When Paul Mitchell Schools dean and cofounder Winn Claybaugh lost his good friend Ann Bowler last year, he wanted to do something to honor her. He called upon the schools' Be Nice (Or Else!) teams to hold "Ann Bowler Day," and it was a rousing success. This year, he asked them to repeat the event, and the response was overwhelming. Students and staff members from the nationwide network of cosmetology schools flocked to nursing homes and senior centers during the month of December, singing Christmas carols, bearing small gifts, and offering mini manicures and hairdos. Most important, they provided love and companionship to their new friends.

On September 21, 2011, Paul Mitchell Schools swept America into a great big bear hug with their 3rd annual nationwide Free Hugs Day. Future Professionals and staff members from all 100 schools simultaneously headed for parks, plazas, hospitals, nursing homes, and other destinations to offer hugs and spread our famous "Be Nice" culture.

CHICAGO (March 13, 2011) - Winn Claybaugh, dean and co-founder of Paul Mitchell Schools, motivational speaker, and author of Be Nice (Or Else!), received behindthechair.com's Hairdressers Unlocking Hope Award at the BTC 11th Annual Stylist Choice Awards. Given to individuals in the professional beauty industry who serve as exemplary models of philanthropy, the award was created in 2007 by behindthechair.com Founder Mary Rector Gable and Vidal Sassoon. "Winn has woven generosity and philanthropy into every aspect of his business and his life," Rector Gable said. "He has made giving back an integral part of the Paul Mitchell Schools' curricula, thereby creating generation after generation of caring, giving beauty professionals."

The Staff and Future Professionals, here, at Paul Mitchell the School Normal were lucky enough to spend some time with Mike Helm! Mike Helm is a successful Learning Leader, Master Educator, and Advanced Academy Cutting Education Leader who loves to share his expertise. He is an owner of Paul Mitchell The School - Phoenix, teaches advanced courses, and has helped to create and develop many school programs. He is also the president of the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation! We are so honored to be a part of his cutting classes and also have the opportunity to hear his inspiring message. We are looking forward to seeing him again!!

Invisible Children was gracious enough to spend some time with Paul Mitchell the School Normal and share their incredible cause with our Future Professionals. Invisible Children uses film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in east and central Africa to peace and prosperity. For more information on Invisible Children, check out their website at www.invisiblechildren.com!

Paul Mitchell the School Normal's very own Green Team took a trip to Midwest Recycling to learn the importance of recycling in our community! Looks like that had a lot of fun along the way! :)

Last week, Design Team took a trip to Northpoint Elementary and offered some awesome nail services! We had a great night of giving back to the community! Check out our lovely ladies in action!

The Design Team at Paul Mitchell the School Normal recently devoted their Saturday to assisting in raising funds for St. Baldrick's, a foundation that is focused on finding a cure for childhood cancer. Illinois Wesleyan University raised over $11,000 in this one event! The students at Illinois Wesleyan raised money by agreeing to shave their heads if they hit their goal! Not only did they raise this money, but many girls donated over 10 inches of hair to send to Locks of Love. We are so appreciative to be asked to join in the event! Thank you, IWU, for changing lives, and allowing us to take part in it!

Throughout the last few months, Paul Mitchell the School Normal, along with all the Paul Mitchell Schools, has been working on raising money for many different amazing organizations! This past Saturday we held a wonderful event for all the princesses in the Bloomington-Normal Area! Over 160 little girls attended the event and were pampered with hairstyles, mini manicures, movies, and games! It was a blast for our lovely young guests and our Future Professionals! Not to mention, we raised over $1,600!!!

On Sunday, January 15th 2012, Paul Mitchell the School Normal's Design Team hit the road! Destination: The Parke Hotel and Conference Center. Here, for the second consecutive year, we took part in an incredible Wedding Expo! Bobbi's Bridal is located in both Peoria and Bloomington and is one of the biggest wedding dress distributors in central Illinois! Our Design Team completed up styles and make up for the show! Check out these spectacular pictures!

Thank you to Cindy, Shelley, and all the amazing Future Professionals who took part in this incredible event! Our first ever Holiday Spectacular was a hilarious success! Between skits and singing, jokes and poetry, we all had a wonderful time! Laughter could be heard radiating from Paul Mitchell the School Normal for miles around! Thanks again, everyone who helped create this magical event! Happy Holidays and safe travels!

