Rylie Yount
Davie students pose along with English teacher Erica Spry with their chosen prom dresses at the second annual prom pop-up shop organized by Davie's Travel Club.
The glitz and glam of prom are inescapable as the long-awaited rite of passage approaches. From dancing under the stars and disco lights with your friends to dressing up in dazzling outfits tailored perfectly to your taste and finally taking tons of pictures to capture the endless memories, prom night can’t help but evoke images of grandeur and spectacle. Unfortunately, despite all of the excitement and fun that prom offers, the experience comes at a cost, one that can be unaffordable for many students and families. However, Davie’s Travel Club and Prom Committee have once again found a way to make sure everyone feels included on such a special occasion.
During Flex on April 9 and 10, Davie High’s dance studio transformed into a prom pop-up shop filled with dresses and accessories. The twist: every item in this shop is 100% free, each item provided through The Cindrella Project, a donation drive organized by Davie’s Travel Club. The goal of the Cinderella Project is to provide students who might otherwise struggle to afford the expenses Prom requires an opportunity to offset at least some of those costs. This aspect of the project is especially important for Erica Spry, English teacher and travel club advisor, who remembers how her teenage self struggled to pay for events like these.
“It’s important every year because there’s always going to be someone who could use a dress, so why not get one for free instead of spending a ton of money on it?” Spry said. “It’s also super sustainable, and it’s better to reuse and recycle rather than purchasing new, especially for something that you’re just going to wear one time.”
Walking into Davie’s dance studio, guests were immediately greeted with an environment flooded with compliments and positive energy. The room was filled with overwhelming support and kindness from students and staff alike. Denise Bailey, a senior at Davie, found herself returning to the event after effortlessly finding her dream dress last year. She tried on multiple dresses throughout the event, but it was when she stepped out in a floral-laced, high-low lilac dress that she realized she once again found “the one.” With friends and endless compliments surrounding her, Bailey could be seen with a beaming smile on her face as she spun in front of the wall-length mirror.
The theme of this year’s prom is “In My Prom Era,” a not-so-subtle reference to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. With the options afforded to students through the Cinderella Project, the hope is that students can find an outfit suited to their own personality or “era.” Members of the Prom Committee, including seniors Kyndall Miller and Jackie Clare, assisted students in dress shopping for this special occasion. On both days of the event, many more students from all grade levels could be seen flipping through the racks with hopes of finding the dress of their dreams.
Juniors Naomi Leonard and Abigail Webb both walked out in their chosen black dresses, with Webb’s featuring gold detailing around the neckline and down the right side, and Leonard’s keeping towards a classic, silk mermaid dress. Senior Jackie Clare, while also assisting as a member of the Prom Committee, found her own stunning red dress to take home, and senior Cailey Nabors proudly carried her ruffled, beige, off-the-shoulder dress on the way to her next class. Senior Haley Tate recalled her own feelings regarding the Cinderella Project, saying that she loves how it “gives more girls a chance to get a dress, whether it’s because they can’t afford one or can’t get one on time.”
While the event was an overall success, Spry reflected that this year’s turnout was smaller than this time last year.
“Maybe we had less students in need of a dress this year, but we also still have to work on our timing of when we actually do the event,” Spry said. In her own reflections, Kaitlin Dancy, Spanish teacher and prom committee advisor, has thought about possibly working on advertising strategies for future years. “I would hope that we could maybe start doing donations earlier, so more people will be able to come,” Dancy said.
Despite a lower turnout, Spry and Dancy both felt as if their efforts were not in vain. With all of the gently-used and new dress donations from various people in the Davie community and beyond, many students were able to walk out with the dress of their dreams, knowing that they didn’t have to spend a penny to look stunning. “There’s no sense in feeling shame,” Spry said. “You can’t help your circumstances, but that’s why we’re doing a positive thing like this.”
The act of giving back to the community is a key aspect of the Travel Club and the Prom Committee, and their accomplishments of spreading love and support can be clearly seen once again through their sponsorship Cinderella Project—a tradition that they hope to see continue for years to come at Davie High.