CHEER CAMP CEOS

NAME: Megan Jodie and Janie Trekell, AGE: 17 and opened Twist and Shout.

BIZ: Purveyors of pep LittlegalsgogagaoverDisney, TeenNick and American Idol personalities, but two Lake Highlands teens provethatitdoesn’ttake a multimillion dollar industry to capture the 6- to 12-year-old female market.

WhenhighschooljuniorsMegan Jodie and Janie Trekell show up to the final day of Twist and Shout DanceandCheerCamp dressed in their respective HighlandetteandWildcat cheerleaderuniforms, basedonthecampers’ reaction, one might think TaylorSwiftherselfhad entered the room.

“Other kids got jobs babysitting or bagging groceries, but we wanted to do something fun, and we both love working with kids,” Jodie says. “This way, we can make the money in a week and have the rest of the summer off.”

Trekell adds, “We went to a summer cheer and dance camp that we loved. A lot of our ideas came from that.”

Jodie and Trekell have earned about $1,000 each from each camp. It’s not easy money — they have to learn to balance a budget andorganizethecurriculum for 30 or so children and adolescent-age girls.

This summer’s camp is over, but email thejodies@hotmail.com for a spot in the summer 2012 class.

“The girls just love Megan and Janie, and when they come dressed in the uniforms and pose for photos with the kids, it’s like they are rock stars,” says Angela Ponce, who has two daughters, Hope and Haley, in the camp.

Three summers ago, Jodie (an LHHS Highlandetteofficer)andTrekell(the cheerleading captain and a member of the Wranglers dance team) opened the weeklongcamptogirlsenteringfirst through sixth grades. They charge a fee of $95 per child. The camp is held at the Jodies’ home on Windy Hill from 9-11:30 a.m. during the last week of July.

A typical day, carefully mapped out bythehigh-schoolers,consistsof learningdanceandcheerroutines, swimming and snacking. On the final day, campers put on a show for parents.

Hope Ponce, a third-grader at White RockElementary(and a seasoned three-year veteran of Twist and Shout) learns dance moves, memorizes routines and even helps out with teaching some of the younger girls, which is one of her favorite parts, she says.

“You have to memorize movements … it’s kind of hard, but fun.”

Whentheirpeersstartedgetting summer jobs, Jodie and Trekell decided they liked the moneymaking aspect of a seasonal gig, but they had no desire to work all summer. With a little parental support, the Lake Highlands HighSchoolstudentswith a combined20-somethingyearsofdance and cheerleading experience organized

“We spendtheweek beforecampshoppingfor snacks, water and supplies, andwehadtolearnto spend and ration wisely because the money we spend comes out of our earnings,” Trekell says.

“The campers are separated into age groups — sometimes the younger ones have trouble staying focused, but the older girls help out.”

Theyalsohiredfreshman Highlandettesandcheerleaders,who are paid a small stipend for the week, to assist.

Bothbuddingentrepreneurshave savings accounts for their earnings — Jodiesaysshehasusedthemoney for trips with the Highlandettes, and Trekell dips into her account for gas money and other incidentals, she says.

Happy customers say the idea works becauseitiswell-run,takesplace in the neighborhood, and is fun and meaningful for the little ones.

“My daughter sees these girls as role models, and they are great girls. She is excited to see what’s in store for her at a high school level. And even when she sees Megan and Janie out at a football game or somewhere, they recognize her and talk to her — it makes her feel so good,” Angela Ponce says.

Indeed, her daughter Hope says she wants to be a Highlandette someday, andshecallsthecampleadersher “friends.”

Ponce says the camp is more economical than many summer cheerleading dance camps.

“And it is better — we’re here in the neighborhood. It’s more personal.”

Art s Ale

Name:Aven Stewart age: 13

Biz: Artist

Aven Stewart makes intricate little collages and, sometimes, big paintings.

But those tend to be too time-consuming or too sentimental to sell. So the 13-yearold artist came up with a way to mass-produce art.

Stewart taught himself to carve and print linotypes, which he sells, along with handmade jewelry, on Etsy.com.

He carves an image into a block that is faced on one side with linoleum. Once the image is painstakingly carved, he rolls on ink and presses the design onto paper by hand.

It’s tricky because the image that winds up on the paper is a mirror of what’s on the block. The part he carves is negative space, the part of the picture that doesn’t get ink. If there are words, he carves the space around each letter to form it.

“It takes a lot of planning,” he says.

A big piece could take an hour or more to plan, and it could take six or eight hours to carve, he says.

He produces some of the linotypes in limited editions of 90, and he numbers and signs each one. So far, he has sold a few linotypes on Etsy for $8-$10 each. His goal is to raise enough money for a printing press, and the cheapest one he can find is $50.

Stewart, who just finished eighth-grade at the Spence Middle School T.A.G. academy, will attend Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a freshman.

His parents, David and DeAnn Stewart, are both artistically inclined, and so is their younger son, 10-year-old Liam. They say Aven has been practicing art since he was young.

“He works hard,” David Stewart says.

Aven isn’t sure whether he wants to be a professional artist because, he says, it’s tough to make a living. But he’s already learning things about the art market. He makes intricate collages for himself, and he makes pleasing images to sell.

“You’ve got to figure out what people like and adapt your art to what people will buy,” he says. n

Aven Stewart’s art is available on etsy at etsy.com/shop/aven134.