Our lovely Future Professionals showcased their talent and creativity in this winter's Whooville Hair Show! Check out these pictures!

Every day, Paul Mitchell the School Normal has an incredible energizer to help our Future Professionals become excited for the day ahead! Today was LOVE NOTES!! Each Future Professional had a piece of paper taped to his or her back and then walked around the Grand Theater signing their classmates' backs! What an amazing way to start our a Wednesday! :)

On Saturday, October 8th and Monday, October 10th, Paul Mitchell the School Normal had our first ever Super Service Days! Super Service Days included double booking for our Future Professionals, a wheel full of gifts for guests, and more balloons than you could imagine! It was an incredible time full of fun, laughter, and excitement. With Future Professionals having up to 5 guests in one day, the clinic floor had never been this busy! A HUGE thanks goes out to our amazing CORE class, the best assistants ever, and to all the Future Professionals who brought in family, friends, and even strangers to make this day a fabulous success for Paul Mitchell the School Normal. We can't wait for the next one!

What Success!! Keep selling those bags to win a trip to CAPER '12!

Paul Mitchell Schools all across the country took a few hours to go into their communities and brighten people's days! Paul Mitchell the School Normal split into two huge black masses and spread the joy to the Blair House, Fire Station, and ISU! We loved hugging people of all ages! Check out these pictures to get a glimpse of the fun!

We had an amazing guest speaker last week! A HUGE thanks goes out to Alee Cao for teaching us new techniques and showing us what it's really like to live the Paul Mitchell Culture!!

Paul Mitchell the School Normal's Design Team headed out to Heartland Community College to take part in raising money for the women living in the Congo in Africa! The event was an incredible success as women left with their nails freshly polished! Thank you Design Team for all that you do!

The Cornbelter's invited us out for Ladies Night! We had a blast giving free haircuts and cheering for our boys!!!

Paul Mitchell the School Normal's Green Team hosted a Doughnut walk to raise some funds for their team! Check out these pics to see the FUN we have all the time!

The Design Team at Paul Mitchell the School Normal took a trip to the Evangelical Free Church of Bloomington for a morning of fun with single moms! All single mothers were treated to a morning of pampering including haircuts, head and back massages, and lunch while their kids were being cared for and their cars were being detailed. Our Design Team assisted by completing haircuts!

We had an awesome updo contest! Our Future Professionals have an incredible time expressing their creativity!!!

The 3rd Annual Black and White Affair was an incredible event! Check out the looks our lovely stylists created!!

In this type of career fair, our Future Professionals set up their stations and salon owners come to see their incredible work!! What an awesome way to get jobs! A big thanks to all those who participated!

Paul Mitchell Future Professionals mingled with salon representatives, practiced their interview skills, learned about career opportunities in top salons, and took part in hands-on haircutting, color, and skin care classes at the 26th annual Caper in Las Vegas, Feb. 9-10, 2011.

The PMTSNormal Design Team spent the morning with enthusiastic members of 4-H at a workshop about "Why it's cool to be a hairdresser!" Our Future Professionals had a blast getting to know the girls and sharing with them their own passion for this industry. We can't wait to do it again next year!!

Olivia and I traveled to Williamsville High School to speak with high school students about the opportunities available in the fast paced, ever changing beauty industry. We had a fantastic time meeting the students and are excited about assisting them in reaching their goals and creating some Paul Mitchell MAGIC! It was such an exciting day and we are looking forward to returning in March with a few of our current Future Professionals to speak to a Careers class regarding this industry. We hope that sharing our stories and experiences in this business deepens their desire to come join us at the Paul Mitchell the School Normal so they may start their journey toward an incredible future!

We LOVE Saturday Morning Energizers! Today the Future Professionals split into 2 teams and raced through the Grand Theater while keeping a balloon between their legs! When the got to the back wall, they had to jump in the air and sprint back before the next person could go. A fun time is an incredible way to get pumped up for a busy, busy Saturday!

