The Governor’s Academy continued its annual tradition of “Strut 4 Stirling” this year, with a packed house, for record attendance!
Strut 4 Stirling is an annual fashion show held on campus which was created by Ariel ’16 and Ashley ’15 Portorreal to honor the memory of Govs alumna Stirling Winder ’04. Stirling passed away in 2012 after a courageous battle with Osteosarcoma.
Ariel says that he and Ashley were sitting in the dining hall one day and the entire idea developed within an hour.
“We knew we wanted to create a fun event in the community so we drafted a list and a fashion show was our best option. Central Catholic High School ran a very successful event called "catwalk for cancer" and I thought that it would be great to do something similar,” he said.
Ariel recalled being moved after hearing Stirling’s story earlier that year, and with the help of Mrs. Howson, he and his sister Ashley created Strut 4 Stirling at Govs.
With Ashley having graduated in 2015, and Ariel graduating this year, Kathryn Carder ‘17 will organize and run the event next year. Ariel says he was looking for a motivated individual who had interest in the event and the significant meaning behind it. He said Kathryn shadowed him and played a big role in the organization of this year’s event.
All profits raised are donated through the Stirling Fund to Osteosarcoma cancer research each year.
To view photos of the event, taken by Ken Minamoto ’18, click here.