Kennedy School students launch Personally Styled Fashions for staff

The halls of Kennedy School are buzzing with creativity and purpose as Transition Town students step into the role of personal stylists in a new, hands-on fashion project.

Using donated clothing and accessories from Amazon, students are curating personalized fashion bundles for staff members based on their individual style preferences?building both organizational and life skills in the process.

?We want to expose the students to as many opportunities as we can,? said special education teacher Leslie Chowaniec, who oversees the initiative. ?They sort through boxes of clothing, categorize items and repack them until it?s time to create a new style box.?

Like store clerks, students learn to coordinate outfits, fold garments neatly using folding boards and present the bundles in visually appealing ways.

?It?s a life skill,? said Chowaniec, ?teaching students how to match clothing and care for it so they always look presentable.?

The Personally Styled Fashions project began with staff members filling out a ?Personal Styler Preference Sheet,? selecting a fashion vibe?from Formal/Dressy, Casual, Boho/Hippie, Glitzy Glam and Rock Star styles, to the always-fun ?Surprise Me? option. Staff also provided size information and clothing preferences across categories like tops (short sleeve, long sleeve, tank), bottoms (jeans, joggers, leggings), outerwear (sweaters, jackets), shoes (flats, gym shoes, sandals) and socks (no-show, ankle or calf length).

Once preferences were collected, students shopped the donated inventory, selected items to match and carefully packaged each bundle in decorated box lids?complete with a ribbon.

?It?s a really good learning experience,? said Najee, a student stylist in the program. ?It inspires me and the team to use our creativity.?

It feels good to present someone with a box that we put together, agreed Emma, a fellow student stylist.

?We like showing them what we?re learning,? added Najee.

The project not only teaches practical skills in organization, communication and fashion merchandising?it also brings joy and a personal touch to the Kennedy School community.

The Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy School at St. Coletta?s of Illinois is a non-public, therapeutic day school serving students with a variety of disabilities. Located in Tinley Park, the school partners with districts across the south, southwest and western suburbs of Chicago, including Thornton Township High School District 205, Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, Flossmoor School District 161 and Consolidated High School District 230.

To learn more about Kennedy School and its Transition Town program, visit www.stcolettasofil.org or call (708) 342-5200.