WCS Looking At Having Its Own Salon, Cosmetology School
WCS Looking At Having Its Own Salon, Cosmetology School
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Jackie Gorski-jgorski@timesuniononline.com
WCS Looking At Having Its Own Salon, Cosmetology SchoolWarsaw Area Career Center is looking to have its own licensed salon and cosmetology school.
The WACC’s cosmetology program was initially outsourced, but the business closed last year. As a result, the WACC has spent the last eight months developing an on-site cosmetology program, according to a news release from Warsaw Community Schools.
Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert on Tuesday told the Warsaw School Board the school corporation wouldn’t be able to renew the cosmetology program unless they made their own program. WACC Principal/Director Ben Barkey started working with several other people to create WACC’s cosmetology school.
Barkey said close to 50 people in the community helped put the cosmetology program together.
The course will be housed at Lakeview Middle School. Renovations are scheduled to be completed within the month. Within the space, WCS will be able to house a public salon, as well as a classroom with work stations, where students will receive direct instruction and complete their coursework, according to the news release.
The cosmetology program is a two-year program. Barkey said juniors have to dedicate five of seven periods to the program, which “means they have to start planning for this journey by the time they’re freshmen and sophomores,” he said. It is a competitive program. He said it is a “huge sacrifice” for students to be part of the program.
The WACC has applied for a cosmetology license, which the school corporation hopes to get in the next 60 days. Once the license is acquired, the salon will open for public hours.
Barkey said there will be a state inspection today to see if the program meets state requirements.
Cosmetology teacher Tina Streby anticipates community hours for the salon to be three days a week between 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in order to accommodate the students’ class schedule if the program gets the license. Services will include haircuts, color, highlights, manicures, pedicures, waxing and scalp massages, according to the news release.
Streby was hired as the cosmetology teacher for the program. She has been in the field for 29 years, recently having worked as a salon manager and service manager for Ulta and a salon manager at Smart Styles. She has also owned several of her own salons and served on multiple advisory boards for other cosmetology programs in Indiana and Michigan.
Tuesday, Streby thanked everyone that helped put the program together. She said the program will change her town and industry.
The Kosciusko County Community Foundation provided a $17,500 grant for equipment to develop the cosmetology school and salon. Lake City Bank Properties Department supplied eight waiting room chairs and a fireproof filing cabinet.
In other business, the board was updated on parent-teacher conference modifications and the impact it will have for the 2023-24 calendar.
Chief Technology and Analytics Officer Kyle Carter said, traditionally, elementary school parent-teacher conferences fall within fall break. As a result of that, it impacts some families’ ability to attend the conferences or families will try to schedule for a different time for the conferences.
Carter said the school corporation looked at what neighboring school corporations were doing in regards to parent-teacher conferences.
Over the past several years, the middle and high schools have spread the conferences over a number of days. Carter said the school corporation is looking at a similar concept for the elementary schools with three days at the end of the fall semester and a follow-up day in the spring semester.
As a result of that, there will be adjustments on the fall break to make it a full week, he said. There will be minimal change to the calendar.
The change to the calendar will be asked to be approved at the Feb. 20 meeting and it will be released to the public shortly afterward, he said.
