Free attire making this prom accessible
Paradise Valley district has casual atmosphere
When prom season rolled around for Gary Cloud, he said he remembers heading to a Goodwill and scraping together whatever outfit he could without breaking his budget. Money was hard to come by then, he said.
Now, decades later, he’s helping his son, Rhys, a senior at Pinnacle High School, pick out his entire prom ensemble — and it won’t cost his family a dime.
“It takes a ton of stress out,” Cloud said. “We were going to share the costs, and now we don’t have to.”
Paradise Valley Unified School District is hosting its seventh annual prom boutique, an event where district students can browse a selection of donations that include just about anything they could need: dresses, suit coats, colognes, belts, clutches, tie clips, undershirts, jewelry and heels. There’s even a raffle where lucky students can win gift cards to local restaurants and businesses.
The event is open to all families, regardless of income. Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Haidyn Teubner said the event’s casual atmosphere makes it preferable to shopping at upscale locations outside of the district.
“I feel like it’s very judgy; there’s a lot of expectation going to a boutique. But here, it’s very easygoing, and everyone’s very helpful,” Teubner said. She came with a preferred color palette and an open mind, she said.
The first boutique launched in 2016 with the support of the Paradise Valley Education Association, the local chapter of the teachers union. April Gladden, a founding member and kindergarten teacher, said she pulled inspiration from her father, who had grown up in poverty.
“My mama and papa, they worked. They had jobs. They had careers, but being able to send their children to prom was not an option,” said Gladden, the Paradise Valley Education Association’s prom committee co-chair.
Just 25 students attended that first year. Though seemingly small at first, Gladden said those were 25 lives for which she’d had a hand in making their prom affordable. Those were 25 lives that were perhaps in similar situations as her father had been all those years ago. The event has grown tenfold since then, reaching more than 250 students in 2023.
“When you watch them trying things on, you can see it in their faces, the relief, the excitement, the, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I found my dress,’”
“We were going to share the costs, and now we don’t have to.”
Gary Cloud
Father of Pinnacle High School senior
said Rosemary Jakub, a beginning teacher mentor and prom committeeco-chair. “Lots of happy tears, and that’s the teachers’ favorite part. They come out of their pop-up tents, they go in front of the mirrors and then they twirl. It’s pretty amazing to watch.”
A dozen pop-up tents serve as student dressing rooms for the event. Paradise Valley Unified students who still need prom attire can stop by Sweetwater Community School between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday to grab those items for free.
Gladden and Jakub said they accept donations year-round. During prom season, community members can drop off their items at the district office, 15002 N. 32nd St. in Phoenix.