Nicolas Valladolid ’23

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In preparation for the return of in-person classes, Strake Jesuit has installed various outdoor tents to serve as extra class space. To accommodate for the Texas heat, SJ has allowed students to wear spirit dress. Beginning on October 13, students will revert to the regular dress code and spirit dress will no longer be allowed on regular school days. 

Spirit dress should move beyond hybrid learning and become permanent to the dress code. 

Making spirit dress permanent will allow students to take more pride in their school. When students wear spirit dress, they wear clothes that represent their identity within the school. All over campus, you can see people representing the various groups they are a part of, whether it be choir or the football team. A permanent spirit dress will help students take pride in Strake Jesuit’s diversity and appreciate how much the school has to offer. 

In addition, a permanent spirit dress will limit the number of PH’s. When the normal dress code was in place, students were getting PH’s for all kinds of dress code violations. Because spirit dress has looser rules, there will be fewer PH’s handed out for dress code violations. This will give students more time to study and build relationships with other students, and it will alleviate the burden on the teachers who administer PH’s. 

Finally, making spirit dress permanent will help students feel comfortable in their outdoor classes. Despite the cooler weather, we still live in Houston. One cool day can be followed by a hundred-degree scorcher. Spirit dress will offer students flexibility, allowing adaptation to the weather. If one day is cool, students can wear pants and a heavier shirt. If the next day is hot, the students can wear shorts without any change in the school’s policy. 

Proponents of the regular dress code argue that it makes students more responsible and creates a more professional learning environment. If responsibility and a professional learning environment is a concern, there is no reason why spirit dress cannot cater to both. Despite the freer nature of spirit dress, it can be professional-looking and with the restrictions that the students need to adhere to. 

To make spirit dress a permanent fixture, the administration should change the dress code guidelines in Community Life and create a new set of rules regarding spirit dress.

The way students dress has a large impact on the school environment and the students’ personal life. To have the best of both, Strake Jesuit should make spirit dress permanent.