In 14,000 private schools in the US, students wear a uniform in school. As one of these schools, Agnes Irwin also enforces clothing restrictions which some students have been opposed to. Uniforms and clothing restrictions are put in place to “nourish a sense of equality” and “prevent embarrassing problems,” as stated by americanprep.org, so why does everyone want to break these guidelines? I asked a few students to voice their opinions on the subject.
One said that she feels more productive when she is comfortable, while others simply don’t want to wear tight clothing. The general consensus among AIS students is that while the uniforms can create a unified student body some specific rules put into place are too narrow.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the class deans decided to let students wear grey sweatpants using the rationale that students need more layers since they are going to be outside more due to the school’s COVID-19 lunch and class protocols. This amendment to the uniform guidelines has increased morale in students and decreased the amount of uniform infractions compared to earlier years. This change, however effective, is most likely going to be removed from the student handbook next year. This is because according to some teachers, wearing unfitted clothing can make students look less put together. One of Agnes Irwin’s goals is to grow professionalism among students, which is why the uniform rules have always been strict.
In my opinion, I think the grey sweatpants will continue to be worn, despite whatever the handbook states. Grey sweats are comfortable and the perfect thing to wear to school, especially while being locked in the freezing garden level, as the freshman class has been this year.
