Pahrump Valley High School introduces new program for students

Pahrump Valley High School has unveiled a new program for the betterment of the entire student body.

Dubbed, “Trojans Trunk,” the program provides students with new and gently used clothing and accessories, free of charge.

Students Madeline Pereira and Hailey Lane helped to coordinate the program after speaking to the school district’s Homeless Liaison director, Linda Fitzgibbons.

“I am in AmeriCorps and Linda Fitzgibbons told me about this idea at Pahrump Valley High School,” Pereira said. “We found an empty room and she told me to turn it into a boutique. I’ve been working on it for a very long time.”

The arrangement is simple, Pereira said, as students can flash their student identification card and pick up the items they need.

Pereira noted the Trojan Trunk is ideal for students who arrive on campus dressed inappropriately for the school day.

“We have kind of a fashion police here,” she said. “If someone gets dressed-coded, instead of just going home, they can go in and pick up a new pair of jeans or whatever. It’s a boutique, but we named it Trojans Trunk, so it doesn’t sound as girly.”

Lane, a junior at the school, spoke of the importance of the new project.

“I think it’s just awesome,” she said. “I am part of the Children in Transition program and they offer different items of need. But it wasn’t always on site, so we would have to wait to get clothes or anything that we needed. When this came around, it was really helpful for myself and many other students in the Children in Transition program.”

Additionally, Lane noted that some students too often feel self-conscious about their appearance.

“It seems that at times, what people wear gives them confidence,” she said. “Some students make fun of other people for what they wear, which is very unfortunate. A lot of the students are much more confident in themselves with this program.”

Donations of clothing are always welcome.

Pereira said any and all new or gently used apparel would be greatly appreciated, as there is no junk in the Trojan’s Trunk.

“We are looking for clothes that would fit high schoolers,” she said. “We acquired the items from around the community and we had a lot of donations. We want to keep it limited to about two or three outfits each month. Everything is free for the students, and a lot of these items are in great condition.”

Hours of operation for the Trojans Trunk are flexible.

Pereira said she wants the program to become a mainstay on campus for future students.

“We are hoping this will be a permanent fixture here it the school and grow even more in the future,” she said. “The hours of operation are before school 7 a.m.-9 a.m. Lunch time is 10:55 a.m.-12:20 p.m., and after school from 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.”

Pereira also said the program would not be possible without resources from a Southern Nevada organization.

“Project 150 is a nonprofit from Las Vegas,” she said. “They help high schools around the district and we are fortunate they reached out to us. They donate food and hygiene items or whatever we need and they come all the way from Las Vegas to drop off the items here. It all started this year. And it’s really cool to work with them.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes