LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A couple dozen 8th graders from FuturEdge Academy had Shoe Palace inside the Miracle Mile Shops all to themselves Monday as part of the latest event from Your Perfect Footwear.
Justin Hinton was there during their shopping trip.
The nonprofit rewards students with a free pair of shoes for academic success, whether they’ve maintained good grades throughout the school year or made recent improvements.
“They have to show up in school, they have to participate in class and their teachers nominate them to come on the field trip,” said Janea Sizemore, founder of Your Perfect Footwear. “So the kids you see here are academically thriving.”
That includes Gustave Caldwell, who was busy picking out his perfect shoe.
“These shoes are going to mean a lot for me because for my basketball career, so I'm pretty excited,” he said.
His principal says he’s a dedicated student who works hard, asks questions and has major leadership roles on campus.
It’s one of the reasons he was nominated.
“I would like to inspire my younger siblings do the same and not have them get into a lifestyle of just being spoiled all the time. You gotta work for what you get,” he said.
“We spend a lot of our time as teachers and principals and everybody working with students to give back to our community, but to see it happen in action, not just in the classroom, but they're cheering to get perfect shoes, it's fun,” said Principal Kristen Guthrie.
Sizemore says this is the eighth shoe event she’s held.
Anywhere between 30 and 40 students are able to go at a time.
She says so far, 242 students have participated.
“We want to let these kids know they are seen, valued and heard,” said Sizemore. “It means everything. My heart is full."
It doesn't end with the shoe event.
She says the students also participate in a STEM activity where they’ll learn how robots communicate.
A few days after the shoe event, they’ll get to attend a sneaker ball.
Sizemore says the work she does is possible through a number of partnerships.
