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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

Charles A. Smith

Let’s be honest: One of the best things about going back to school, if you’re fortunate, is the new wardrobe that starts off the year. The frilly dresses and trendy tops, clean kicks and fresh haircuts … who wouldn’t love it? Back to school can even be a way to reinvent yourself.

If you’re thinking, “But I wear a uniform.” That’s OK. You still have the weekend to wow them. Cameron, Jada and Dennis sacrificed a sunny afternoon to model back-to-school fashions at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science just for you. Who are we kidding? It wasn’t a sacrifice.

Be sure to check out the fashion show at the JFP Gallery, as well as this week’s Issuu, and get some great ideas for your reinvention!

Photography: Charles A. Smith
Stylist: Natalie Collier
Shoot coordinator: ShaWanda Jacome
Shoot assistants: Hanna and Jasmine Bowie
Models: Dennis McClure, Cameron Vandevender and Jada Holloway

About The Models
Jada A. Holloway, 13, will be a freshman at Callaway High School in the fall. She is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi and her school’s drill team. Her favorite school subject is science, and she enjoys ballet, playing basketball and cooking in her free time. Holloway would like to be a lawyer when she grows up.

Dennis McClure, 15, will be a sophomore at Jim Hill High School in the fall. He is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi, enjoys playing basketball and is fascinated with exotic animals. His favorite subject in school is math, which his mother is very proud of. McClure would like to be an accountant when he grows up.

Cameron Vandevender, 17, will be a senior at Madison Central High School in the fall. She enjoys cheerleading, modeling, attending MSU football games and hanging out with friends. Her favorite subjects in school are computer applications, graphic design and math/algebra. Vandevender is interested in graphic design, advertising or broadcasting as future career possibilities.

Where2Shop
Azul Denim
733 Lake Harbour Drive, Ridgeland
601-605-1066

Designs by The Two-Headed Woman
601-608-8359 or 601-398-8357

Repeat Street
626 Ridgewood Road, Ridgeland
601-605-9393

Swell-O-Phonic
Fondren Corner Building
2906 N. State St.
601-981-3547

Tangle Salon & Boutique
607 Duling Ave.
601-987-0123

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.