About 250 middle school students from around the city converged on a storefront near UFT headquarters in Manhattan on June 3 to try on prom attire donated by UFT middle school members. “It’s like Christmas,” said Richard Mantell, the UFT vice president for middle schools, whose division organized the event and alerted members in schools serving students from low-income families. Groups of students waited their turn outside the dressing rooms. Lois, age 13, and Marlena, age 14, from PS 191 in Manhattan, had a few choices draped over their arms. “This one is my favorite,” said Lois, holding up a dress with an embroidered bodice and a full tulle skirt. In addition to racks of dresses in all sizes, there was a shoe display to peruse, and tables with earrings and necklaces and another table with toiletries. Boys also had racks of formal jackets, shirts and ties to try on. Lauren Council, a teacher at MS 129 in the South Bronx, said five female students from her school had signed up. “A lot of the girls didn’t have anything to wear,” Council said. “One girl, just two days ago, had to go to a shelter, so she was really happy to join us here.” Thimoty Dally, the chapter leader at Kappa V MS in Brownsville, Brooklyn, accompanied 12 students to the event. “It means a lot to the students,” Dally said. So many items were donated that the following week other prom attire events were staged at three schools in the Bronx and one in Brooklyn, and yet more prom wear was delivered to other middle schools in low-income communities across the city. “The important thing is to make sure every child has a chance to enjoy graduation and their prom,” said Adriana O’Hagan, a UFT member representative in the UFT’s Middle Schools Division.