As Cathedral’s contract with uniform company Sue Mills drew to an end, the school administration was faced with the choice of a new company and dress code for the upcoming school year. They reached the decision of Dennis Uniforms, but many new students have been asking, “Who chose the uniforms?”

Assistant Dean of Student of Students Mrs. Marlena Conroy selected students to participate in helping choose the new uniforms.  “I randomly chose both male and female students involved in different aspects in school,” she said.

To get as many different points of view as possible, she asked athletes including tall basketball and volleyball players.  She also asked student’s who’d received multiple dress code detentions and those who’d never gotten in trouble for violating the dress code.

A common complaint from current freshman girls regards the skirts and new plaid design.

“The plaid was also chosen by students. They narrowed down so many options.  There was literally a pile to choose from and I received the most positive feedback from this one. Actually, they loved it,” said Mrs. Conroy.

She said the students chose the design because they wanted “…something not used by any schools nearby, and something more fitting for the campus than the random green plaid.”

The “skort” design was a student choice, also. “The girls felt that these were the most comfortable. Other skirts were too bulky, heavy, or boxy,” said Mrs. Conroy.

The students Mrs. Conroy selected might have held positive opinions regarding the new skirts, but the freshman who wear them now have different opinions.

One freshman, Gabby Thomas, said, “The pleats make it hard to iron because there are not enough.  The pattern is okay, but the design is too boxy.”

Feven Abraham, another freshman, said, “I don’t like the skorts.”

In terms of level of comfort, freshman Naomi Torres said, “They give everyone a wedgie and they’re very uncomfortable.”

Freshman Alex Wilkins said, “I don’t like the pleats, and the skorts are uncomfortable. I like the old uniforms better.”

Alex isn’t the only student to prefer the old uniforms to the new.  Carly Stuppiello said, “…the old uniforms were better overall.”

Still, Mrs. Conroy said that she was given positive feedback from those who tested the new options out last year.

“The students wore the uniforms to school,” she said. “So they actually walked in them, sat in them, used them, to see what kind of feedback they’d get from peers. Other students actually had very positive feedback.”

After wearing the uniforms to school as a trial, the students still said that the skirts, shorts, and Dickies style pants that the school now offers were the most comfortable.