Yes
“I hope it will help people feel more comfortable and happy on their graduation day.”
“I don’t believe that what people are wearing affects the graduation, and I think that the option will make many people more comfortable.”
“As a non-binary student, I think it is nice to have the option. I’m not saying that I definitely wouldn’t want to wear one of the dresses, but at least now there is a choice. I think it was really brave of Mrs. Keidel to add this option. My mother is an alum and was mad when she heard that people were trying to go against the dress. I tried explaining that since more people are not afraid to express their gender identity, this would help people feel comfortable, but she didn’t really understand. Even if she doesn’t, I think this choice will positively affect students.”
“This change will not affect me personally since I plan to wear the dress, but I am glad that many others will now be able to feel more comfortable. While I am glad that the school attempted to accommodate the affected individuals, I am disappointed as I do feel they could have done more. I also feel that they presented it as an alternative option rather than a main choice, which may have left some people feeling excluded.”
No
“As someone who will be wearing a pantsuit option, I know I will feel like an alternative or other.”
“It’s not inclusive, and will make me feel unwanted at graduation.”
“It’s tradition for everyone to wear the same dress.”
“Personally, I don’t feel uncomfortable in a dress. But I know my classmates might, and that in turn makes me very angry that they either have a dress option or an alternative. No one wants to be an alternate option. It makes me sad that we could have such a productive and heartfelt discussion about it in class meeting just to have it amount to nothing. I am disappointed in our administration once again, and I’m simply sad for the lower grades who have to continue on for more years.”
A CAP AND GOWN IS NOT THAT DIFFICULT!!!! WE LOOK UNIFORM AND IT MAKES PEOPLE COMFORTABLE (the most important part).
I think that this will affect my graduation experience because I want to feel comfortable and confident with what I am wearing when I graduate. I do not know what the specific dresses are, but some of them might not work for everyone. Providing a small group of dresses that students can choose from might not give them the flexibility they need. Picking my own dress when I graduate would make me feel so much more comfortable with the whole experience so much better. I think that this change does not solve all of the issues that the senior class presented. When we are talking about the issue of body inclusivity, providing a small group of dresses and ONE pantsuit option. There could be someone who does not feel comfortable wearing a dress at all and they would like to wear a pantsuit. This person might not feel comfortable in their body and be disappointed in how that particular pantsuit looks. There are many other issues with the guidelines on this change. For example: Someone might follow a religion that says they need to cover their arms and legs excluding the feet and hands. The dresses that were picked out will most likely not meet those standards and if they do the person might not feel comfortable enough in their body to wear that particular dress. There are many different obstacles regarding the comfort level of different people that the group picking the dress might forget to address. Overall, I think that it would be a good idea to have the graduates pick their individual dresses.
I think the photos would be more special if everyone was wearing the same thing like “united as a grade” sort of message. We will be showing our future kids and family our pictures from high school and those will be the first we will show so I think the appearance is important even though it sounds like it is not. I think caps would be fun to add because it’s a tradition in America to throw the caps when you graduate, but then still wear the white dresses because that is our school tradition.
It makes it more inclusive than before, but honestly I am disappointed in this choice. I saw white robes as the obvious and universal solution. I think the change makes it clear that the school is not concerned with the class being uniform and wearing the same thing, rather the feminine and pure symbol of a white dress.
I think that it will make it hostile because people will show up to make a point, instead of thinking of the event as graduation. If people are listened to, they won’t feel the need to shout. This is why I don’t understand the stubbornness of this institution. I believe that having a uniform look is important, but not at the price of someone’s comfort…I just don’t think that tradition should trump the majority voice of the class.
I’m graduating in a few years and I’m uncomfortable with the idea of wearing a white dress or pantsuit to graduation. I would rather wear the traditional cap and gown, because it will feel more like a graduation experience and I won’t have to wear something that doesn’t fit my body well. I think we should wear white dresses/suits under our cap and gown. I am cisgender, so the effects of this tradition are not nearly as detrimental to me as they are to trans and non-binary people and/or people who experience body dysphoria. I think Agnes Irwin should seriously consider changing their tradition and having us wear white caps and gowns for graduation.
No strong opinion
I really do not care what other people choose to wear, but I personally do not want a cap and gown for myself so I am fine with it. I think this way people have more choice about the dress they choose to wear one and they can still wear a pantsuit too. While I do understand people feeling self conscious in a dress, I think having everyone wearing a cap and gown is an extreme solution. At the end of the day, giving multiple options satisfies the most people.
I don’t think what we wear matters compared to the achievement of graduating high school.”
I want everyone to feel comfortable
It won’t affect my experience, but I am glad everyone (hopefully) will be happy in what they wear. I know for myself I look good in a dress, but if I was forced to graduate in something I was strongly against I would be miserable.
It won’t affect me personally–I don’t really care what I wear, so I’m fine wearing the dress. I think that despite this compromise, there are a lot of students, at least among the senior class, that are unhappy with the decision whether they want a change to the graduation attire or not. Obviously you can’t please everyone, but I honestly wish that we could because I want everyone to feel happy and unified on our graduation day.
The picture might look a little wonky but it won’t kill us
Other
I think it is a step forward but not enough of a step forward; I don’t think that it will alter my experience in any way because all it is doing is giving people an opportunity to feel more comfortable while still offering the traditional options.
I support a change, but do not feel that this path is reflective of our goals of unity and inclusion.
