| Cherry Blossom contestants sought
One of the longest-running ethnic celebrations in Hawai'i is currently seeking contestant applications for next year's festival. The Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual celebration of Japanese culture and heritage in Hawai'i organized by the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, will accept contestant applications through Wednesday for its festival queen contest The festival offers several events, including a Heritage Fair, various contestant appearances on O'ahu, a golf tournament, a fashion show and the main highlighted event, the Cherry Blossom Festival Ball in March. The Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Contest allows young women to learn about their Japanese-American heritage in Hawai'i. The reigning Cherry Blossom Queen is Richelle Nakata, a graduate of Punahou School.
Vocational Schools Work Better, Report Says
Labor and business groups are calling for a dramatic expansion in vocational high schools after a report released yesterday showed that the schools are graduating more students and losing fewer dropouts than are city schools overall, even as advocates say support for them has stalled. In the class of 2005, 63% of career school students graduated in four years compared to 58% citywide, and just 10% dropped out compared to 15% citywide, a 2006 state Board of Regents report found. Career school students also performed far better on Regents exams, with more than 80% gaining high scores in math, English, and science compared with 55% or less citywide. Yet the 22 city high schools that teach such skills as auto mechanics, fashion design, and podcasting alongside the traditional curriculum receive $265 less per student in funding, and just 12% of career programs have been given state certification, the report said.
Designer Jovana Mirabile takes the pressure off girls and focuses on their self-confidence
Say "Jovana Mirabile" (pronounced "Joe-vah-nah Meerah-bah-lee"). It just sounds like a designer's name, doesn't it? But the 18-year-old graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park doesn't act like a big-time fashion diva. Sure, she dresses the part in a flirty, vibrant party dress from her collection. But her modesty and philanthropic attitude remind you more of Mother Teresa than Paris Hilton. Days before she heads off to study fashion design at the Parsons School of Design in New York, she'll host her fifth annual Beauty Queen for a Day fashion show Sunday at the Overland Park Convention Center. The show is open to the public and features more than 60 original pieces. "My collection is kind of a variety of things I've done throughout the year," Mirabile said.
Hickory man models clothes, travels globe
HICKORY -- Modeling is not Justin Barringer's childhood dream. However, after his younger sister took some modeling classes, she thought Barringer should, too. Since then, Barringer has modeled for several different magazines and ads published in multiple countries. Barringer was 16 when he first took modeling classes at Connections Modeling and Talent Agency in Hickory. Now 19, Barringer has accomplished a lot in just three years. He graduated from St. Stephens High School in 2006. That November, after modeling in a few fashion shows locally, Barringer went to the American Talent Showcase in Myrtle Beach, S.C. From there, his career blossomed. He went to Los Angeles, Calif., where he visited with another modeling agency he learned about through talent scouts at the showcase. Barringer had a test shoot set up, and modeling pictures were taken to use on "go sees," to try to get jobs.
AHS students make a declaration of fashion
Allen High School students N'keyah Mitchell and Miranda Sexton are far from last season's fashion don'ts. The two were selected from more than 100 applicants for the second-annual Fashion Camp at the Galleria Dallas.The mall is responsible for choosing 60 girls and boys in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to be accepted into Fashion Camp.Mitchell, a junior at AHS, said she first discovered her passion for the fashion industry when she was in fourth grade.After receiving a project in art class to design a costume, Mitchell said she knew she wanted to pursuit a career in fashion.With the support of her parents, Mitchell has continued to feed her interest.It was her mother, Nichollette Mitchell, who received an e-mail regarding the camp and suggested that her daughter apply. Mitchell has taken sewing classes for two years and wants to attend Parsons the New School of Design in New York City after she graduates high school.
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