MCHS to host prom dress sale

“It’s an event,” Madison County High School senior Alexis Johnson said of the school’s annual prom.

From picking out the perfect dress to asking out the perfect date, the end-of-year occasion – set for 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at the Daniel Technology Center at Germanna Community College in Culpeper – is something many high school students look forward to for years.

“It’s something you have to wait for,” Alexis said of the prom, which is only open to upperclassmen unless students are invited. “You have to earn it.”

And to MCHS English teacher Gail Temple, the experience provides an opportunity for students to learn about the behavior expected at formal events they will likely attend in the future, such as business dinners and balls.

“I think it’s just as important as sitting in the classroom,” Temple said.

But the costs to attend can run high. Students sometimes spend up to $300-$400 on all of their prom-related expenses, according to Alexis.

Expenses often include new outfit purchases, dinners out at restaurants, prom tickets and either limo rentals or gas money to drive around to friends’ homes to take pictures and ensure you arrive “fashionably late,” the MCHS senior said.

But with many families cutting back due to the current economy and rise in unemployment, a group of Madison County High School teachers is working to ensure students’ aren’t burdened with overwhelming costs to attend the popular event.

A special discount dress sale and prize giveaway – set for noon-5 p.m. Saturday, April 11 at MCHS – is based on a similar annual event at Charlottesville’s Monticello High School.

The MCHS La Boutique dress sale will include a variety of gently used dresses donated by community members – including students, like Alexis, who contributed dresses she has worn in local pageants over the years.

All dresses will be available for $25 – about half to a quarter of the price of many brand-new department store dresses, according to event representatives. Temple – whose hoping to collect at least 50 dresses – has already received donated gowns that county residents had worn to previous proms, weddings and other formal events, she said.

Those who attend will also have the chance to win other door prizes that will be given away throughout the day, including, a dinner for two at area restaurants, gas cards, prom tickets, gift certificates for hair appointments, boutonnieres, corsages and other items.

Besides keeping prom-related costs to a minimum, the sale also provides a good opportunity to “recycle” dresses, explained Temple.

“Most prom dresses are only worn once,” she said.

Temple also doesn’t want students to view the dress sale as something only open to those short on cash.

“I don’t want girls to think, ‘If I go, people are going to think I don’t have any money,’” she said.

For those concerned about shopping locally, purchasing your prom dress from the La Boutique dress sale is a good way to keep your dollars in Madison County.

“The money is going right back to the student body,” Temple said of the event’s proceeds, which will be used to pay for the August 2009 MCHS Committee on Equity and Diversity block party for students, parents and faculty.

The group will be accepting dresses of all sizes up until the event starts, according to Temple.

“They can show up at 12 o’clock Saturday and we will accept them,” she said.

Dresses should be clean, gently used (no rips, tears, missing buttons or broken zippers) and youthful in style, the MCHS English teacher said.
For information or to donate to the event, call Madison County High School at (540) 948-3785 or Gail Temple at (540) 672-1278.

IF YOU GO

What: La Boutique formal dress sale.
Where: MCHS.
When: noon-5 p.m. Saturday, April 11.
Info: Call (540) 948-3785 or (540) 672-1278.