Paris may be regarded as the world鈥檚 fashion capital, but a couple of weeks ago Kipling鈥檚 Grade 9 French Class, taught by Mrs. Monica Olson, held the title as they hosted their own fashion show right in school.
Runway models designed their own outfits and who could go wrong with stylish ensembles, classic jackets, button down shirts and flowing skirts.
There are two Grade 9 French classes with a total of 41 students in all in that grade, hence the reason for splitting into two classes.
鈥淥ver the years I have done this fashion show project many times with Grade 9 after a unit of learning about clothing and how to describe fashion elements and indicate preferences about clothes and fashion,鈥� explains Olson. 鈥淭his project incorporates many outcomes from the curriculum and it is a great way to assess their learning while having fun.
鈥淭he students wrote detailed descriptions of their own outfits,鈥� explains Olson. 鈥淭hen they worked with a partner to do some peer editing and revising and practised reading each other's work.聽
鈥淎t the fashion show event, each student read the description of his or her partner. That way each student could be free to 鈥榣ive it up鈥� on the runway when it was his or her turn to be a model,鈥� says Olson.
鈥淚t was great to see many students walk boldly down the runway with confidence,鈥� says Olson proudly. 鈥淪ome interacted with the audience and judges, while a few even made appeals to the judges for good marks on their style and walking performance.鈥�
The judges this year were two interns Irina Baumann and Maria Kary.聽They did a great job of keeping it interesting with their wacky scores and comments.
鈥淚 evaluated their reading and presenting skills during the show and I will now assess their writing as well,鈥� explains Olson.聽鈥淭his event is always a hit for the students, even if they don't love fashion.鈥�
Students appeared to be quite thrilled with this experience.
"The fashion show was fun. It gave students a way to express themselves with their clothes," said Bryce Szilagyi, one of the participating students.聽
