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Formal dress code would exclude some students (OPINION)

OPINION
by Heather Harris and Morgan Beauchamp

Are only the wealthy invited? On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the AHS Student Council will vote on a proposed formal dress code for the Winter Formal dance.  Under the proposal, men could no longer wear jeans or polo shirts to the dance. Is the school showing favoritism to the wealthy students and discriminating against kids who don’t have walk-in closets from Teen Cribs?

Finding an outfit or dress for Winter Formal can be very exiting, but what if you don’t have the money to buy a new outfit? Many students would like to attend our school dances, but some will not be able to attend because they don’t have the “proper clothing.” Junior Mark Schriener says, “We shouldn’t have dances if they are going to tell us what to wear. They might as well put us in handcuffs because it’s like we are in jail.”

Jeans and polo shirts can be worn at school, so why not to a school dance? The unwealthy students of our school may not have the money to buy khaki pants or dress pants. They may wear them one time to a school dance and have no use for them after the dance. On the other hand, you can buy a pair of nice jeans to wear to the school dance and wear them plenty of times after.

Is our school hypocritical? They tell us to include all students in our activities, but are they telling some students they can’t come to the school dance with this proposed rule? Senior Minden Jones says, “It makes me not want to go because it doesn’t matter what we wear to the dances. At least we aren’t naked.”

Prom is already our most expensive dance. Do we want to make Winter Formal like that too? Sophomore Cammi Nelson says, “Not everybody is made of money to buy nice dressy clothes because it’s really expensive. It’s not a dance for the public, so it doesn’t matter how dressed up we are.”

The way students dress today is different from the past. Sophomore Dalton Cook says, “I didn’t know we were dressing and dancing like our parents. This is 2010, not the 1990’s.”

We urge the Student Council to allow students to wear jeans to the Winter Formal.

(READ RELATED STORY)

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  • N

    Nick clarkJan 22, 2011 at 11:55 am

    High school is preparing you for real life, and unfortuantely in real life you don’t always get what you want.. Sometimes its a good thing to be forced to be flexible.. Maybe try one year of “Formal” wear and see how it works out for everyone.. You’d be surprised how little you end up caring about clothes when its an opportunity to just hang out with friends..

    Reply
  • B

    Beverly SchellingDec 9, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    I think it is a good experience for students to have the opportunity to dress for the occasion. Many schools actually dress formally for homecoming–suits and short formals. If students prefer to dress casually, I think they should ask for the name of the winter dance to be changed to leave out the word formal. It could become a winter dance vs winter formal. However, there are many ways to find dressy clothes without paying full price–borrowing clothes or finding something at a thrift store are two alternatives. We have become a very casual society so perhaps there is no need for a winter formal dance if students prefer to dress casually. I think the student council could survey the student body to see what they prefer.

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  • A

    adminNov 30, 2010 at 11:41 am

    Dakota Johnson
    I agree with alex its been the same the past three years we have gone here and there wasnt ever a big problem about it and i understand its a formal dance but a nice pair of jeans and a nice polo shouldnt be a big deal because there not like street clothes and its still nice clothes

    Reply
  • A

    Alex RutledgeNov 30, 2010 at 11:28 am

    It was okay not to dress up for this dance the past three years I have been going to school here so why should we have to now?

    Reply
  • S

    SamanthaNov 29, 2010 at 8:19 am

    I agree with Mrs. Hoegh, look at this from a positive angle. It’s a challenge to find an outfit and one doesn’t have to be wealthy to be able to afford khakis or black pants, you just need to know where to look. The subject of “wealthy students” was in this article many times, if you’re against the dress code find other reasons why you’re against it instead of it’s excluding students of less wealth. Also, to open the essay maybe just start with the date, using the sentence “Are only the wealthy invited?” It would just make it flow better in my opinion. Good quotes though, way to go out and get some interesting quotes.

    Reply
  • M

    Mrs. Leon HoeghNov 25, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    Why not look at this from the positive side? This could be a learning experience. There are formal events in life (in fact this dance is called the Winter FORMAL dance). It is nice to learn the proper attire and behavior for formal events
    Does it have to be new and expensive? There is formal attire in 2nd hand shops, or perhaps one could buy what they need from a friend.
    Think of this as an opportunity to widen your horizons and have fun doing it!

    Reply