Stockton Cosmetology College Moves Classes Outside
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A Stockton cosmetology college is taking classes outside to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.
With every clip, the students at the California College of Barbering and Cosmetology in Stockton are one cut closer to a cosmetology degree. But when the pandemic hit, hands-on classes inside the school had to be canceled.
Students could still study haircutting theory through online video classes, but, the school's owner Chris Tellis said, "you really don't want to get a shave from a barber who learned their craft on Zoom."
Tellis says there's no substitute for one-on-one instruction.
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"Cutting hair, coloring, all those techniques, they have to be taught in person, and you can't graduate until you pass an in-person test that demonstrates your skills," Tellis said.
So now the campus has a new classroom outside that complies with public health guidelines.
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"In order to be able to keep the school functioning, we had to move outdoors," Tellis said.
"I'm definitely excited to get down here and interact with the teachers and have them help me, show me stuff that I'm struggling with," student barber Lance Chapman said.
This "air" salon has chairs spaced six feet apart and is under a shade trellis equipped with water misters to help beat the heat.
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"We can drop the temperature 20 to 30 degrees within this space," Tellis said.
An open-air classroom, now helping future stylists cut coronavirus complications.
"It was incredibly important for us to get them to finish their education so they can graduate and get a license and get to work," Tellis said.
The school says nearly half of their students left when hands-on classes were canceled. They're hoping this new outdoor training area will bring them back.
Students say they're hoping salons in California will be able to re-open before they graduate.