The Monroe Township High School Student Council is holding a Falconette Couture Dress Showcase on Friday, February 9, 2018 from 4:30-7:30 pm in cafeteria B to help students obtain low-cost outfits for prom.
The Student Council will be collecting dresses, shoes, handbags, jewelry, and shawls. All donations must be dropped off to the advisor of Student Council, Mrs. Melissa Schwartz, in the G323 workroom before January 31, 2018.
The dresses donated must be clean, cannot be torn, and cannot be out of fashion.
Student Council will sort through all the donated dresses by size and will display all donated items at the drive.
MTHS female students interested in attending this event will be able to pick out a dress of their size and liking after paying an admission fee.
“When we first began hosting this event three years ago,” Mrs. Schwartz says, “the main goal was to provide dresses to girls who might not be able to financially afford to purchase one.”
Prom dress prices range from $100-$400. However, with the added expenses of accessories and cosmetic care, families can spend as much as $1,000 on prom.
Junior Ann Santana says, “Prom dresses and accessories can be really expensive, which can be the deciding factor for a girl attending prom.”
The event will also have door prizes where students can win free admission tickets to prom, hair/nails, bouquets, and more.
Student Council has also been contacting local businesses that are willing to provide flowers, balloons, and the door prizes for the event.
“I believe the attendance rate of prom will be high as a result of this drive,” Santana says. “This is due to girls having the opportunity to receive prom items and not have to spend a single penny on it, minus the admission fee.”
Providing dresses for girls who are unable to afford them is not the only reason this drive and event has been taking place. It also allows formal dresses to be worn again.
“We also realized that girls only wear a formal dress one time and they will spend an exuberant amount of money on them. We wanted to provide an opportunity for these dresses to get a second life,” Mrs. Schwartz says.
With this drive and event, Student Council members hope to make students’ prom dreams come true.
Freshman Bridget Boyle says, “I feel like so many more people will enjoy the unforgettable experience that is prom now that they have the opportunity to get a dress.”
Mrs. Schwartz and all other Student Council members wish to continue this prom dress drive for many years to come.
“Our hope is that students will donate their gently used formal dresses each year and walk away with a beautiful new dress that they can wear to prom, a sweet sixteen, or any other type of formal event,” says Mrs. Schwartz.
This Student Council-held prom dress drive has been the catalyst for many girls’ happy memories.
Boyle says, “Every girl wants to feel beautiful. This drive gives each girl a chance.”
If this prom dress drive was not held, how would the attendance rate of prom differ from previous years where the drive was held?
