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Pensole Design Academy, in conjunction with Kenan Family Trust and Champs Sports, is reaching out to the next generation of shoe designers with the launch of Pensole High School, a six-state, multidiscipline pre-college design program under the Sneakerhead of State umbrella.
Through a series of workshops, online and in-person competitions, the program will reach a wide range of high school students interested in exploring design as a career option. All programs are open to rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students.
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“S.O.S. has a double meaning — both standing for the program name, but also calling out the lack of design education for high school students nationwide,” said Pensole founder D’Wayne Edwards. “Pensole High School was created to inspire and raise awareness of design careers in the footwear industry. Reaching high school youth is critical to empower students on their path toward becoming innovative problem-solvers while preparing them to create their own path for the future.”
The workshops will be held at Champs Sports stores in the hometowns of Pensole alumni, who will conduct the workshops with a goal of introducing participants and parents to the design process. Depending on the length of the workshop offered, participants will be given brief exercises covering a range of studio disciplines offered at Pensole Academy, such as footwear design, color and material design, functional apparel and accessories design, brand design, shoemaking and 3D design.
One student will be crowned the Sneakerhead of State in Footwear Design, Color and Material Design, and Functional Apparel and Accessories Design in December. These students along with the high school they attend, will receive cash prizes, gift cards from Champs Sports and a scholarship to attend Pensole, in Portland, Ore.
Registration is now open at Pensole.com.
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