Burrell students say yes to the dress at free prom event
The first prom dress Violet Gamble picked out from Burrell High School’s Bucco Boutique turned out to be the perfect one.
“Whenever I pulled this off the rack, it looked nice,” she said of the white, spring-like floral dress.
Gamble, 17 and a senior at Burrell High School, selected the dress out of 92 available from the student-driven prom dress giveaway held Wednesday.
A few girls visited the Bucco Boutique room, inside the school’s library, after school Wednesday to pick out a free prom dress.
Dresses were donated from Burrell graduates, staff and students, and people in the community, said senior Andi Householder, who coordinated the event with high school librarian Megan Aranyos.
The Bucco Boutique is a clothes closet inside the high school’s library where students can pick up free clothes and personal hygiene products. It opened in 2018.
When students have access to basic needs, they’re able to focus better on learning, Aranyos said.
“It’s grown a lot,” Aranyos said. “I’ve gotten some grants and larger donations; some kids are in here every day. The point was to help meet students’ basic needs; it’s taking care of their basic needs.”
Some dresses were donated new, even with tags still on them.
There is no stigma among students whose peers use the Bucco Boutique, Aranyos said.
“I have yet to pay full price for a (prom or homecoming) dress,” said Householder, who also was Burrell’s homecoming queen and named “Best Dressed” for the school’s Senior Superlatives. “They’re still beautiful — they’re really nice dresses.”
Householder will be wearing one of the dresses from the Bucco Boutique for Burrell’s prom, which will be held May 3.
The concept of “thrifting” — shopping at places like thrift stores or garage sales for gently used items at discounted prices — is also popular among high school students, Householder said. Thrifting is cheap and easy, she said.
She was grateful for the support and donations from the community.
“It was really cool seeing that outcome,” Householder said. “For the first year, it’s perfect. We want this to span multiple years.”
Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. He joined the Trib in April 2023. He can be reached at kstepler@triblive.com.
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