Libertyville students show off costume-making class work

Steampunk and fairy tale costumes made by Highland Middle School eighth-graders were on display Friday during their "Once Upon A Time" fashion show at the Libertyville school.

The costumes were made during the Construct It Produce It class that teaches kids what goes on behind the scenes of a show production, including costume design and technical set design.

Students participating the class, led by teacher Robin VanDyke, created and produced the show.

"It was a team effort. Each individual group worked together, and without each other, it wouldn't have worked," VanDyke said.

Teams strutted up and down a lighted runway to show off their creations to parents and faculty.

Steampunk is a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting in the 19th Century and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.

One of the designer teams' costume will be featured in the spring musical, "James and The Giant Peach."