Highlights: The Official Newsletter of AACS

August 21, 2026

Call for AACS Board Nominations

Are you ready to help lead the beauty, barber, and wellness school community?

Are you looking to contribute your vision, your passion, and your experience to help shape the future for schools? If so, AACS wants to hear from you!

Submit your nomination form by August 25.

Want to Volunteer at Annual Conference?

We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help make the AACS Annual Conference a success! Volunteering is a great way to get involved, connect with industry professionals, and support an event that brings our community together.

As a volunteer, you’ll play an important role in supporting sessions, registration, special events, and more. In return, you’ll gain valuable experience, networking opportunities, and recognition for your service. 

Have You Entered in the Golden School Awards?

Don't miss your chance to be recognized as an outstanding beauty, barber, and wellness school! This program honors schools that are making a lasting impact through excellence in education, student success, advocacy, innovation, and more.

New this year is the Small School of the Year category, created to recognize exceptional Tier 1 member schools. Apply by September 4 to be considered.

Partners: Want to Host a Class at the Vegas Advanced Education Workshop?

We're looking for engaging, valueable workshop sessions and demos for the AACS Advanced Education Workshop, held during the Quarterly Partner Event in Las Vegas, on Saturday, September 26.

Please complete the form linked below to indicate your interest.

Ogle School VP of Education & Operations, Kim Layton, Interviewed by VoyageDallas

AACS member Ogle School is in the spotlight! Kim Layton, Vice President of Education and Operations at Ogle School, was recently featured by VoyageDallas, sharing her story and perspective on career education and the beauty industry. Ogle School has been preparing students for beauty careers for more than 50 years, and Kim continues to be a strong advocate for creating opportunities for students through career-focused education. 

Read more via VoyageDallas

Rejuvenation Skin Academy

Bella AI (Partner Member)

Paul Mitchell the School St. Louis

Paul Michell Schools North Star Group

Hachi Shears (Partner Member)

The From "Maybe Someday" to Enrolled: Capturing the Beauty Student Who Isn't Ready Yet
Presented by Enrollment Resources &

Bellus Academy

Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 1:00 pm ET

Most beauty school inquiries don't come from students who are ready to enroll today. They come from people still asking, "Is a career in beauty right for me?" If your only inquiry tool is a bottom-funnel contact form, you're invisible to that audience.

In this session, Christie and Wendy share how the Bellus Academy team uses psychographic lead nurturing to meet mid-funnel prospects where they are, complete with real pipeline data, lessons learned, and a practical framework other beauty schools can apply.

Teaching Lashes with Confidence: Building Strong Educators & Scalable Programs

Presented by Sugarlash PRO

Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 1:00 pm ET

Lashes are often one of the most challenging services for educators to teach consistently and confidently. This webinar is built for schools navigating educator training, curriculum standardization, and hands-on delivery. We’ll break down what educators actually need to teach lashes well, how schools can reduce stress and inconsistency, and how a structured approach supports both educational quality and compliance. Ideal for education directors, owners, and leadership teams committed to long-term program success.