working.”

            Dr. Buzz, senior class adviser and WCHS principal, showed little sign of amazement at the success of Desserts, Designers, and the Dominican. “I had very high expectations,” he says honestly. “But I had never seen one [a fashion show].” Although Dr. Buzz was not in town for the event, he says that he has heard plenty of praise: “It surpassed even what I thought it would be,” he says. His dedication to the project from the start proved to be an invaluable source of help--and also as an inspiration for other student-led endeavors. Dr. Buzz expresses a hope for a future “full of empowered students” when the ideas come from students, and the adults back them up but let the students themselves take charge and initiate projects. “It [Desserts, Designers, and the Dominican] reinforces my positive outlook on such things,” he says with conviction. He is uncertain about the future of this event, but hopes that perhaps another class carries on the project. “It will go nowhere unless people buy into it,” he says. “But I’d love to see it continue.” Jessica adds, “It’d be cool to make it an annual thing.”

            Those who strutted on the runway also say they enjoyed being a part of the show. Even Donyell Miller, who has model experience at John Casablancas, says that “it was a lot of fun.” Her favorite part of being a model was the preparation that took place before arriving on the runway, such as hair and makeup. She also liked “experiencing the nerves before” as she anticipated the moment when she would be on the catwalk for all to see. The models had to arrive hours beforehand to practice their walks and to try on their outfits, but even so, Donyell agrees, “It was totally worth it.”

            Now, the clothes are returned, the auction items are sold, and the last of the “thank you” notes are in the process of being mailed out. The only truly lasting thing is the remembrance of God’s deeds and His moving hand throughout the entire process--which were amazingly witnessed. As Jessica sums it up, “It was obvious to see God was working through this whole experience.”