After his 92-year-old friend Ann Bowler passed away in December, Paul Mitchell Schools Dean and Cofounder called on his staff and Future Professionals to find and visit a local nursing home, retirement home, or assisted living center and create some magic by bringing gifts (if appropriate), singing carols, reaching out to these adorable individuals. He also reminded them to sincerely thank the nurses, doctors, and caregivers who look after these beautiful people. "I realize that this time of the year is very busy for all of you," Winn said. "Actually, I can't think of a better time of year because many elderly people feel especially alone during the holidays. Mostly you'll be there providing love, a hug, and companionship. Each and every time I asked Ann if there was anything I could do for her, her one and only response was, 'Just be my friend.'"

We had an awesome time with styling and makeup! Our Future Professionals are SO creative!!

Our part time class runs Mon-Thurs from 5PM to 10PM and we have a ton of FUN! PANCAKE DAY!!!

Three talented Future Professionals from the nationwide network of Paul Mitchell Schools have been named "Next Top Photo Stylist" by Paul Mitchell Editorial Director Lucie Doughty and a panel of distinguished judges. Elizabeth Ankenman from Paul Mitchell The School - St. George, Erik McEwen from Paul Mitchell The School - Sherman Oaks, and Heather Burnworth of Paul Mitchell The School - Salt Lake City were named winners in the recent competition, which drew over 130 entries. Elizabeth, Erik, and Heather will travel to Los Angeles in January for a two-day photo shoot with Lucie Doughty, where each winner will shoot one model with three separate style looks.

In immediate response to Haiti's devastating earthquake, Paul Mitchell Schools Dean and Cofounder Winn Claybaugh called for a nationwide fundraising day. "Our goal is $1,000 per school, times our 100 schools, for a total of $100,000," Winn said. The schools rose to the challenge and raised over $83,500 within two weeks. A personal donation from John Paul DeJoria, chairman and cofounder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, brought the total to $100,000. Future Professionals broke from their signature black outfits to hold "Casual for a Cause" days, donating money to dress casually for the day. They also invited family, friends, and guests to "buy" paper bottles for Haiti relief, donated tips, and held a number of other activities, from bake sales to benefit concerts.

The girls from Epsilon Sigma Alpha and future professionals teamed up to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation. A fashion show and live auction were held at the Bone Student Center in the Brown Ballroom on Friday, January 29th 2009. We are so excited to work with the amazing ESA sisters again for our Black and White Fashion Show in 2011. We wanted to post these pictures and get everyone excited, too!

For our Wednesday morning class, Roxy and Courtney challenged the students to a fashion show contest. The theme was Halloween and students were to create two models. Judging was based on hair, make-up and choreography, of course! The Future Professionals had a blast and showcased their amazing abilities!!

We love getting pumped up for the day!! Today we had a relay race! The Future Professionals broke into teams and raced through the Grand Theater around a chair, picked up a piece of paper, and back all while balancing a Caper Bag on their heads!! It was hysterical and a ton of fun!!

Courtney and Roxy put their heads together and came up with an exciting and informative class that focused on interviewing. After some instruction, the Future Professionals created their own skits to show the difference between a good interview and a "not so hot" interview. Way to go Future Professionals!! You're all hilarious and SO creative!!!

Today we had a Caper themed energizer!! Each Caper team was given a couple words to spell out using their bodies, and it was our amazing Operations man, Ed's job to figure out what they were spelling! Good work Future Professionals, Ed didn't miss one!!!

Career Fair!

Take Home Team threw and AMAZING Caper Kick Off day this past week!!! The excitement level was through the roof as everyone began writing lists of family and friends to tell about Paul Mitchell product. Get out there teams and sell! Sell! SELL!!! We will see you in Vegas!!!

PMTS Normal went to Illinois State University Quad to spread the love and let everyone know how great it feels to give a hug!

An army of 12,000 Future Professionals took to the streets on September 23, 2010, for Paul Mitchell Schools' second nationwide Free Hugs Day. Dressed in their signature black outfits, carrying handmade Free Hugs signs, and naturally sporting fabulous styles, Future Professionals from the network's 100 schools headed for plazas, parks, and other popular spots to offer hugs and make people's day. Events for day and night school students occurred simultaneously in every time zone throughout the continental U.S. and Hawaii. Paul Mitchell artists, educators, top executives, and superstars joined the Future Professionals at Free Hugs locations in their areas.

