Arts & Entertainment Community Education

Donate in style to Fashion Pop-Up at Henderson Bay High School

What began as a clothing drive for a high school student’s leadership project in 2023 has turned into an annual event at Henderson Bay High School.

The school will host a Fashion Pop-Up store for two weeks beginning on Jan. 12. All Peninsula School District students can shop there  during lunch and after school on Jan. 13 and 20.

ASB President Ryan Regan is carrying on the tradition of the pop-up shop with Interact Club President Dylan Trombly and the school’s Community Leadership class.

Filling a need

Maxx Canda, then a senior at Henderson Bay, started the tradition in 2023. His leadership project involved procuring clothing donations to distribute to the community. He realized that the need was right where he was, in the Peninsula School District. So he set up a boutique at which students could shop for free.

Donations have begun pouring in through the Peer-to-Peer donation campaign for the Fashion Pop-Up at Henderson Bay High School. The pop-up is particularly looking for skater brands, baggy clothing, and styles preferred by teens. The shop will be open for two weeks beginning Jan. 12 and is open to all Peninsula School District students. Photo courtesy of Dylan Trombly, Henderson Bay High School

Community Leadership teacher Emily Scheutzow said that since then, one student every year has taken on managing the shop as their “20Time Project, an annual assignment where students spend 20% of their class time working on a passion project.”

The shop has become popular with students at the school and a great way to get new or gently used clothes for free.

“We see students months after the pop-up walking the halls wearing the clothes they found there,” Regan said. “If we could expand it to more schools that would be so amazing.”

For now, HBHS is the only school hosting a Fashion Pop-Up shop, but all PSD students are welcome to shop and donate. They call the clothing drive “Peer-to-Peer Donation” and hope to get donations of clothing that students want to wear.

The Henderson Bay High School Fashion Pop-Up needs shoes, new socks and underwear, and more masculine clothing. All students in the Peninsula School District can shop beginning Jan. 12. Photo courtesy of Dylan Trombly, Henderson Bay High School

Teen-friendly threads

Regan said they are looking for brands and styles that are popular with teens, including skater brands and more baggy clothing. All donations are appreciated, but the fashion pop-up especially needs for more masculine pieces, accessories and shoes.

“There are a lot more women’s clothing items, but not as many for people who want masculine clothing,” Regan said.

The pop-up also needs new socks, underwear, makeup and cosmetics.

Maggie Kranick, a senior at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, said she and a friend wanted to start something similar. When she heard about the Fashion Pop-Up at HBHS, she reached out to get involved. She is collaborating with Caleb Place, a Peninsula High School student, to raise money through a GoFundMe account. They set a goal of $600.

“We love this cause, and they said their biggest problem was the clothes they received didn’t fit the teenage demographic,” Kranick said. “So they asked us to help with that, to find donations that kids would want to wear.”

When Kranick heard that 38% of students at HBHS are supported through the McKinney-Vento Act, a federal law that aims to keep students enrolled in their school during housing hardships, she said it made sense to focus on items for those students.

Working with the counseling office, Kranick came up with a form for them to fill in with their dream items. Kranick said they hope to serve at least five of the students who are part of the 38% in need, but said if they can, they will do more.

“What Caleb and I are gonna do is go order those items with donations we receive,” Kranick said. “We both are going to try and advertise it, and maybe recruit people to look for clothing items. We are only buying what people tell us they want.”

Donors can drop off items at Henderson Bay. Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.