As a drawing force that brings consistency to the student body, uniforms remain close to the very definition of its name. Schools across the world utilize dress codes and uniforms as a way of uniting students and ensuring safety on campuses. The guidelines specified by individual schools have been tweaked over the years, with Coral Gables Senior High recently making changes to their own uniform policy.
“[Uniforms] allow more order, and it gives people more structure to their lives. It’s easier to wake up and know what to wear instead of spending all that time deciding on what people are going to think of you and what you’re wearing. So, I personally like the uniform, and I find it useful,” sophomore Jordan Perez said.
Almost a month before the beginning of the school year, on July 13, the news of the dress code and its adjustments were posted on Instagram by Gables. It covered the permitted apparel, with not much being altered from the previous school year. The exact alteration was stated in the post’s caption, shedding light on the most significant adjustment Gables’ new uniform details, that being the removal of black bottoms.
“With black bottoms, people could wear leggings and sweatpants and break the dress code most of the time, and they wouldn’t get caught. Now, the school can watch out for that because they are being really specific about the uniform,” sophomore Valeria Cifuentes said.
In recent years, roughly a fifth of U.S. schools require uniforms to be worn by students. A great focus is often lent to the enforcing of dress codes, with uniform checks ending up in noncompliant students’ warning or penalization. Among these schools, Gables additionally has a dedicated group of security monitors, whose job partially focuses on the supervision of students’ apparel. Throughout the school, security monitor Yaneth Gonzalez stands at the Bird Rd entrance, while Assistant Principal Patrick Curtis patrols the halls to make sure students are following guidelines.
“The last couple of years, we’ve been seeing that students are just not abiding by [the uniform policy]. They’re pretty much just wearing what they want. Students don’t listen, and it become such a time consuming endeavor to enforce our uniform policy even with teachers, security guards and administration. It takes a lot of time away from instruction and doing other things that are more beneficial for our school than worrying about what kids are wearing, so we decided the best course of action would be to… remove one color from the bottoms,” Assistant Principal Leyte-Vidal said.
Gables’ uniform policy states rules that permit students to wear white, gray, black or red polos and three possible bottoms – khaki pants, khaki shorts and blue jeans. In terms of footwear, shoes must be closed, permitting creativity as to the design and color of them.
“The only way you can really express yourself now is with a fancy bag or a fancy purse, or maybe shoes, but it kind of unalienates some of our population who’s not as wealthy,” Mr. Miller said.
Serving as a staple of the Gables’ uniform, spirit shirts are the embodiment of one’s school pride. Faculty and staff often wear this spirit gear alongside students, who are allowed to sport them on Fridays. A range of designs are available, both for Gables itself, its academies, sports, publications and clubs.
“I love the spirit shirts. I think we should have more than one day for spirit shirts. I think it’s a way to advertise people being involved in the school,” Mr. Miller said.
Prompting mixed reviews, students and faculty have varying opinions about this change, with some expressing their disappointment and other showing their approval. As a policy in total however, Gables’ uniform continues to strive to bring different options to students while giving time for school pride.
