More than 150 dresses hung from the ceiling in Paloma Valley High School’s dance room.

Principal Brian Morris shuffled through the outfits. "We have a lot of dresses, but not very many of some sizes," he said.

He parted them like drapes, revealing only five dresses in what he thought was the "size 7" section.

"We only have a few here," he said.

He moved to the end of the two rows of dresses, which hung from iron pipes suspended from the ceiling of the wood-floored, mirror-lined dance room.

"This doesn’t belong here," he said with a scowl as he pulled a large dress from the "size 1" section.

The dresses are part of the school’s effort to make the prom affordable for girls who may otherwise not be able to attend because of the expense.

The school has just begun seeking donations for the upcoming prom, which will take place in May.

Morris’ loafers echoed through the room as he scurried about the rack, pulling out one dress, then another, showing off the various styles and colors.

He seemed gripped with a kind of nervous energy, which makes sense considering the prom dress project is his brainchild.

It began when Morris held the position of assistant principal at Torrey Pines High School. The school offered a similar kind of service.

Morris, though not involved in the project, saw firsthand the way it helped girls who were struggling to pay for the prom themselves.

"The cost cranks up pretty good," Morris said. He counted on his fingers as he listed the expenses: tickets, corsage, shoes, hair, nails, jewelry, dinner, limo and, or course, the dress.

It often adds up to more than $600, and the dress is the greatest single expense, he said.

"If we can provide a dress that knocks 50 percent of the cost off… With the economy the way it is, that’s more relevant than ever," Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] he said.

Many girls use their dresses once and never again – "My wife told me that," Morris said.

He takes his wife to many of the school’s dances. He recalled a conversation they had had: "I asked, ‘What happened to the one you wore last year?’ and she says, ‘I’m not wearing that again.’"

Dresses usually cost between $200 and $300, said Alison King, who teaches English and advises cheer at the school.

According to Christi Curtis, an assistant principal at Paloma, the school gave away some of the dresses for the winter formal in December.

About 30 girls picked up dresses for the dance, which 315 students attended.

Curtis volunteered, coming in on a Saturday and on the five lunch breaks preceding the dance, and she said the program was very popular.

Morris agreed. "It’s taken off so much I wasn’t ready with enough racks and plastic," he said. "But it’s a good problem."

In fact, some of the girls picked out two dresses, Curtis said. "They could wear one to the winter formal and one to the prom."

The office staff plans to notify the students about the free dresses over the school’s intercom system several times before the prom takes place, Morris said.

The students will be welcomed – one at a time – into the dance room to pick out a dress. Then they will be able to try it on in the girls’ locker room, the door to which is less than five feet away from the dance room’s.

"We’re real careful because we want to be respectful of the girls," Morris said.

The school requires no proof of income, signed statements or any kind of paperwork at all. Rather, the school works on the "trust system," said Morris.

"We don’t ask for their names; we don’t ask for anything," Morris said.

To donate a dress, call the high school at (951) 672-6030.