For the 25th year, Paul Mitchell Future Professionals used their sales skills to earn their way to Caper, a star-studded annual educational event. Over 2,000 Paul Mitchell cosmetology and skin care Future Professionals sold $2 million in Paul Mitchell products to attend the three-day Las Vegas event, where they received hands-on classes with the Paul Mitchell and Advanced Academy Artistic Teams and educators. Skin care Future Professionals also had a day of education at the Dermal Institute.

New Berlin vs. Petersburg. We are gettin' this hair spray painting down to an ART! Wooo!

On Saturday, September 11th the PMTS Normal Design Team headed to Macy's at Eastland Mall to pamper guests. Future Professionals offered manicures and hand massages while guests were informed about the latest beauty trends from Macy's staff. They had a blast!

We did it again! Raised almost $200 dollars for Children's Miracle Network at the Athens High School football game! Thanks to Blake and the team from WDBR's Capitol Radio! We had a blast working together to raise money for such an incredible organization!

The Design Team rocked out some fantastic hairstyles at Bloomington High School at our Lunch Jam! Thanks BHS for being such great sports! We Loved being there!

Wear Hawaiian enthusiastically for Paul Mitchell's New Line!! Sulfate Free, Adds Shine, and Rebuilds the Hair from the inside out! We LOVE Awapuhi Wild Ginger!!

Camo Day!!!!

ISU students are back in town and Paul Mitchell the School Normal took part in welcoming them back to Normal Illinois! Our Design Team enjoyed spreading the word of our incredible deals and making new friends with the amazing people of Illinois State!

Our first night class just started. Here are pictures from their first wash house experience!

The spectacular men and women of Paul Mitchell the School Normal took a Saturday to perform hairstyles and makeup applications on the models at the Macy's Fashion Show! Everyone looked gorgeous and we had a ton of fun helping out!! Thanks Macy's! Your show rocked!!

Go Williamsville Bullets!!! Paul Mitchell the School Normal rooted for the home team at their opening night football game! For an easy 5 dollar donation to Children's Miracle Network each fan could receive a temporary purple highlight or a crazy updo! Thanks to all those who supported our cause and to Springfield's 103.7 WDBR's DJ Blake!

For the past week our Design Team boogied over to Springfield for the Illinois State Fair!! We provided haircuts for the fair goers and enjoyed some delicious fried food!

Our Creative class gets down-n-dirty with Makeup and stretches the limit!! Our amazing Makeup Learning Leader outdid herself by encouraging our Future Professionals to dip into their incredible talents! Way to go Creative Class!!

On Tuesday, July 27th our creative class participated in an awesome photo shoot! Thanks to Jen O'Kanski with JLO Photography for assisting in making spectacular pictures! Our Future Professionals expanded their creative thinking and had a fantastic time!!

The incredible 30-year anniversary Paul Mitchell Gathering welcomed over 3,000 people from all over the world! The first night featured a 2-hour artistry event, including our amazing Paul Mitchell Future Professionals. Although there are thousands of Visionary Future Professionals who deserved to participate, we could only choose 16 -- 8 to model and 8 to do all the hair and makeup, led and mentored by the amazing George Morales of our Paul Mitchell Advanced Academy.

We have a really good time!!!!

Design Team went out to the 'Corn Crib' to host a cut-a-thon at the first annual Easter Seals "Walk With Me." Participants walked one time around the stadium to raise awareness and support Easter Seals (an incredible organization that supports children with disabilities). After the walk, participants could enjoy face painting, snacks, and get autographs from the Cornbelters Baseball Team. Future Professionals offered hair cuts and manicures. We raised over $150 for Easter Seals and had a blast! Check out our photos!

Every quarter, our Admissions Team hosts a resume and interview workshop to further develop our professional skills and prepare for graduation.

One of our Future Professionals organized an incredible photo shoot in Downtown Bloomington at the Chocolatier candy store to compete in Lucie Doughty's Next Top Photo Stylist Competition. The contender is to complete 5 of 7 categories (texture, avante garde, contemporary classic, color, cutting, male, long hair up style). They then must complete a total of 5 photo shoots by the end of September.

Future Professionals and staff raised almost $500 for the McLean County Relay for Life, giving hair cuts and manicures.

Our new CORE class began Tuesday, May 11th!

Design Team supported the American Cancer Society and raised money for June's upcoming Relay for Life by giving our mini-manis!

A collection of photos for our graduates! Congratulations!