Teens operate prom dress exchange
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers DRESS COLLECTION- Royal High School students in the Patti Myszkowski's peer helping class pose Tuesday with donated prom dresses they have collected that will be made available to students who can't afford to buy a dress themselves.

Students in Patti Myszkowski's peer helping class at Royal High School want to make this year special- not for themselves, but for their classmates.

They're organizing a formal dress exchange, wherein students are encouraged to donate or loan dresses for the upcoming prom to peers who can't afford to purchase them.

The class has also raised more than $1,000 for students who can't pay the $90 ticket price.

"A lot of seniors who might not be able to go to prom may feel more like outsiders," said Heidi "J.J." Marotta, 17, junior class secretary. "They won't want to tell their friends they can't pay for it."

Myszkowski, a thirdyear English teacher, started the peer helper class in 2007. That year, four girls were outfitted with dresses and 13 students were sent to the prom.

Patti Myszkowski

For this year's event, which will be held May 24 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, the class has 18 dresses so far, but Myszkowski hopes students bring even more as the date nears.

"It's tough to try to fit sizes and shapes- there are only so many options," Myszkowski said. "The more dresses we have, the better off we'll be."

The students who receive the donated dresses remain anonymous.

"It's not an easy thing to say, 'I can't afford this.' So it's completely confidential," Myszkowski said. "The only person who knows who they are is me, and I try to forget really quickly."

To help raise money for prom tickets, students hold a fundraiser called the Penny War.

Fourth-period classes at Royal have been competing to see who can raise the most money, but extra points are awarded to classes who give pennies.

The class also raised $500 with an after-school variety show March 13.

"This is for a very good cause," said Oscar Zambrano, 18, senior class president. "I think prom is an essential thing in high school. Ten years from now, you'll want to tell your kids you went to prom."

The peer helper class is aimed at making life better not only for promgoers, but for all Royal students.

During lunch hour, the class door is open to students who want to talk about personal issues with colleagues rather than adult counselors.

The students in the class are trained on how to help troubled peers.

"I like this class a lot," Marotta said. "A lot of people in the class have become close. There aren't any cliques; everyone is all together. So we try to reach out to other kids on campus so they can do the same thing."