Published in The Post-Star (D4)
9/10/05
For most families of public-school students, back-to-school shopping entails trips to the mall, usually complete with a few fights about too-tight shirts or boxer-baring jeans. Students worry about looking cool; parents worry about their wallets. In the words of one mom: "It's a struggle."
It's much simpler for families of students at private schools that require uniforms, such as St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School in Glens Falls. Most of the required clothing can be purchased online, or bought used from the school's "swap room." And although plaid "skorts" and Oxford shirts might not be the average kid's idea of cool clothes, not all students object to their lack of fashion freedom.
Take it from 9-year-old Anna Nicole Leone. As a fourth-grader at St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus, the staples of her wardrobe are a navy plaid jumper and a yellow button-down blouse. Does she like it? Anna nodded her head emphatically, her brunette ponytail bobbing in its simple white hairband (flashier accessories are forbidden). In fact, said her mother, Bernadette Leone, Anna doesn't even want to change clothes when she gets home from school most days.
Enrollment at St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus is up 20 percent this year, but the school only offers education through the eighth grade. When students enter high school, they must either travel farther to attend private schools such as Spa Catholic in Saratoga Springs, or enroll in public school.
Those who go public face a major wardrobe transition that can be both exciting and a bit overwhelming. Although most public schools have a mild dress code -- no tank tops and flip-flops, for example -- the students are generally free to wear whatever they like. Things that didn't matter at private school, like brand names and fashion trends, suddenly become important. The mall beckons.
Kathleen Noonan's two oldest children, who left uniforms behind this year to attend Kensington Road School in Glens Falls, love picking out their own school clothes for a change. Connor, 9, likes camouflage, while Elizabeth, 7, goes for "girly stuff," said Noonan. Uniforms were cheaper, however.
"The kids are thrilled when they get to wear normal clothes, but it's the parents who have to fork over the money," said Cathy Ehlert, whose daughter, Chelsea, will start ninth grade at Queensbury High School this fall after leaving St. Mary's-St. Alphonus.
Chelsea, 13, has mixed feelings about the change. "I'm happy, because I can wear whatever I want -- but now I have to worry about what everyone else is wearing," she said. She did her back-to-school shopping at stores such as such as American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, and Old Navy, where her mom estimates that she racked up about $400-500 in receipts.
Ehlert's friend Nicole Castonguay, 14, is also starting ninth grade at Queensbury High School this fall after nine years at St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus. "I'm definitely happy that I'm out of uniform," Castonguay said. "I like wearing my own sense of style." The piece of clothing she'll miss the least from her old uniform? "The skort," she said without hesitation, referring to the pleated plaid skirt/short combination that all fifth- to eighth-grade girls at St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus were required to wear. "I'm so glad I can just wear jeans now."
Seven-year-old Abbie Buck, who will start second grade at St.Mary's-St. Alphonsus this year, is looking forward to the day when she'll be allowed to pick out her own clothes. She likes the school, but says she doesn't like dressing up all the time. "I wish I could wear capris and an orange T-shirt instead," she said with a grin. In winter, the school allows girls to substitute pleated navy slacks for their jumpers and skorts. "That's not so bad," said Buck.
From a parents' perspective, however, uniforms have a lot of advantages. They're cheaper -- about $150 will purchase a wardrobe for the year -- and they eliminate the potential for standing indecisively in front of the closet each morning.
"As a mother, I love it," said Kate Hogan, district attorney for Warren County, who has three children at St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus this year. "When my daughter went to nursery school, she'd want to wear things like her ballet outfit to school, and I'd have to explain why that wasn't appropriate. Now, we don't have to have those discussions. It's a no-brainer."
In addition, said Kathryn Fowler, principal of St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus, uniforms eliminate visible reminders of economic class. "Sometimes there can be a bias based on which brand names you can afford, but here, it's a level playing field," she said. "We also believe that uniforms send a message that the reason you're here is not about what you're wearing, but about what you're learning."
A little controversy is inevitable, Fowler said, who still chuckles when she remembers the eighth-grade girls who staged a quiet protest against the dress code by wearing wildly colorful socks to school one day. "I said, if that's the worst thing you pull off in your life, fine."
The next day, they returned wearing navy knee-high socks, just like everyone else.
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