Students Helping Students: Make Prom Affordable

This week's "Community Spotlight" is on a group of local students in Cobb County, who are making a difference by showing their "Strength in Stilettos."

Are you a high school student who's looking for a prom dress or a tuxedo? Are you a parent who's trying to teach your kid how to make a difference in the community? Watch the story above of a group of Cobb students who started a nonproft organization, Strength in Stilettos, to help make prom affordable for their peers. This week's Cobb Weekend & Community Spotlight features the 3rd Annual Prom Dress Consignment Sale at Allatoona High School. As prom season approaches, young ladies from Allatoona High and Kennesaw Mountain High are doing their part to make the big dance affordable for everyone. The event organized by Strength in Stilettos is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 2. Last year, shoppers had the opportunity to choose from …

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Are Separate Proms OK?

Some parents and students at a high school in Indiana want to hold a separate prom that would ban gay students from attending. Tell us what you think of their plans.

Two proms could be offered to students in an Indiana town this spring. Several parents and students at Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Ind., recently met at a church to discuss holding a separate prom—one that would ban gay students from attending, according to NBC 2 in Terra Haute, Ind. "We want to make the public see that we love the homosexuals, but we don't think it's right nor should it be accepted," a local student told the television station. Several pastors in the community support the idea, according to the TV station, as does a special education teacher at a nearby school system. According to theindychannel.com, Diana Medley, who teaches at nearby North Central Jr./Sr. High School in the Northeast School Corporation, told NBC 2…

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Jon Gargis

9:46 am on Monday, February 18, 2013

Since the discussion has seemingly run its course, we are closing this article to new comments.   more ›

Becca's Closet Moving to Acworth

The nonprofit organization needs help with its move.

Becca's Closet Atlanta, a nonprofit organization helping girls in financial need find dresses for school events such as prom, has found a home in Acworth after being "homeless" for a few weeks. It's good news for Sprayberry and Pope high school students who may need to visit Becca's for upcoming proms. The group stayed rent-free in a donated space on Kennesaw's historic Cherokee Street the past two years, but the location was recently leased. The organization has an active chapter out of Walton High School. This week someone gave Becca’s Closet a house on 10 acres at 5830 Forest Drive in the Cherokee part of Acworth. But the modular home needs serious repair. "We are now in need of the community's help to repair the home before we can move…

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Think Before You Drink Prom Night

Alcohol is a factor in the three leading causes of death for teens.

Prom season is upon us—a time of celebration for teenagers and their families. Many proms and parties are scheduled throughout March, April and May. Lassiter High School will be among the first, hosting its prom Saturday night at the Foxx Theatre. But while prom is a time of celebration, it is also a time of increased underage drinking. The Cobb Alcohol Taskforce and its partners—law enforcement agencies, schools and community leadership—throughout the county are trying to get the word out. Don't drink and drive prom night. Alcohol is a factor in the three leading causes of death for teens. It also contributes to assaults, date rapes, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, alcohol poisonings and crimes. According to the …

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Donate Prom Dresses

Lassiter High School and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) are collecting used prom dresses for The Foster Care Support Foundation, Inc.

You were the belle of the ball... now what to do with the prom dress? Lassiter High School and FBLA are collecting used prom dresses for The Foster Care Support Foundation, Inc. Students may drop off the dresses in Lassiter's room 500. Dresses will be collected through Oct. 31. Lassiter will give students a receipt for their donation.  The Foster Care Support Foundation, Inc.  It is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

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Patch Picks

Patch Picks: Top 5 Prom Picks

Northeast Cobb Patch's picks to make your prom night perfect.

"Prom" is a shortened form of the word promenade; in partner dancing, a type of body positioning where the partners face in the same direction of travel, according to Wikipedia, and in this case, at the beginning of a formal event. The formal event we now call prom was first deemed “the prom” in the 1890s. Proms started in the elite colleges of the Northeast as offspring from the debutante balls of the rich, and were reserved for the senior class. The dances weren't lavish. Students arrived in their Sunday best. The dances were strictly chaperoned. The proms of today are lavish affairs that include hotel or resort ballrooms, live bands, glamorous clothing, and stretch limousines. Attendance at the school prom is popularly considered a rite…

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Moms Talk

Prom After-Party Drinking

Each week in Moms Talk a local parent asks a question, and other parents give advice and share solutions.

Q: There are after-parties following prom. How do you talk to your teen about drinking alcohol, and the risks of alcohol (alcohol poisoning, pregnancy, drunk driving, etc.)? Do you trust your teen following the prom, or escort your teen to an after prom event, like an all night church event? A: It is best to talk with your teen before the prom about what is planned following the prom. Following prom, many teens search for a place to hang out. The place is usually someone's home, "parking" at a ballfield, or a group of teens pitch-in money to rent a hotel room. If your teen plans to venture out with friends following prom, it's good to talk about the risks of alcohol and drug use, and ways to overcome peer pressure. It's important to set a …

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