These students are making waves in Springfield's first-of-its-kind cosmetology CTE program

Springfield Public Schools' new cosmetology pathway is off to a successful start, with 15 dedicated students putting their all into the program.

Tuesday morning, SPS invited the community to an open house at the Gateways High School cosmetology career and technical education modular classroom. Speakers included SPS Superintendent Todd Hamilton, cosmetology teacher Shirley Arnett, industry partners, SPS High School Director Mindy LeRoux and several of the cosmetology students.

The cosmetology CTE is the first of its kind in Lane County and one of only a handful in the state. It offers high school students access to professional-grade equipment and practical training while they work toward their high school diplomas. By the end of the two-year program, the goal is for students to be able to take and pass their state board exams and be ready to start working in the industry right out of high school.

"Their energy and their passion to learn and grow is beyond anything I could have ever imagined," Arnett said. "(It) makes my heart so happy, because they've chosen this program, and they know that at the end of this, they're going to have an incredible career."

The program is a culmination of more than two years of planning and is funded by $385,000 in federal funds from a Congressional Directed Spending package and additional money from the High School Success Act.

The open house on Tuesday was intended to give community partners and local businesses a chance to see the program and learn more about it. Representatives from Reflections Salon and Endless Barber Co. were among the attendees.

Hamilton said he has been heard from many in the community about the program, including from business owners who say they want to get involved.

"The community has really stepped up and supported this, not only our Springfield community but also the just the cosmetology community," Hamilton said.

Sparking inspiration

When she started high school, Jaden Conklin's grades and attendance began slipping. She lost motivation for school, unsure how her day-to-day classes would truly prepare her for her aspiring career as an esthetician.

"By ninth grade, I knew this is what I wanted to do, but it's so expensive," Conklin said. "I started to doubt this dream that I had, and I just felt like I was stuck."

When her mom told her about the new cosmetology program Springfield was starting, Conklin jumped at the chance.

After going through the application and interview process, Conklin was one of 15 high school juniors accepted into the program. She said it was like a switch was flipped for her.

"I started to come to school a lot more. My grades were going up," Conklin said. "I just felt like something in me grew. I really expanded a lot and so I'm really grateful for that."

After the program began in the fall, Conklin said she learned a lot, growing familiar with the equipment they use in the salon classroom and also gaining general skills in communication and professionalism.

All the students in the cosmetology program were required to transfer to Gateways High School. Every day, they start their in-modular class with Arnett, who teaches them about techniques, safety, business and more. Then, the students attend a cosmetology science class, which incorporates the career pathway into scientific education. After lunch, the students have the remainder of their core classes at Gateways.

Conklin said it was nerve-wracking to start at a new school after switching from Springfield High at first, but is glad she made the change.

"Everybody here at Gateways has this path they want to follow, and everybody's really determined," Conklin said. "Everybody's really welcoming. And all the staff have more one-on-one with people because it is a smaller place."

A CTE family

While some students like Conklin knew their path from the start, others took more of a leap when applying for the cosmetology program.

Jay Leal, who transferred from Thurston High, first found out about the program through his robotics pathway. He had thought robotics would be his career, but he said something told him he needed to pursue cosmetology instead.

Leal said he was probably always meant to pursue hair technology, at least subconsciously. He recalled an anecdote about cutting his younger sister's hair — per her request — when he was just 7 years old.

"I was always interested in my own hair because I liked making sure I look good," Leal said. "But other than that, I wasn't really interested in hair until I found out about the program and really thought about it."

Now, he said, making people happy by giving them a good hairstyle and cut is what he wants to do with his life.

Amelia Guzman said she had an interest in art and was considering going into graphic design or interior design, but when she found out about the cosmetology program, she decided she wanted to try being a nail technician. Guzman said making the switch from Springfield High to Gateways was a more difficult decision, but seeing her older sister, who is a nail tech herself, graduate and then have to attend cosmetology school and leave with debt, she knew this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

Now, Guzman plans to get her nail tech certification right out of high school, and then pursue her esthetician certification as well. She wants to work for her sister at her nail salon, GetTIPsy.

Because she loves art, Guzman wants to specialize in "crazy nail art" with high levels of detail and characters.

Guzman said Arnett has been supportive throughout the program. Arnett herself began cosmetology school at age 16 and has been involved with education and cosmetology for years.

"Ms. Shirley does not play about education. She makes sure you cannot be late to our other classes, she checks in," Guzman said.

Conklin said Arnett helped build a strong community within the cohort. She recalled on the first day, everyone was silent and didn't want to interact.

"We all just looked like we hated each other, and Shirley was standing at the front of the classroom, and she was so excited," Conklin said. "She was dancing around, and we're just sitting there staring at her like she's crazy. By October − it didn't take that long − we were all talking and having lunch together. We're all super close now. So I feel like she was a big part of us growing together."

Future growth for the program

Each cohort is limited to 15 students, but next school year, Arnett plans to add a second cohort of juniors to the mix.

As far as future growth, Hamilton said he sees the need and he's looking forward to solving the problem of their expansion in coming years.

"K-12, it has historically been designed to support students going on to college," Hamilton said. "We are thinking differently now around how we support students who want to go on to a career first, maybe before they get into college. What are those opportunities that they want to pursue? This was a great example of a student-generated idea that we were able to put into practice."

This semester, the cosmetology program is ramping up to open up its full-service salon to the public starting in April.

The modular classroom is set up like a salon already and has a hair styling station, manicure and pedicure stations, a barber station, sinks, cabinets, and a full esthetics room.

Arnett said she's confident in her students and can't wait to welcome the community to the salon.

"It took so many people to put this all together," Arnett said. "It's for the students, and it's worth every single smile."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: How Springfield Schools' new cosmetology CTE pathway program works