Clifton, Virginia (DC News Now) — For nearly 20 years, Fairfax County high school students have been turning the lessons they learned in marketing classes into community service.
Led by marketing teacher Miranda Schick, students from Centerville High School and Fair Oaks Classroom in the Mall program opened a free prom dress shop.
Located in the modular classroom building at Centerville High School, the shop has plenty of free dresses for students in any school district. All you need is your student ID.
Most of the dresses were donated by community members, Schick said, with some donated by Macy's.
“[Prom] It’s something I’ll remember forever,” said 11th grader Sofia Peña, a member of the class.
Schick said the idea came to her after hearing from students how expensive prom dresses were.
“Most of them were spending at least $500 to $1,000 or more for a one-night event,” Schick said. “That seemed outrageous to me.”
Schick said the shop not only provides students with hands-on marketing lessons, but also teaches retail skills by organizing and categorizing dresses as part of setting up the shop.
However, the motivation goes beyond classroom skills.
“I don’t want money to be an issue for my family,” she said.
Schick shared with DC News Now the story of a student who lived in a group home in Washington, DC.
A few years ago, students who came to the store could choose a dress for free.
“When she came in, she had her head bowed low and her posture hunched over. [was] He was just very quiet and soft-spoken,” Schick said. “But every time she came out in a dress, her attitude changed. Her confidence changed… After she left, I broke down in tears, because all this hard work… Because I realized that that's what the effort is for.”
Schick students are beginning to recognize the impact of the shop as they continue their education.
“It's a great feeling to see other people feel like they literally found their dress in vain,” said 11th grade student Marianna Martinez.
We will be open from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday, April 13th and from 1:00pm to 4:00pm on Sunday, April 14th.
