Ever increasing expectation can see girls spend as much as $3000 on their perfect outfit.

Not the students at Wagga High School.

Chloe Harpley and Clara Bate led a whole-school effort to host a charity ball.

The theme was "recycle".

The ball cost little to host and drew big benefits.

Close to $6000 was raised for Wagga Base Hospital's maternity and rehabilitation wards.

Chloe, 17, who was born at WBH and spent a stint in the rehab ward after a knee reconstruction, was shocked to hear those wards received some of the lowest funding.

"It was a real community effort and shows we can really help and that a regional community can achieve (great things)," Chloe said.

Students sold cookie dough, chocolate boxes and held raffles to raise the money, with the rest sourced from a portion of the ticket sales.

"The second- hand theme made our costs really low, we sourced the music for free," co-organiser Clara, 18, said.

They promoted the event on Facebook sites and sourced second-hand table decorations left over from other people's celebrations and weddings.

WBH clinical midwifery educator Colleen Paech congratulated the girls for their efforts in raising money for the ward.

The ward will use the money to purchase a new epidural troley.

"Our current one is 20 years old, at least," Ms Paech said.

"We do at least five epidurals a week."

The new $3000 trolley will be a more appropriate height and have drawers and a workspace specifically designed to be used during epidurals.

"Maternity wards require specialist equipment that is often very expensive and can only be used in that ward," Ms Paech said.

Chloe and Clara's community awareness has inspired the Wagga High School community, with students keen to start a charity ball tradition.