Please anyone help the story is at the bottom As the school year draws to a close, preparations for the eighth-grade prom are in full swing. During the next few weeks, eighth-graders like myself will spend hundreds of dollars preparing for this event. For girls, the prom dress is key, with an average cost of $100. Then there are accessories such as long gloves and tiny purses that hold nothing. Guys rent tuxedos and buy carnations; some hire a limousine and driver. Every year prom night gets more and more expensive; some kids spend so much it's ridiculous. Prom night used to mean spending time with friends, dancing, and genuinely having fun. marked the passage from middle school to high school and gave kids a chance to say goodbye to their friends , some of whom would be on to other high schools . Today, the prom is more like a competition . It makes some kids feel bad and gives others a chance to feel superior . There are thousands of dollars in the Class Fund, just waiting to be frittered away on prom night festivities . Why not take a portion of that money and put it to better use? Every day we hear about another crisis in the world. People are starving, children need medical supplies , and natural disasters displace millions of people and destroy their lives . Charitable organizations are doing good work to fight these ills and they need our support . We could still have a good time on prom night without spending all the money in the Class Fund For instance , instead of hiring a professional band, we could have a school band perform for much less. I am a drummer a band and would be happy to perform for free . Instead of spending thousands on a sit -down dinner in a fancy hotel ballroom , we could have an amazing barbecue for a fraction of the cost In doing sowe would be making the experience much more memorable In addition , we would be eradicating some of the more negative aspects of prom night. It's foolish to waste money on one single event that we don't even enjoy that much anymore - especially if we can use that money to make a difference in people's lives