for the general public. The garments were modeled by the students. The
fashion show director, assisted by fashion design staff, selected the mod-
els who would be in the show based on their poise, presence, and ability
to walk in high heels without tripping off the runway.
During the weeks prior to the end-of-May show, models had to partici-
pate in rehearsals, sometimes held during the school day, causing them to
miss some classes. Mr. Thelen addressed this issue in his second year as
principal, putting some strictures on rehearsals and as much as possible
limiting them to the student lunch periods and time slots before and after
regularly scheduled classes.
Lost instructional time was further reduced by creating a modeling/
physical education class for the students selected for the show, jointly
taught by a physical education teacher and the fashion show director.
While this course’s original purpose was to put some rehearsal time into
a regular class, it proved to have far more important applications as the
student-models were taught aerobics, dance steps, and, most important of
all in this age of eating disorders, good nutritional habits.
Nonetheless, during the final two weeks before the show, when full
dress rehearsals were needed, some students missed some classes. This
upset teachers. What upset them even more was seeing students who were
failing their classes or who had had disciplinary issues, strolling down the
runway to the acclamation of the audience. Mr. Thelen’s sounding boards
came to him about this. The staff, they said, felt that giving these students
starring roles in a major school event was inherently unfair.
The issue was brought to his Academic Affairs Committee. One mem-
ber, Mr. Gray, was coach of the varsity basketball team. By district policy,
all varsity team members had to meet strict requirements to stay on the
team and even participate in each game. Any school violating these rules
could forfeit individual games or even lose varsity status for its teams.
Therefore, teachers coaching such teams paid careful attention to student
grades, attendance, and demeanor.
Mr. Thelen discussed this matter with Mr. Gray before the committee
meeting. He felt that Mr. Gray’s proposal would be easily accepted by
teachers, students, and parents because it made use of a well thought out
district policy designed to stress the importance of academic achievement
and good behavior. Students participating in all cocurricular or after-
curricular activities (including the fashion show) would be subject to the
114 Chapter 8