SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Spanish Fort High School students and parents have an opportunity to get a peek behind the scenes in New York.

Family and consumer science teachers Dianne Bernasconi and Joni Ojard will lead a group of students and interested parents to the fashion capital for a “New York City Fashion Tour.”

Students from outside SFHS may contact the teachers to see if they can be included in the March 31-April 3 tour. The deadline to register is Feb. 14.

Cost is $1,300, which includes airfare, hotel and admission to all the events.

Members of the tour will have seminars with a fashion designer, a fashion photographer, design lab at the Fashion Institute of Technology and an “Art of Dress” tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among other activities.

There is a Broadway show included in the tour, which is being coordinated by a tour company.

According to Bernasconi, the show will be selected once all the tickets have been sold. The trip is a first for SFHS.

Because the tour is taking place during regular school days, students must arrange for the time off.

“And I am hoping things are thawed out a little up there,” she laughed.

“This is important on so many levels,” said Bernasconi. She explained that many of her students have never traveled outside the Southeast, and “I want them to feel, see and taste another way of life.”

Bernasconi was a fashion coordinator at the former D.H. Holmes department store chain, and is passionate about giving her students a bite of the Big Apple.

“I think this is going to be really fun,” said junior Jessica Middleton. “I’ve never been on an airplane, and I think New York City is going to be very different.”

“I want them (the students) to see what is possible,” said Bernasconi. One of the things she wants to show her students is the wide variety of fabrics and designs that are not available in Baldwin County.

“My greatest hope is that some of them will consider going into the fashion industry,” said Bernasconi. “I want them to come back with a new sense of personal style.”

Bernasconi has seen interest in sewing and fashion pick up in the area.

“This gives them another look at what's out there,” she said. “You don’t often get the chance to sit back and dream.”

“We want to expose kids to the broader community,” said Ojard. “We want to let them see behind the scenes of the fashion world.”

So far, six people have signed up. Bernasconi says 10 is the minimum, and ideally they would like to have 20 take part.

Bernasconi is surprised at the number of parents who have expressed interest.

“A lot of them have never seen New York City,” she said, “or they want to see the city from inside the fashion industry.”

For more information about the trip, e-mail dbernasconi@bcbe.org.