Secondary school in Waterford opens beauty salon
6th Year Leaving Cert Applied students attending their hair and beauty module.
A new beauty salon facility has opened in Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School, giving Leaving Cert Applied students the opportunity to experience what it's like working in a hairdresser's or beauty salon.
Mary Meade, Principal of the Mercy Secondary School, says the module “gives students the opportunity to see what it might be like in the workplace”.
Maria Foley, co-ordinator of the module, told the : “A lot of teenagers might think that there’s not much learning in the hair and beauty side of things, but when they study this module, they get to see the detail that you need to go into."
Ms Foley explained that while some students may struggle with academics, they might be “highly creative and amazing at doing nails”.
Ms Foley said the staff have been “really supportive” and “amazed” at the hard work done by the students.
Indeed, during my time at the salon, multiple teachers popped in the door to offer words of encouragement to the students.
Two students attending the module are Ava Brown and Chanelle Flynn Power.
Chanel said, “I think it's really great because it gives girls the opportunity to experience what it's like in the hairdressing world, other schools don’t really do stuff like that.”
Ava said, “It can help people decide what they want to do after school rather than be limited to jobs to do with Maths and English and stuff like that.”
Chanelle wants to go into the beauty industry when she leaves school but Ava knows from her mother working in the industry “how hard it is”. She reckons she “doesn’t have the patience” for the type of work required.
“Doing each other’s hair brings everyone together,” Chanelle said.
“I hate doing the theory, though,” Ava added.
In December, the students opened their salon to the teachers for the day as part of their sixth year task. Some students worked on reception, booking appointments, others styled and washed hair.
While the students enjoyed doing their teachers' hair, “it was a lot of pressure”.
LCA coordinator Alison Walsh got a “lovely wash, head massage and blow dry” at the salon.
She told the that the module is beneficial because, “They learn practical skills that they could use in any job.”
The students are “great” according to Ms Walsh.
“Once they get into something, they’re so enthusiastic."
Rebecca Kelly, who runs her own salon, Lux Beauty, on Keane’s Road, has been mentoring the students each week.
She said working with the students has been “fantastic”.
Ms Kelly is a Mercy alumna, and she said, “There was nothing like this when I was here.”
On the day I visited, it was Julia Matuszewska’s 18th birthday. She kindly offered to showcase all she had learned as part of the module and ‘did’ my eyelashes for me. What that entailed, I had no idea, but I was delighted with the results.
