P rom is often labeled as the most exciting night of every teenager’s high school experience. One of the most important decisions that one can make regarding prom is the dress that will be worn for this special occasion. For this year’s prom, most girls spent hundreds of dollars and hours upon hours searching for the perfect prom dress that would make them stand out in a sea of formally clad teenagers. Other girls discovered the latest and greatest method for acquiring a gown for the occasion that is ultimately cost free and much less time consuming. This method was going by D106 to choose a dress from the array of fancy gowns that were set up on racks. All of these dresses were donated by people who had no use for them or had worn them to proms in the past. This boutique was started years ago by Mrs. Nollenberg, who has left Dimond and passed the responsibility of managing it off to Barb Evans, a life skills teacher. The boutique was especially popular among the foreign exchange students, who didn’t want to spend an outrageous sum on a gown that they most likely would only wear one time. Some girls preferred buying their own dress to choosing one of the used, free ones that were available. “I don’t think I would get one from there because I want to pick out my own dress and I want it to be new and up to date and I want it to be my own,” said Junior Ashton Bare. “I would pick one from there if I was looking for a last-minute dress and had no time,” said Sophomore Mackenzie French. Others commented that if they were invited to prom as freshmen or sophomores they might select one from the Dimond boutique. Some girls even brought their dates or boyfriends with them to try on the dresses. Any time after school or at lunch the girls could walk in, and try on as many dresses as they liked. Once they found the perfect dress, they could take it home and keep it or re-donate it after prom. The boutique had many styles and colors to offer that appealed to a wide range of students, but some styles were more popular than others. “The more formal, not too many short dresses. A few, but mostly the long dresses… just more of the elegant simple dresses,” Evans said. Now that prom has passed, the Dimond Dress boutique has closed for this year. However, it will most certainly be back next year, willing to give dresses to any who wish to use one. Perhaps one day they will even start Dimond Tux Town, for those gents who are in need of a tux to escort their lovely ladies to the biggest high school dance of the year. “This was the best year we’ve ever had. Usually we’ve had maybe ten, but this year we’ve had about twenty… We’ve had a lot more students this year,” said Evans.