It’s not something students typically see every day, Queen Elizabeth making a grand and dignified entrance into one of their classrooms. But when the classroom belongs to Fort Herriman Middle School science teacher Gayle Dowdle, it is simply part of the learning process.
On this episode of Supercast, find out how one teacher’s love of cosplay resulted in something called the “Creators Club” for students, a club where creativity is sparked by making colorful costumes and transforming into beloved characters.
Audio Transcription
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It's not something students typically see every day, Queen Elizabeth making a grand and dignified entrance into one of their classrooms. But when the classroom belongs to Fort Herriman Middle School Science teacher, Gayle Dowdle, it is simply part of the learning process.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how one teacher's love of cosplay resulted in something called the “Creators Club” for students. A club where creativity is sparked by making colorful costumes and transforming into beloved characters.
We're here with Gayle Dowdle, a science teacher at Fort Herriman Middle School to talk about cosplay. Thanks for talking with us today.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah, no problem.
Anthony Godfrey:
For those who may not know, if they were standing here with you right now, they would know what cosplay is because you are dressed to the nines. But describe what cosplay is just to start.
Gayle Dowdle:
So cosplay is a kind of mix of two words. It's a mixture of costuming and play. So the idea is that when you cosplay, you basically dress as the character and you pretend to be the character as well. So the cosplay character that I usually portray is Queen Elizabeth I, and I do the Utah Renaissance Fair and stuff, so I represent her at those. I've done a bunch of other characters too, but lots of it is involved with like FanX and comic conventions and things like that, but also people do it as like volunteer stuff too.
Anthony Godfrey:
And I can hear that I've already mispronounced it, cosplay instead of cosplay. Which is a common mistake I'm guessing.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah, my dad the first time he said he's like, "Have you heard of this cosplay stuff?” I'm like, "Yeah Dad, that's what I do.”
Anthony Godfrey:
Now I am a big pop culture fan and I have seen cosplay a lot at FanX, at San Diego Comic-Con, and at other venues for pop culture. You talked about the service aspect too, but let's talk about the fan experiences that you're a part of and where cosplay comes into play at those venues.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah, so FanX was kind of one of the first places that I really got into some of the more major stuff of doing costuming at a higher level and that was because I got pulled into one of the cosplay competitions there. Ro is the one that runs the cosplay competition and he was like, "You should do this." So I applied and got in and won my first cosplay competition as an Elizabethan vampire. And so that was really cool. And I was like, "This is amazing. This is exciting.”
What's really cool is when you go and interact, the community of cosplayers is really close and supportive a lot of times. And so made a lot of friends through that. So it's just kind of become this huge part of my life where I've got people. In fact, one of my friends is in the cosplay called Fame and she's actually gonna come next week as a guest to help the kids next week at our cosplay clubs. But basically, just everybody comes up with the character that they love and then they build it. Sometimes it's original characters, sometimes it's characters from pop culture like you were talking about.
And there is competitions. I've competed, well, except for during COVID when we didn't do it. I basically competed every year for the last five or six years, and I've won six or seven awards. Last year I won first place in Masters at FanX with my Spanish Armada, Queen Elizabeth gown. So yeah, it was pretty exciting. I was excited about that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, let's talk about the array of costumes that you have embraced.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
It really, like you said, is next-level costuming. And I've seen a wide range as I've gone to FanX and other events.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Transformer outfits that are made out of Igloo coolers and lots of different household items that are used as a part of a costume. But then there are those costumes that stand out that really are just very eye-catching, very compelling. Something that obviously took a ton of effort, not that the Igloo cooler costumes don't, but there are some that are really made to look completely realistic. So what are some of the Costumes over the years that you have created and won awards with?
Gayle Dowdle:
So a couple of them are different Queen Elizabeth gowns because I love that era and I love, even though I teach science, I love history. My husband's a history teacher so we love that era and kind of focus on a lot about Shakespeare. So I've done a Shakespeare costume for him that's based on the Cobbe portrait of Shakespeare. So it's a replica of that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Is that the one with or without an earring?
