Fairfax County Public Schools marketing students from Centreville High School and the Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall program will open their Prom Dress Shop on Friday, March 24, at Centreville High School in Clifton. Since 2006, the dress shop has helped hundreds of financially challenged students attend prom in style each spring by providing dresses and accessories at no cost to students.

“This is an excellent opportunity to accomplish several goals at once,” said Miranda Schick, Centreville High School and Classroom on the Mall marketing teacher. “First, students apply learned marketing lessons to a real-world retail environment. Second, they support the School Board’s goals of helping students succeed beyond the classroom through Portrait of a Graduate attributes, including communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and global citizenship skills.” 

Any area student—not just those from Fairfax County Public Schools—who do not have the funds to purchase a prom dress may choose from hundreds of new dresses donated by Macy’s. They must show a valid student ID, or other form of school identification, to select a free dress during the following store hours:

• Friday, March 24, 4-7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 25, 2-5 p.m.
• Sunday, March 26, 1-4 p.m.
• Friday, April 14, 4-7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, April 15, 2-5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 16, 1-4 p.m.
• Friday, May 5, 4-7 p.m.
• Saturday, May 6, 2-5 p.m.
• Sunday, May 7, 1-4 p.m.

Students in the two programs partner to collect dresses as a way of combining their interests in fashion with community service. The marketing students apply the retail marketing and visual merchandising skills learned throughout the school year to transform their classroom into the Prom Dress Shop. 

The Prom Dress Shop is located near door 12 in the modular classroom building near the stadium in the student parking lot of Centreville High School.