Prom Queen

What began with a group of English as a Second Language students unable to afford prom attire has blossomed into a dress drive that may become an annual event. In the days before last year’s prom, Baldwin High School ESL teacher Adeline Scibelli faced a dilemma: A group of her students, some of them recently arrived from Haiti, were unable to afford the extravagant dresses that are all but the rule at proms in the U.S.

“I needed five dresses, so I called around to see if anyone would donate,” Scibelli recounted. “Very quickly I had the dresses I needed, and the girls had a wonderful time.”

Scibelli didn’t initially consider extending Project Prom Dress beyond 2011, but she was approached by so many students this school year, she explained, that she embraced the idea. “Students asked me if I’d be collecting dresses again this year, so I put a notice on the school Facebook page,” she said. “The response was crazy.”

As Scibelli told the tale of the 2012 dress drive, she opened the door to a music department storage closet backstage at the BHS theater. Standing out like a peacock plume among the trombone cases and bass drum hardware was a garment rack crammed with vibrant prom dresses — 105 of them, to be exact — in all sizes and colors.

Visibly emotional at the sight of the donations, Scibelli continued her story. “Eventually we went to the school district and to Bridal World,” she said of the Baldwin shop. “Ronnie at Bridal World just gave us 15 new dresses right off the rack to start our collection. Big sap that I am, I just started crying.”

Tears have flowed freely for the 28-year-old Scibelli as she has continued to administer the program. A native of Seaford, she is a confessed prom junkie and was a compulsive joiner herself in high school. “Whatever it was, I did it,” Scibelli said. “I just think proms, formals, these things are milestones every girl should experience if they want to. These are memories that you don’t get back.”

Somewhat shy in describing how emotional she becomes over the donations flooding in, Scibelli admitted that she cried when Larry at Harbor French Laundry agreed to clean the dresses for free, and again when a local thrift store forked over garment racks for storage. “People have been so amazing,” she said. “I got dresses from as far away as Connecticut, and other people trying to send us men’s suits. Some donors have sent us dresses that aren’t even for prom. Nice summer dresses. I’ve given them away to students as rewards.”

Scibelli said she clung to her own prom dress, “a gorgeous, fire-engine-red gown” until this year, but added it to the donations when Project Prom Dress 2012 started picking up steam. She says the drive has been a “whole school effort,” and listed numerous groups that have volunteered their aid. Students in the fashion department, she said, have repaired some of the dresses and augmented others with beading and hems. She also said that student seamstresses and tailors may branch out into more advanced alterations like fittings in future years.

Scibelli estimated that 20 dresses would be given away this year, adding that she would use the rest of the donations to endow the program for future proms. A confidential list of students who take part in a free-lunch program determines who qualifies for free dresses, but Scibelli said that once those students are taken care of, the dresses are made available to anyone who wants one.

“I’ve even been speaking with another teacher in Westbury, and we were thinking about making the collection Islandwide,” Scibelli said of her plans for the future. “Next year I might look at adding men’s suits as well as shoes and handbags and things like that. For now, this is just such a fun thing. Some of the students are a little shy about their financial situations, but others come in with their friends and their moms. We can accommodate a lot of different people, which is great.”