The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for Warsaw Community Schools’ Warsaw Area Career Center’s new cosmetology school, with its salon and classroom located in Lakeview Middle School, on Monday, May 22. From left: Chamber President and CEO Rob Parker; WACC Program Specialist Melissa Kissling; Chamber Ambassador Kelly Mager; students Sophia Seymour, Sreynin Ruot, Jenny Lozano and Trebarus Clark; instructor Tina Streby; WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert; student Grace Graham; Chamber Ambassador Chad Hummel; students Maygan Weeks, Ariana Wade, Taya Elder and Jayla Ounkham; and Chamber Ambassadors Glenn Hall and Jess Frye and Member Relations Manager Scott Wiley.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Students at area high schools can earn their cosmetology license before graduation thanks to a new Warsaw Community Schools’ Warsaw Area Career Center program.

The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce celebrated the WACC’s new cosmetology school and its beauty shop at Lakeview Middle School with a ribbon-cutting on Monday, May 22.

The program started just this semester, said its instructor Tina Streby.

Previously students went to Inspire College of Cosmetology, she said, but that “closed up last summer.”

“So the school corporation revisited everything and was able to put it in, and we’ve built it from there up,” said Streby.

Streby said she’s “been in the industry 29 years,” though she’s not working as a stylist currently.

She previously taught at Fairfield Cosmetology Salon, where students from Wawasee Community School Corp., Fairfield Community Schools and West Noble School Corp. study. Streby herself attended beauty school at and got her teaching degree from Fairfield.

Juniors and seniors from Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. and Triton School Corp. can also study cosmetology alongside their Warsaw counterparts by serving clients from the community.

Kids learn “perming, coloring, manicures, pedicures, facials (and) waxing,” among other things, said Streby, and have to take two years before they can get their license.

“And there’s so many credits that they have to do on mannequins and humans, and they have to take a practical and then they have to take a state written test to get their license,” said Streby.

“It’s an amazing opportunity because you can leave high school and make money and make people feel beautiful,” she said.

Along with the salon at Lakeview, there’s also a classroom where kids study theory.

Streby said she hopes students can “get ready for a career (and) better themselves in life and make other people feel beautiful.”

“I hope students that have not had an opportunity in life, this opens up a door for them,” she said.

She has 21 students currently, with 18 in next year’s junior class alone already signed up.

Hours for the public to set up appointments are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday through the end of the school year this week. Streby said before classes resume in the fall, there will be three weeks of summer school when people may make appointments, from Tuesday, June 6, through Friday, June 23.

Times for those may be made from 9 a.m. to about 3 to 3:30 p.m. People may make appointments by calling (574) 371-5085.

Two juniors in the program shared with InkFreeNews Monday their experience with it.

Jenny Lozano said she’s learned about customer service and retail through the program as well as how to do finger waves, highlights and roller sets.

She wants to focus more on hairstyling versus doing nails after high school, with her wanting to style all hair textures.

Trebarus Clark also spoke with InkFreeNews, talking about learning pin curls and “even just curling hair.”

“I’ve never done anything with hair, and now I pretty much know how to do a lot now compared to when I started,” said Clark.

Clark talked about wanting to style “African-American hair mainly” after graduation as there’s a need.

A look inside the salon.

Some of the mannequins that students practiced on sit inside a classroom by the salon.