Bright camera flashes illuminate the models strutting down the runway, showing off the season’s newest looks. Madonna’s “Vogue” echoes through the room as the audience cheers for the outfits they love. Despite how it may sound, this isn’t Paris Fashion Week. It’s journalism camp.
Every year in July, Camp Orlando hosts middle and high schoolers from across the state of Florida to help them further their journalism programs, but amidst the learning and deadlines, there are spirit days and light-hearted competitions to keep staff sane. One of these competitions is the annual fashion show, where staff from each school decorates a plain white large T-shirt for one of their staffers to wear and walk through the hotel ballroom, which has been transformed into a catwalk.
The fashion show is in its fourth year at Camp Orlando, and took place after classes on July 19. Formerly, staffs would participate in a bucket decorating contest, but “camp guru” Adam Livesay and camp director Tracy De La Feuilliez felt that the contest lacked “kinetic energy.”
“So then we brainstormed… it was really trying to find something that you could mash using all those skills we use in our media classrooms and our journalism classrooms,” Livesay said. “How can we mash that and still have some fun learning those skills? And then we threw out, ‘What about a fashion show?’”
Students utilized more than just a shirt and markers: they used materials such as fairy lights, plastic flowers, paper plates, balloons, and tutus to make their outfits more extravagant.
“Our school mascot is a snake, so we thought of Greek mythology,” said Lauren Erkes from Fort Pierce Central High School. The Fort Pierce Central staff wrapped the given T-shirt around her to mimic the look of an ancient Greek tunic and layered string lights and faux gold roses covered the garment.
During the show, students showed out in their best creative looks—some strutting down the runway, some crawling and carrying another person on their back with them. Some had just painted T-shirts, some had fabric, cardboard, and LED lights sprawled across their bodies. All received the same applause.
“I thought it was really fun. I liked how… each school came up with a different theme,” said senior Nick Corzo from Jupiter Community High School, who walked in the fashion show. “Everyone was able to express their own selves with the outfits.”
