As prom approaches, the Elk City High School’ s Fashion Design class has been designing their own newspaper formal gowns under the direction of their teacher, Brycee Bonner. The class was randomly put into two different fashion teams to approach the project. They were given their instructions and then started the project.
“The teams had to get together and sketch a design for the gown prior to starting, but other than trying their best to construct the gown to align with the sketch, there were no limitations,” Bonner explained.
The gown had to be constructed using only newspapers and what they needed to adhere the paper to keep it together. Although the gown did not have to be wearable for this assignment, Bonner hopes to make that a requirement in the future.
“The hardest part of the project for the students was to agree on what the dress would look like. For me, the hardest part was trying to get enough newspapers. After I made a Facebook post asking for more, the community members were quick to help me gather more than enough to complete the project,” Bonner continued.
She went on to say that the best part of making the gowns was seeing the pride that students had in their final product.
“One of the major aspects of the lesson is watching the students analyze how they plan to take the sketch and turn it into a physical object that is a direct reflection of their creativity,” she said.
Bonner believes that the one thing that students will take away from the project is the importance of working alongside others, time management, and analyzing the process of creating a fashion product.
The final projects have been on display in the high school commons. Their creativity and teamwork seems to be apparent in the outcome of the two gowns.
