Students at Notre Dame High School will have a new program to enter into in 2016, as the school is adding a fully certified cosmetology course.
Lakeland Catholic School Division (LCSD) board officials approved the new course at a board meeting on Nov. 24, agreeing to allocate $20,000 toward the program.
The LCSD money, along with a $3,000 grant from CNRL, will be used to purchase all of the equipment needed to launch a hairstyling, skin care, and cosmetics course in Bonnyville.
“Cosmetology has always been in the back of my mind as a potential program here,” said NDHS principal Pamela Guilbault.
“We did a needs assessment survey with the students (a year ago) and cosmetology ranked quite high in occupations that were of interest.”
A classroom at NDHS has already been identified as the space that will hold the new cosmetology program. Due to the construction and renovations currently taking place at the school this classroom won't be available until September of 2016. The school will be creating a temporary space and launching the program in February.
“The modernization seemed like the perfect opportunity to begin the program,” said Guilbault, who once taught the head of a cosmetology department.
“We are moving forward with this. It is very exciting.”
A total of 26 students have signed up for the course in February, with 12 of those students apprenticing in hopes of becoming fully certified.
“The students are walking on air,” said Guilbault. “They have literally been begging me for this program.”
The school is currently seeking a journeyman hairstylist who will come in and teach the program along with a certified teacher.
The program will become part of the career and technology studies (CTS) courses taught at NDHS.
The CTS lab is currently one of the many classrooms seeing a complete overhaul during the renovation process.
Once finished it will be completed outfitted with the standard equipment and turned into the cosmetology classroom.
“I am really happy that we can finally meet the students' needs,” said Guilbault. “This is my vision coming to fruition. It is important that students feel like their needs are being addressed in a really current matter.”
If the program is successful the LCSD administration said they could possibly expand it in the future to include aesthetics.
