Gerrard Kaonga
Prom night can often be a memorable one, but for one student, it will likely be for all the wrong reasons.
Your time at school can be a drag or a brilliant time with friends. Prom can often prove to be a highlight and a night you remember for years to come.
However, one 16-year-old student in Naples (Florida not Italy), couldn’t celebrate the event in the way she wanted.
Sophie Savidge, a junior at Mason Classical Academy, was denied entry for what she was wearing.
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Not that she was wearing anything inappropriate, the student rocked up and a very smart black suit with an olive-colored vest and tie. A great look for a formal affair.
However, the female student was denied entry and told she had inadvertently broken the dress code rules for formal occasions when she arrived at the Vanderbilt Country Club on May 11.
According to Sophie’s mother, Holly, Vice Principal Nissa Mitchell told the student that she would be allowed to enter the dance if she went home and changed into a dress.
Sophie explained that she doesn’t feel comfortable wearing dresses, nor does she own one, even if she wanted to wear one.
“I was so upset,” Holly Savidge told NBC News.
“I said, ‘Sophie doesn’t wear dresses. She doesn’t like to wear dresses — it’s just not her.’ And [the vice principal] said, ‘Well, unfortunately, those are the rules.’”
Mitchell explained to the mother, who had dropped Sophie off at the dance, that when the students paid the $85 for the ticket, they agreed that they understood the dress code.
Speaking to the outlet, the pair said Sophie had previously worn suits to other school events, including a Valentine’s Day dance in February.
Because of this, Sophie did not believe her wearing a suit would cause an issue and explained this was part of the reason she took the risk in wearing it to prom.
The school has said it is very clear dress code guidelines for all dances.
“Any student who shows up to an MCA dance and does not abide by the dress code is given the opportunity to return to the dance in the proper attire. All students are treated equally at MCA and are welcome and encouraged to attend these voluntary events.”
The school’s website also lists a ‘guide to attire’ that states ‘ladies’ are required to wear dresses and ‘one-piece attire only’ for formal occasions.
Sophie’s mother said they currently have no plans to pursue legal action but hope them telling their story results in change to the policy.
UNILAD has contacted Mason Classical Academy for comment.