Prom night for Stoneman Douglas students of Parkland
It was prom night for the students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School of Parkland, Florida.
Hundreds of students made their way to the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort Saturday night, looking their best with plenty of glitz, glamour and some bling.
Security was tight, as bus after bus safely transported students. There were plenty of limos, too, including a pink Ford Expedition limousine with the window reading 'Princess Meadow.'
Inside the hotel, students kept things the way they wanted it - private.
They took time to honor four of their classmates who should've been there with them.
Nicholas Dohert, Joaquin Oliver, Carmen Schentrup, and Meadow Pollack had their lives taken on February 14 in the mass shooting. There were 17 lives lost that day.
The hotel's management donated the ballroom and the food, a $50,000 total, to the students. Donations were collected to make sure everyone who wanted to come out to prom could make it.
Leading up to the big dance, senior class president Julia Cordover said it was going to be a night for fun and healing.
"Cause everyone deserves it, so we just hope that everyone will have a new positive memory for their senior year," Cordover said.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies also stood guard at the front entrance.
"The senior class is going to be missing some of its members - we don't forget that, none of us," said senior Rebecca Schneid, who dressed in a black gown for the event.
The Parkland school had considered cancelling the prom after the massacre, but local businesses donated items and services, helping to reduce the event's costs and ticket prices.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
----------
