Imagine going into the second half of your senior year and you see a hallway usually full of black, white, and grey, popping with blue Nike polos, red sweaters, navy jeans, scarves, and pink blouses. This is something the student body has been hoping for, for years. Requests have been heard, and answered, but why now? 

Last March, Principal Chris McComb came up with a proposition for the, then, junior class to help motivate them to try their best on the upcoming AZMerit state test.

 In the past, there has been a trend that juniors don’t usually do too well,  according to McComb on this test. In order to break away from that trend faculty and staff thought that they could motivate the juniors to put in the effort in exchange for getting a uniform free dress code. The guidelines were that the juniors were to score at the state average or above-average scores on the math and English portions of the test to receive a business casual dress code.  

Many students were excited and vowed to try this time around but, as expected, there were still some students who showed no care toward the possibility of getting a less-strict dress code. 

“In English, the overall scores were really, really well,”  McComb said.

However, math scores were not exactly where they needed to be to qualify he further explained. 

“I did not want to totally take away the new dress code because I could see that the majority of the students tried,” McComb expressed. 

It was then that he kindly made the decision to — instead of giving the new dress code to seniors the whole year– implement the new dress code the second half of the year. 

So, what will the new dress code look like, as it is coming up very soon? They are calling it a “Business casual dress code,” meaning that it is not entirely a free dress code, but seniors will have the freedom to at least show a little more of their personality and creativity in their clothes. 

This dress code will have the limitations of no spaghetti straps, no short shorts or skirts, no see-through shirts, open-toed shoes, graphic contents, ripped jeans, off the shoulder shirts, and leggings. Big logos are also still not permitted on clothing. 

“Slacks, black or dark jeans, skirts (of appropriate length), button-down shirts or blouses, suit jackets or blazers, and polo shirts are acceptable. Appropriate footwear (closed-toe and heel less than one inch) is required,” McComb said when laying out all the things that are allowed as of now. 

AJ Colon-Rosa, a current senior is not so sure about the dress code change.

“All my current out-of-school pants are not appropriate for me to wear, because they have holes and I can’t wear basketball shorts, so I feel like my options will be really limited unless I go and buy a whole new wardrobe,” Rosa said. 

He goes on to make the point that you may be wasting money to buy a business casual wardrobe that may not even fit into the dress code of your future career. This is understandable, but those more formal clothes could aid you in interviews, appointments, and so much more. 

The limitations may sound like a lot of things you were thinking of, but trust me, it’s not. McComb is allowing a whole new world of clothes that can still look very nice for anyone. This was also intended to help students prepare a business casual wardrobe for their upcoming college and career life after high school. 

This will be the first time the senior class will not have to wear their uniforms, so it will be something new and interesting for teachers and students.

Senior, Tabita Alexandru, expressed that she was looking forward to the new dress code.

“Even just being able to wear a formal long sleeve shirt without my uniform shirt under it will make a big difference in what I can wear. I will also be a lot more comfortable without having to tuck my shirt in and wear a belt everyday,” Alexandru said.

‘Hopefully, it will go well,” McComb said, “I have a lot of respect for the seniors. Many are in between adulthood so I think it will be something good for them.”

So, let’s be grateful seniors, and handle this new dress code like champs, with respect and appreciation. Get ready to go middle-of-school-year shopping for your new business casual clothing seniors!