CHS to Prom It Forward
By Kaileigh Deacon
The end of the school year means a lot of things. For graduating seniors it means the start of a new adventure away from high school. While the end of the year activities can be fun and exciting they can also be a little expensive. The costs of going to prom can add up quickly.
Megan Lord and Jamie Thigpen are working to help alleviate some of the stress associated with getting ready for prom at Calais High School by starting the Prom It Froward Project. The program would help students by providing them with a place where they can go to get the things they need for prom, like dresses, suits, accessories and more.
Both Thigpen and Lord had this idea about creating a program that would provide formal wear to students that needed it. Back in December they polled the senior class to see how many students would take advantage of a program like this. There were at least twelve girls and twelve boys that said that they would. So Prom-It-Forward was started.
The day after, the post about creating the program appeared on the Calais School Department’s Facebook page and the response was overwhelming. Thirteen items were donated that day alone and have already risen to twenty-four items. But there is still a need for more. Thigpen and Lord are still looking for men’s suits as well as dresses in various sizes. They will be collecting other items as well including shoes, purses, hair accessories, etc.
In May they are hoping to create a shopping day that would allow for the items they have to be set up and create a whole shopping experience. They intend to make this a fun shopping adventure for those who wish to participate. Sandwiches and other food and water will be on hand to make it feel like a boutique. For students that would like to take advantage of the project but may want to do it more anonymously they can reach out to Mrs. Thigpen or Mrs. Lord to look into it.
They are also hoping to provide a way to help students get ready for the prom as well by providing hairdressers that Saturday to help create the full experience.
Lord and Thigpen are hoping that the Prom It Forward Project can become an annual event for the school that will help all the students who need it. Already they have talked about joining with the Woodland High School to create a bigger selection and event.
If you need to clean out your closet or want to help the Prom It Forward Project in another way you can contact the high school and speak to Jamie Thigpen or Megan Lord. They will be accepting gently used items that can be used again.