OPINION

Everyone Fall In Line, About Face!
By: Pam R., Westgate CVI, Thunder Bay, ON


The alarm rings at 6:30 am on Tuesday September 5, 2000 for the first day of school. You get dressed, do your hair, and for the females, you make-up. You think you're looking pretty stylish, figuring you’ll turn some heads today. One last look in the mirror and out the door you go.

When you arrive at school, you take one last deep breath before opening the doors. Here goes nothing you think to yourself. But when you walk in and look around at the other students you find that everyone has the exact same outfit on as you. It seems as though you forgot one simple, minor detail when you woke up. This year is the year that your school board elected for the student population to wear uniforms. So much for turning heads.

Now there is a bright side to wearing uniforms. I mean you don’t have to put much thought into getting dressed in the morning, and hey your clothes will always fit in right. But where is the individuality that parents and teachers encourage us to have. How is it that we are to express ourselves in unique methods if we can’t even wear what we want to.

Parents and advisors seem to think that wearing uniforms will save money on regular everyday clothes. But tell me this, how would that help, do they think that we will wear our uniforms out at night when we’re not in school? No I don’t think so.

Another issue that parents and advisors think uniforms will accomplish is doing away with violence. Wow that’s some piece of cotton. To me uniforms will not cut down on violence in fact it might increase it. Picture this, kids stuck in clothes they don’t want to be in, uncomfortable and irritable all day. Now tell me what the outcome of that will be.

Is it just me or does school seem more and more like a jail. No sports to begin with plus everyone in the same clothes everyday, not to mention the fact that the newer students to high school have to do community hours in order to graduate. Is this not what criminals are to do when they commit a crime? Why are the high school students whom do nothing wrong get treated the same as today’s criminals? To me that spells out detention institute. Why don’t they just send us to boot camp, I mean who knows that could be next right.

When the catholic school board decided to bring in uniforms did they take a vote of every single student, not just two or three that sit on a board and decide for the students. When the final outcome affects every student then better decisions should be made.

I’m not saying that look out Westgate next year we’ll be in uniforms, but what I am saying is that it’s just a matter of time. When the school board decides to institute uniforms make sure you, as the student body, get a say in what will affect you. I mean it is your life and no one can take that away from you. Oh and to all the teachers and advisors who wish to bring uniforms into the schools, then fair means fair. When and what will your uniforms be. Why should you get to wear what you want to when students no longer get that choice. If uniforms are to be instituted into the school then you must realize you too are part of the school.


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