Gayle Dowdle:
It's a younger one that they're still arguing about whether they really think it's Shakespeare, so it does have an earring in it. Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
So he dressed as the maybe Shakespeare.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah. Yeah, he's the maybe Shakespeare. But so I did that, and that was one that won. I also have done, I did a steampunk Batgirl. Which steampunk is like Victorian stuff.
Anthony Godfrey:
I understand the steampunk.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah, so I did that that was a lot of fun. It had wings that opened and closed. Then my most recent one that won just this last Halloween at a cosplay competition at the aquarium. The Loveland Planet aquarium was a six-foot-tall Chocobo, which is basically a giant chicken. It's a chicken costume for what most people don't know what a Chocobo is, but it's from a video game and they ride the Chocobo so it's like the size of a horse but it's a bird. But I made that for my son and you're inside the costume and a scientist actually told me when she was judging it how much it looked like the skeleton of a bird, which being a scientist I felt very like complimented by that so that was cool.
Anthony Godfrey:
How do you get from Queen Elizabeth to an enormous chicken from a video game?
Gayle Dowdle:
Because I am a lot of kinds of nerds. So yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, so a wide range of nerd-dom appeals to you.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yes, yes. So we love video games in my family, but we also love history in my family. So the Chocobo came because my son wanted to be the Chocobo. So we worked on it together and built that. He actually tried to compete with it and we didn't win anything with it, but it was, I was actually just recovering from chemo at the time. So I wasn't able to put as much effort into it as I did. So we kind of revamped it this year and then it won this year. So that was really cool. But yeah, it's just a wide range. Anything that interests me, I'm like, I want to make that. We figure out a way to make it.
Anthony Godfrey:
As I've seen these costumes at FanX and other places, there are lots of people that get stopped to have their picture taken. And I've done that. I've stopped people. I was a Moon Knight fan before Moon Knight was cool. I started buying the comics in the 70s when I was a kid and whenever I saw a Moon Knight costume in the past, it was like somebody else remembers Moon Knight and I had to have my picture with them regardless of the quality of the costume. So let me ask you this, have you had a lot of photos over the years?
Gayle Dowdle:
Oh yeah. One year we actually, my husband kept track on his watch and just tapped every time somebody took a picture. And by the end of the first day, he stopped counting 'cause we had hit over 400 people that had come and taken pictures. So when we go to FanX, we don't get anywhere very fast ‘cause basically it's, we look at something, somebody takes a picture, we walk a few steps, somebody stops us, takes another picture, we walk a few steps. Yeah, we don't go anywhere fast. And at the Renaissance Fair, I have my own throne room with the other queens and the other kings. So people come to us there and get quests and stuff from us and take pictures, so it's a lot of fun.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back more with the “Creators Club” and cosplay in the classroom.
Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support, we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Anthony Godfrey:
Let's talk about the craft around it and bringing it into the club. So it takes a lot of work, it takes some skills. What made you want to start a club at the school?
Gayle Dowdle:
So when I started getting into this, I didn't have all the skills I needed. I didn't know how to do foam work and make armor and I didn't know how to do war blood and I didn't like, there were a lot of pieces. I knew how to sew because my mom had taught me to sew, but I didn't know how to sew what I needed to know. And so many of these kids, when I walk, 'cause I'll wear costumes to school occasionally for not really any reason other than I wanna wear a costume. So when I do and the kids see me, they're like, oh my gosh, I love it, I wanna do cosplay. And I started thinking about it, I was like, I have all this knowledge and stuff that I've learned over the last 10 years, that it only makes sense that I find a way to share it with them.
And this was something that we came up with, that we came up with this idea that we could do this club and each kid won't get their own costume, but they're gonna get skills from it and they're gonna get things that they can take. And what I'm hoping is that some of these guys will take this and continue with it because, for some people, this is their living. And for me, it's a side gig and I do commissions for people, but for some of them, they may actually be designers. And we didn't call it the cosplay club, we called it the “Creators Club”, because we didn't want to disparage those kids who were not necessarily into cosplay, but who want to sew dresses because it's the same skills and it's the same ideas.
