Fairfax County marketing students open free prom dress shop
CLIFTON, Va. (DC News Now) — For nearly 20 years, high school students in Fairfax County have taken lessons learned from their marketing class and turned them into a community service.
Led by Miranda Schick, the marketing teacher, students from the Centreville High School and Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall program opened a free prom dress shop.
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The shop, located in the modular classroom building at Centreville High School, is filled with free dresses for any student from any school district — all they need is a student ID.
The dresses have mostly been donated by community members, Schick said, with some coming in a donation from Macy’s.
“[Prom] is something you will remember forever,” said Sophia Peña, an 11th grade student who is a part of the class.
The idea came about after Schick said she heard from students about how expensive prom dresses have been.
“Most of them were spending at least $500 to over $1,000 for a one-night event,” Schick said. “That just seemed outrageous to me.”
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Schick said in addition to the shop providing real-world marketing lessons to the students, they also gain retail skills by organizing and sorting the dresses as part of setting up the shop.
The motivation goes beyond the classroom skills, though.
“I don’t want money to be an issue for a family,” she said.
Schick shared a story with DC News Now of a student who lived in a group home in Washington, D.C.
The student, who came to the shop several years ago, got to pick out a dress for free.
“When she walked in, her head was hung low, her posture was hunched over and she [was] just very quiet, soft spoken,” Schick said. “But every time she came out in one, her posture changed. Her confidence changed … after she left, I broke down in tears because I realized all this hard work is for that reason.”
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Schick’s students have begun to recognize the shop’s impact as they continue their education.
“To see other people have that feeling that they found their dress for literally nothing is an amazing feeling,” said Marianna Martinez, an 11th grade student.
The shop is open on Saturday, April 13 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday, April 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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