With Prom less than one month away, the scramble for attendees to find their dream gown is down to the wire. However, as prices of dresses soar, the ability for every high school student to find one is a challenge.

Making Prom accessible to all students is exactly what English teacher Nicole Schiffhauer intended to do. She organized a Prom Closet open to all Manheim Township High School students to find the dress of their dreams, without a price tag.

The Prom Closet is open after school hours from 2:30-4:00pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, located in the hallway outside of Schiffhauer’s classroom (#126). If these times are a conflict for an interested individual, they can contact Schiffhauer to set up an alternate date. Additionally, the Prom Closet is open until mid-April, with the exact date to be announced by Schiffhauer.

Before moving to Manheim Township, Schiffhauer worked at a school in Virginia that had a successful Prom Closet. When she came to Lancaster and took on the role of Senior Class Advisor, former School Board President Nikki Rivera proposed the idea of doing something similar at Manheim Township. In 2019, Schiffhauer did.

However, due to the pandemic, the Prom Closet was inoperable in both 2020 and 2021. So, these dresses have been in storage until March of this year.

The 2022 Prom season is the first year the Prom Closet has been open. As of March 16, six dresses have been given away for free. Students of all grades are able to select from a variety of colors, patterns, styles, and sizes to find the dress they desire. Following Prom, students are welcome to return or keep the dress they got from the Prom Closet.

Through Facebook and messaging local friends and family, Schiffhauer collected an estimated 150 dresses to provide to seniors. Her intent is to give new life to dresses that have never—or rarely—been worn, as well as to relieve students of the potential financial burden Prom dresses can carry.

“Prom isn’t supposed to be a stressor. It’s supposed to be this magical, wonderful evening, where you have a fantastic time with your friends,” Schiffhauer mentioned, “If we can help people feel good about themselves going to Prom, I would do that every day.”