Episode Details

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are hair and nail designs custom-made for a horrifying Halloween competition. On this episode of the Supercast we take you inside the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers in Riverton, where hair design and nail tech students get creative in a costume contest like no other. Find out how they put their talents to the test in a timed competition that resulted in some scary hairdos and outrageous nail designs.

We're here with Shannon Mechling at JATC South to learn more about the Hair and Nails Halloween Competition. Tell me about how the competition works and about the theme for this year.

Shannon Mechling:
So the students are all assigned a theme we choose as a group, and the theme this year was legends and fables before 1900.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh ok.

Shannon Mechling:
So they had to pick a fable or a legend and plan their theme, and then the team had to execute the hair, the nails, the makeup, the costume as a team. They had to do a little bit of preparation work with diagrams and research, and then go ahead and put the design. And it gives them a chance to be really creative.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now the student who has chosen to be decorated and to be in the costume, is that a place of honor or would people rather be applying rather than be applied to?

Shannon Mechling:
That probably is a team question. You know, it's probably a 50/50. It is as much fun doing the application of the hair, the nails or the skin as it is being chosen to be the model, but they kind of work that out as a team. It's kind of fun when we get to put two classes together, well actually three, hair, barbering, and nails, and let them work together as a team. It introduces team working skills and then the soft skills communicating what they're trying to execute as far as their design and theme, and then just watching the follow through is just a riot. I think it's great. And I am so proud of all these kids and their talent and abilities.

Anthony Godfrey:
There's obviously a lot of talent and a ton of hard work that's gone into this. Tell me what are some of the prizes or titles available?

Shannon Mechling:
So we do a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for the AM class and the PM class. And then we have a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize for hair and nails. And it's usually stuff that pertains to the class, nail products, hair products, different things. They get a little bit of bragging rights for being able to be in the top three. I would hate to have to pick because every team, every student is working really hard to perform and do what the competition requires. So we're just grateful and thankful that they all step up to the plate and do their thing. And it is really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
They've done a fabulous job. It's really overwhelming to see the finished product here. So there are no, like most terrifying prize or?

Shannon Mechling:
Well, we do different things. We try to keep it a little g-rated because sometimes we have preschoolers and different kids, so they can't bring weapons or anything like that along. So it pretty much is their creative idea of whatever goes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. That's true.

Shannon Mechling:
We don't put too many limits, just a few of them.

Anthony Godfrey:
And by combining people from various c