So yeah, I just decided, I'm like, this is dumb that I have all of this vast knowledge and skills and stuff that I've learned over the last decade that I'm not imparting to these kids who want that knowledge and who are excited about that. So we have about 40 kids that are on the “Creators Club” and some come more regularly than others, but when they do come, they just get to work and they get working on stuff and they're very dedicated to what they're doing.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's dynamite. I love that you've provided this opportunity and this outlet for creativity, but also the sense of connection and sense of community.
Gayle Dowdle:
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun to get to know some of these guys. And they're an interesting group. They have such passions about specific things that they love, so it's great.
Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the great costumes that have come out of this club?
Gayle Dowdle:
So right now we're in the process, since it's only our first year, and each year we're basically focusing on creating one costume. And so we've got some that are Five Nights at Freddy's video game costume, we've got that one coming along. A lot of them were original characters. They didn't pick a specific character from something else, they designed their own stuff. And then they're coming up with how they're gonna do that on their own.
We've got armor that's gonna be made with scales and horns and lots of skirts, lots of petticoats, 'cause we've got lots of 'em that want the fluff. And, but yeah, we're gonna have them all put them on display at the school talent show in May. So that's our end goal, is to get those finished and then kind of have like a fashion show of all the ones. And whatever they have done, we'll put on display. If they've only got the skirt, we'll display it. If they've got the whole costume, great. That's good too.
Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic, I love that. For those who are not lucky enough to be here, describe this costume to me, please.
Gayle Dowdle:
Okay, so this one is, I actually entered this in the geek-bound fashion show at FanX last year. It didn't win, but it was kind of a new thing for me, where basically you take a geekdom and you create like a modern something. And I entered the evening wear category. So there's like casual and then modern wear. So this one was my version of Belle. So a modern version of what I would think that Belle's gown would be. And I actually made it, specifically my goal to make it was that I couldn't spend any money. So I had to use anything that I had around my house 'cause I have a huge stash of fabric 'cause lots of people have donated stuff to me over the years. I should say we had a whole bunch of people who donated fabric and things to the club as well.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, yeah.
Gayle Dowdle:
And so but yeah, so this is my version of Beauty and the Beast Belle.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it's fantastic. So you've got red roses, you've got gold roses.
Gayle Dowdle:
And the mirrors because of the enchanted mirror.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, mirrors along the bottom of the skirt is part of a pattern. A blend of gold and what would you call this red color?
Gayle Dowdle:
Kind of a burgundy almost, yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
And it's, yeah, it's a beautiful dress.
Gayle Dowdle:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
If you did this without making a purchase, then you really do have a significant stash at home.
Gayle Dowdle:
I do. These are curtains, actually. So's the stuff that the gold underneath this is curtains, and the red was curtains that were donated as well. So, yeah, my dress is basically made out of curtains, so.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's fantastic.
Gayle Dowdle:
It looks better than curtains, I promise.
Anthony Godfrey:
Curtains never had it so good with the design and all of that. That's wonderful.
Gayle Dowdle:
Thanks.
Anthony Godfrey:
All right, tell me your name.
Abigail:
Abigail.
Anthony Godfrey:
And Abigail, what grade are you in?
Abigail:
Seventh.
Anthony Godfrey:
And you're part of the "Creator Club". Tell me about what that's like.
Abigail:
It's fun. We come every Thursday after school, and we work on our projects.
Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about the project that you have here. This looks akin to a wedding dress.
Abigail:
It is. We got it from the DI in like December.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Yeah.
Abigail:
And so we are making a fairy dress and this is our base for it.
Anthony Godfrey:
This is the what?
Abigail:
The base.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, this is the base.
Abigail:
So we're gonna take that, and then we're gonna take this and this, and put it on top. So it looks yellow.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. This is the bottom half of a white wedding dress with decoration on it. Does it have a bit of a train? It has a little bit of a train and so you're going to take this fabric and lay it over according to this design that you've put together Did you draw this?
Abigail:
No, me and my friends drew it.
Anthony Godfrey:
What was the inspiration for the design? Is there any movie or Anime that made you think of this particular design?
Abigail:
We just decided that we wanted like a foresty nature-like fairy dress and so we settled on yellow and green because they work together. We made a bag that is green and a flower crown.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I love the crown. White daisies and a couple of pink flowers. It looks really nice. And then this, tell me about this bag. Did you sew this bag?
