For over 10 years, Mr. Simic in room 502 has been supervising a program that gives students the opportunity to wear a stylish outfit to prom, or other school dances, completely free of charge. The goal of Prom Shop is to make school formals more affordable and accessible to all students, giving everyone a chance to make these valuable high school memories.
“I know some people might not want to go to prom because they can’t get a dress or because they can’t afford a ticket and I love being able to advertise and let people have that chance,” Prom shop president Grayson Kingsbury (12) said, “ That’s the important thing, having a chance to go.” The club even holds fundraisers to raffle off free tickets.
Last year their “Buck for a Duck” game at lunch afforded four students the opportunity to go to prom without buying a $45 or $50 ticket. One of the leaders, Izzy Benge (12), said, “I know a lot of people who are spending money that they don’t necessarily have to try to make memories, and prom shop has really good dresses, so I think that it will be the same effect getting it for free than spending hundred of dollars in order to be like everybody else.” With more donations and funding this could give many students the chance to create memories that last a lifetime, without breaking the bank.
Donating your unneeded formal wear is a great way to support this cause, your old shawls or dress pants could be featured in yearbooks decades from now instead of collecting dust in the back of your closet. Their current collection is mostly full of prom dresses, but there is a smaller selection of menswear such as blazers and dress shirts.
Benge said, “There aren’t a whole lot of options and variety, and some of them maybe are not in the latest fashion, so we’re definitely going to need more of those.”
They are also hoping to branch out and provide shoes and accessories, but those are in scarce supply.
Having the option to rent a free outfit for a school dance is a very important and valuable resource that Bloomington North students have access to, but not nearly enough people are utilizing, or aware of, its existence. For the 2025 prom, barely 10 students rented anything from the shop, despite holding a fashion show with over 20 models and a decently sized audience. For the past two prom seasons, the Prom Shop fashion show has been a way to draw attention as well as showcase some of the options to students. Even with this event, the important service that Prom Shop provides to our students is going too widely unnoticed. In order to mitigate this lack of awareness, Prom Shop is looking forward to increasing promotional events and materials,
Kingsbury said, “I’m hoping to do multiple fashion shows this year so it’s not going to be a one and done… but no confirmation on that yet since it’s a while away.”
They said that for this year they are most anticipating a Taylor Swift listening party that is in the works.
Overall, club leaders described their goal this year as simply “more”, meaning more donations, more funding, more options, and more opportunities.
