LEARNING THE ART OF BEAUTY; STAGE ONE TEACHES MORE THAN HAIR STYLES

Malinda Nichols practiced rolling a perm on her manikin.

Andrea Clark cut a section of hair from the back to shape the hair into a swing-type haicurt.

Jennifer Clark, an orientation student at Stage One, The Hair School, shampooed a manikin's head to get it ready for practicing rolling for a perm.

If you always thought beauty school was a place to learn how to smack gum and gossip before receiving a certificate of completion, think again. The students at Stage One, The Hair School in Cape Girardeau, study anatomy, chemistry, law and ethics as a part of their curriculum.

"You learn how, where, when and why that hair turned green," said Mary Ervin, Stage One manager and director of instructors.

Ervin, who has been teaching at the 70-year-old beauty school for 42 years, said the goal of chemistry class is to head off that green hair and to recognize the ingredients in cosmetics and hair-care items.

Students learn anatomy to recognize bones and muscles they come in contact with during facials and scalp treatments. "So they know what buttons to push to stimulate and relax," Ervin said.

While all of that is important, the truly difficult lessons come during finger waving and perm classes. Helen Wilson, a beginning student from Puxico, said she was almost reduced to tears while trying to learn to finger wave.

"I had to tell her to back up and leave it alone for a minute," said her instructor, Sami Reeves. "When she went back to it she did the most beautiful finger wave."

Reeves said beginning students learn the dexterity required to perform complicated hair stylings. Throughout the nine-to-12 months the students spend learning their trade, those beginning lessons will be constantly reinforced.

Reeves said she has to remind her students that "it's only hair, it's not going to hurt you."

Wilson said she's trying to take that advice to heart but realizes how much emphasis people place on their appearance. "You don't want to mess somebody up," she said.

Keith and Susan Koepp have owned Stage One for nine years. Susan Koepp said the school has been at its present site since 1949.

Last year, 80 students enrolled at Stage One and 53 graduated. Koepp said the school does everything it can to keep its students enrolled. "Most of our students drop out for either financial reasons or child care," she said.

Koepp said the school provides counseling, financial aid and has adjusted its curriculum to allow students to work around class.

Diane Mahnken of Frohna will graduate in November and already has a job lined up. She said she enrolled at Stage One because she was tired of working "penny-ante" jobs.

"I love hair. I love messing with it. I think it's fascinating; the color and all the things you can do with it," Mahnken said.

She said the 10 months she will have spent at Stage One put a big financial burden on her family because she was unable to work around her classes and children. Mahnken said her husband has been very patient, but it should all pay off in the end.

"I think I'm going to make more money than I've ever made at any other job," she said.

Koepp said 95 percent of the 1996 graduates landed jobs in their field. All of the graduates passed their board exams.

Stage One has been emphasizing people skills lately so their students will be better prepared to maintain their employment once hired. "Before we were teaching more state board preparation and learning basics," Koepp said. "Now we're also teaching ethics, about getting to work on time, not calling in sick all the time."

The one thing this school is missing is desks. Students learn almost all their lessons on their feet. The beginning and intermediate students work endlessly on manikin heads while advanced students spend their time in the front of the shop with live customers.

Charlotte Auer of Cape Girardeau has been getting her hair cut once a week at Stage One since 1954. She finds a stylist for a year then moves on to another after graduation.

She said the experience is a little unsettling at first until she gets to know her stylist. "But I have faith in them, they all do a good job," she said.