Abigail:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. And is that, it's in the shape of a leaf. It's green. You can see the veins of the leaf that have been stitched on and then two handles to it. That looks really, oh, it's soft too.
Abigail:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow, that's really nice.
Abigail:
Yep.
Anthony Godfrey:
And so this will be the accessory that goes with that.
Abigail:
Yes, so it will be the accessory. The rules were we had to make something with shoes, a headpiece of some kind, and an accessory like a bag or a purse.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, this all looks so great. Holding this wedding dress, it makes me think, what's the story behind this dress?
Abigail:
We were at the DI. We went on a field trip to grab supplies so we went to the DI in someplace in Salt Lake City. And while we were at the DI, we were looking for a base and then everyone looked at the wedding dress and went, that's the one, that's the one we want. So we bought it for pretty cheap, I can't remember exactly how much, but it definitely wasn't full price for what it normally would have been if it were brand new.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Looks like you hit the jackpot.
Abigail:
Yeah, I'm sure the person there was confused why we were buying a wedding dress. Middle schoolers.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah probably. Not a lot of seventh graders in the market for a wedding dress.
Abigail:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay well that's awesome I can't wait to see how that product turns out.
Abigail:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with Julie Beaird the sewing teacher here at Fort Herriman Middle School and tell me your role in this club and talk to me about the evolution of this club.
Julie Beaird:
Well I started doing a Stranger Things Club three years ago.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow.
Julie Beaird:
With the request of a student. So we would get together and talk about episodes and it was kind of dying down so I thought we'd fit some sewing into it. So we made Christmas stockings for our fundraiser and stuff at Christmas time and but I still wasn't getting there with sewing so last summer Ms. Dowdle came and said what do you think of this idea. Yay, we could do more sewing! So I was really excited to do this. So it kind of morphed from the Stranger Things into the “Creator Club”.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic.
Julie Beaird:
I was already kind of used to doing a club-type thing.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, and because it's the “Creator Club”, cosplay is certainly a part of that, but it's not uniquely cosplay.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. So tell me some of the projects that students have been working on through the year as part of the club.
Julie Beaird:
Yeah, I think a lot of students, at least my Stranger Things kids, didn't want it called cosplay because they don't identify with cosplay as being like a cool thing. So we kind of voted on names and when we came to “Creator Club” it fit perfect because it isn't just about cosplay, it's about being a fashion designer in a lot of ways and problem-solving when it comes to like trying to make an outfit or your design come to life that's on paper. So I like the idea of a creator because then you could do anything with that.
Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the skills that students have gained as they've been a part of this club?
Julie Beaird:
So a lot of them don't really know sewing. I have every seventh grader in CCA learn sewing, but some of the kids that have come here haven't been in my class yet. So they've had to pick it up pretty quick. And so they're learning to thread the machines, use the machines, unpick things when they've made a mistake so using a seam ripper, cutting things straight, that's a really big skill. I just showed a student how to cut a line and she accidentally cut too much and that's that's hard in sewing because once you cut it away it's gone. But the thing I love about sewing and this is a skill I hope they will learn, of a seam ripper because everything in sewing can be fixed just like everything in life can be fixed.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love that.
Julie Beaird:
So a seam ripper kind of represents there's no mistake that can't be fixed in life or in sewing.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's great.
Julie Beaird:
And I try and tell them you know there's not a lot of careers in sewing but it is a good life skill. Even if it's just someday you're gonna talk to someone and say I remember back in middle school when I sewed, and I still have my pillow or I still have golf shirts. Advanced though because sewing on knit it's hard.
Anthony Godfrey:
It may not be a skill that turns into a career, but there are going to be a lot of applications for it.
Julie Beaird:
Yeah, that's why I'm really glad the district still does it. There is a lot of life lessons to be taught at school, not just about careers, but about living your life.
Anthony Godfrey:
And a physical product that results from learning something you couldn't do before, that's tremendous value in that. Thanks to both of you for spending time with me today, and especially for putting all the time and effort into this. I think it's fabulous that you're making this available for students.
Gayle Dowdle:
Thank you. I appreciate you coming.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.