Westlock’s Cultural Arts Theatre was a fantasy wonderland on Dec. 19 as cosmetology students from R.F. Staples and Barrhead Composite High School gathered to show off what they could do with an idea and a willing model.
It was the first time the competition had been held in Westlock, and the first time students from R.F. Staples had taken part, said cosmetology teacher Alysson Schneider.
Even though it was the school’s first foray into competitive cosmetology, the students performed very well, earning four top-three results, led by Amber Cena’s first place for her take on Marie Antoinette.
“I did not expect that at all,” Cena said. “I thought I would run out of time.”
Cena started making up her model, Ashley Chayka, at around 9 a.m., and wasn’t done until close to 11 a.m.
Her version of the famous French queen saw Chayka in a black dress, hair in a beehive with a tiara, and white makeup complete with a red scar around her throat marking where the guillotine cut off her head. In effect, it was a ghost Marie Antoinette.
“It took a lot of practice with the hair,” Cena said. “I like the 1700s hair styles, and I just added to it for the dead and ghost form.”
In addition to having the best overall package, Cena and Chayka were judged to have the best choreography and the second best costume.
Raven Rempel and model and sister Amber were judged to have the third best hair.
For Schneider, having her students earn four top-three results in their first time competing was a validating experience.
“It makes me super proud of the students and what they can accomplish with their hard work,” she said.
Her students had only been preparing for the competition for the last month to month-and-a-half, she said, and not even full time.
To make their achievements even more remarkable was that Wednesday was really only the first time the students had been working with their models, Schneider said.
The general purpose of the competition is to showcase the talents of the R.F. Staples and BCHS students, as well as to have the two cosmetology programs work and get together.
With the competition in Westlock being as successful as it was, Schneider said she and BCHS teacher Lori Sagbo are already thinking about holding two events every school year, once per semester.
The hope is to have BCHS host a competition in the spring, and give the students a chance to show off how they envision the perfect bridal outfit.
Schneider said a fantasy theme is neat, but a bridal theme is just that much more intricate.
