A group of teachers at Mercer High School in West Windsor make prom a memorable experience for their students.
Chances are you can recall with perfect clarity what you or your date wore to your prom, whether it was one month, one year or 20 years ago.
Maybe it was a classic sheath, with a wide red sash and a matching carnation. Maybe it was a tea-length satin number, in teal green or metallic gold sheen.
The picture is likely etched into your brain, souvenir of a magical evening.
Largely because of people like Debra Feerrar, who teaches daily living skills, prom season holds particular resonance for students at Mercer High School in West Windsor.
The school, part of the Mercer County Special Services District, provides a structured environment for autistic, behaviorally and otherwise disabled students, including those with cognitive impairment.
Feerrar and other members of the faculty and staff spend months making sure that all of the students who want to attend the school's annual gala have their choice of a free dress or a free fitting.
Donated dresses make prom special
Donations stream in throughout the school year: gowns, formals and cocktail dresses in a variety of styles and sizes, some worn only once, some never worn. Many are the legacy of young women who have already experienced their own proms; others come from wedding-goers or ballroom dancers.
A staff member once brought in a four or five dresses, the generous donation of a daughter who had been a bridesmaid in multiple weddings.
It falls to Feerrar, her colleagues and volunteers from the community to attend to any needed alterations, taking in a seam here or lifting a hem there to make sure the dresses fit perfectly.
"The students get to make a choice, and we want them to feel pretty," says the teacher, who has been at this wonderful labor of love for a decade.
Their actions carry added meaning because some students with physical disabilities encounter barriers when they set out to shop for formal wear.
One student this year has curvature of the spine. Feerrar and her crew made adjustments to the shimmery silver outfit the young woman picked out, helping guarantee that its wearer felt smashing on her festive night out.
Principal Brian Kozaskowski told NJ Advance Media that about one-third of the school's 300 students generally attend the prom, which fell this year on Friday, May 6. Held at the Mercer Oaks golf club, the event sported a Lion King theme, based on the school's 2016 musical production.
The prom-goers looked resplendent, and the grins they wore were as radiant as their outfits - thanks in large measure to a devoted group of teachers who understand the meaning of giving from the heart.
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