Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Jan. 15, 2025 – Members of the Valley High School We the People Club will be showing off this year’s prom fashions and their musical talents in the Jonesboro Prom Fashion Show to raise money for a trip to a national competition.
The club is hosting this event, which will be held Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Valley View Fine Arts Center, located at 2111 Valley View Drive.
The tickets are available for $10 from club members or online at the We the People – Cheddar Up site, however, they can also be purchased at the door for $12, or $10 with the donation of a canned food item.
All canned food proceeds will go to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas as another way for the club to be charitable, while ticket sales will help fund the club’s trip to We the People’s National Finals competition in Washington D.C. The club took first place in state competitions in December.
Valley View High School Senior Issac Henry, who is the We the People Club Marketing Manager and a fashion model for the event, said this event will allow local boutiques and menswear stores to show off their hottest looks to students from local schools. This is the club’s first time hosting a fashion show fundraiser.
“Prom fashion shows have been done for years here in Jonesboro,” Henry said. “It’s been done by all sorts of places, not just here at Valley View. The reason we decided to take over was because somebody in our class had worked on the last one and had told us that this was a great way to fundraise for money and to draw interest to your club.”
According to VVHS We the People Sponsor Melissa Mayfield, the group took over the Prom Fashion Show from the NEA Youth Chain Reaction Council.
Henry said also noted that the fashion show includes local businesses such as Men in Black Tuxedos, who will be providing the looks for the guys; and Emma and Kait’s Dress Shop and Jessica’s Bridal and Formal, who will be providing the fashions for the girls. However, club members won’t just be walking down the runway.
“We have got to keep it interesting,” he laughed. “Both the boys and the girls will have a choreographed dance. I’m a trained dancer now, it’s so much fun. We’ve been practicing since mid-December. Plus, there will be some musical performances, such as singing performances and maybe a piano performance.”
So far, he said the club has raised $9,000 of roughly $30,000, which will be used to cover flights, hotels and meal costs during their trip for around 20 to 22 students, depending on who can go. The club has been fundraising all year, doing everything from selling Oreo balls for $5 to holding raffles at basketball games.
“It’s a good experience for everybody in the club to be able to go out and work the beat, go around town asking businesses for donations, setting up meetings with businesses to talk about donations, selling foods, and just preparing and selling stuff for the fundraising effort,” Henry said. “That’s a good experience for the students to learn communication and salesmanship.”
We the People is a civic group focusing on analyzing the Constitution and Constitutional issues, such as freedom of speech or freedom of religion in schools.
National Finals will be April 9 through 11 at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA, just outside of Washington D.C. The competition uses simulated Congressional hearings and typically features 48 teams representing their respective states. The National Finals Awards Ceremony will take place on April 11, announcing the top ten teams and other award winners.
For more information visit the VVHS We The People (@vvhs.wethepeople) on Instagram.
