Marketing students from Centreville High School and the Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall program will open their Prom Dress Shop for the prom season on Friday, April 5, at Centreville High School.

The marketing students apply retail marketing and visual merchandising skills learned throughout the school year to transform their classroom into the Prom Dress Shop.  

“This is an excellent opportunity to accomplish several goals at once,” said Miranda Schick, 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 their ‘Portrait of a Graduate’ skills. These include communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and global citizenship skills.” 

The Prom Dress Shop is located in the modular classroom building near the stadium in the student parking lot of Centreville High School, outside of door 12. 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, April 5, 5-8 p.m.
• Saturday, April 6, 2-5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 7, 1-4 p.m.
• Friday, April 12, 5-8 p.m.
• Saturday, April 13, 2-5 p.m.
• Sunday, April 14, 1-4 p.m.

Since 2006, Centreville High School and Fair Oaks Classroom on the Mall students have partnered to collect dresses as a way to combine their interests in fashion with community service. The dress shop has helped hundreds of financially challenged students attend prom in style each spring by providing prom dresses and accessories at no cost to students.