By Henriikka Niemi
Staff Writer
With prom just two short months away, senior girls have started frantically searching for the perfect dress and quickly posting the dresses on the 2014 prom Facebook group to stake a claim to their find.
One hallmark of the prom season at Coppell High School is the prom fashion show, a showcase where seniors strut their stuff in front of their entire class to model the latest styles of dresses and tuxedos, providing inspiration to those who have yet to find the perfect one.
“I’m the vice president of the senior class, so I felt I should do it as a representative of the class,” senior Rosemary Brinegar said. “We started preparing a week before the show and we did two run throughs of what we would be doing, including fun poses and movements to keep the energy up.”
Senior class sponsor Tiffany Ganss began preparations by choosing models, setting up fittings and staging two rehearsals for the models to practice their choreography. Partners are paired based on matching outfits, and in past years have been able to pick their own music, although time constraints this year didn’t allow for complete freedom.
“We typically use senior class officers and we also take volunteers,” Ganss said. “We try to get a diverse group of students to participate to represent all walks of CHS.”
The dresses and tuxedos typically come from David’s Bridal and Men’s Wearhouse respectively. Coppell High School is partnered with the latter for a program called Cash Back for Schools, for which Men’s Wearhouse donates $5 to CHS for every person from the school renting a tux.
Seniors who participate in the show have additional incentives to persuade friends to rent their tux from Men’s Wearhouse; if they get five friends, they can rent their tux for free and if they get 10 friends, they also receive a suit valued at $500 for free. This year, friends of the models will receive $40 off their tux and a coupon for free chips and guacamole at Chipotle.
David’s Bridal works in conjunction with Men’s Wearhouse and receives free advertising from loaning dresses for the show.
“The experience was actually a lot better than I thought it would be,” senior Allie Zill said. “I had a really good time, and it’s something I’ll remember when I’ve left high school.”
The show doubled as a class meeting, where details of prom and other upcoming senior events such as the class picnic, awards and Six Flags trip were discussed. Seniors also nominated prom king and queen although final votes will be cast when prom tickets are bought.
For absent seniors or underclassmen who plan to attend, prom tickets will go on sale at all lunches starting on March 24, three weeks before prom, at $85 each. This price increases by $10 each week as the date gets closer to prom on April 12.
