Say YES to the prom dress! East Providence High School holds giveaway

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Prom dresses are usually expensive, with most high school girls only wearing the high-priced gowns once or twice.

That's why the staff at East Providence High School transformed the school's library into a pop-up store, welcoming students to join them for the "Prom Gown Giveaway" Friday afternoon.

"Oh my God! You look so pretty," one student said to another who dazzled in a beautiful baby blue dress.

Haley Guertin, 18, a senior, said she can't wait for the prom, which is set for May 15 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston.

"It's sad but it's exciting at the same time. I'm going to miss having a high school experience but I'm really looking forward to the prom," she said. "It's one last thing to do before I move on to college."

Guertin, who sported a sparkling blue gown, said she hopes to become a veterinarian someday. But for now, she's planning for prom and praising her teachers for arranging the giveaway.

"I know that dresses cost a lot of money, so to be able to have students walk in and find the dress that they want and feel beautiful is really amazing, without it costing $300," she said.

Other students agreed.

"I think this is awesome," Meredith Crooks, 17, a junior, who picked out a light pink dress, said. "It's really helpful for the people at our school. They get to wear something nice and not have to worry about it costing too much."

Emme Cox, 16, shared similar sentiments.

"This is great for everybody," she said. "Prom dresses are really expensive and being able to afford them at our age is kind of hard. This is a good way to still look beautiful and not spend the money."

Mary Penta, 16, another junior, felt the same. She added that there was a nice selection of dresses and picked out a strapless green gown.

"I love the color," she said.

Elizabeth Meneses, 16, and Jasmine DosSantos, 17, both juniors, said they are thrilled for their first prom. They shopped together, giggling and meeting new friends.

"This is really fun. I've never connected with a group of strangers like this. I know about four of 30 of them," Meneses, who wore a stunning red dress, said of her peers. "And I really like this dress. Shopping for dresses is just so painful, so this is way better."

DosSantos originally selected a black strapless dress, but ended up falling in love with a rose gold sequin gown. She said her goal is to look elegant.

"This brings people together," she said of the giveaway. "You have no idea who they are and then they come out of the dressing room and you're like, 'Oh my God! You should get that!' Everyone is being so supportive. I love it."

Alexea Benros, who works in the attendance office at the school, donated a few dresses for the giveaway. She said she the event was exciting, as the girls were snapping photos and laughing the whole time.

"They're taking pictures and Face-Timing their moms. It's great," she said. "I wish I had this when I was in high school."

Diana Lee, an English teacher, and Christine Alves, who is a library secretary at Riverside Middle School, helped organize the event, which Lee started at least six years ago.

Lee said it has grown over the years, noting that they used to hold the event in one of the classrooms, then the aerobic room before moving it to the library.

"We just took it to a different level," Lee said.

This year, Lee said Research and Learning Commons Specialist Marti Monteiro made the library look like an actual dress shop, also adding that donations poured in from the community, with Aidile's Spa in East Providence contributing five gift cards for hair and makeup, and Amy's Salon in Riverside donating four manicures.

"Every year, it just gets better and better," Lee said. "I am so happy with the amount of kids that came this year."

More than 30 students tried on as many dresses in less than an hour, with at least half leaving with gowns.

"Some of the girls said, 'I'm just going to buy my dress.' And I said, 'Why are you going to buy a dress when you can come here and look?'" Lee said. "It's awesome to see them dressed up and be a part of it with them."