There are basic rules that every school has. There are rules about how to dress too. There are many things that can be said about the dress code, not all of them the best.

When asked about just a general opinion, Jessica Smith, a junior, said, “It’s stupid. It’s sexist, it affects the females more than the guys. The only consequences that the guys have with dress code is that they can’t wear hats.”

An opposing opinion, comes from Junior Elisha Connella who said, “The premise of the dress code is equal to both guys and girls.”

A common argument about the dress code is in regard to the fact that girls cannot wear tank tops without some sort of cover, the reason being that it is ‘distracting to guys’.

Connella said, “If a girl decides to wear a spaghetti strap tank-top, a guy should have enough self-control not to stare and stay focused during class.”

Backing up that comment, Smith admits, “It’s stupid, our shoulders should not make guys lose control.”

When asked about her opinion on the dress code, Andrea Hernandez, a junior, said, “I get it to some extent because girls can take it too far, but it should be just a little more laid back.”

She also said, “I feel it doesn’t affect the guys at all and it’s annoying that the excuse is it ‘distracts them’.”

There was much to be said when asked what students would change about the dress code.

Connella said, “If I could change the dress code, I would start from scratch, only leaving no actual exposure, because what is the problem with showing shoulders?”

Smith went more in depth with what she would change, one of them being, “I believe that if gangs are the only reason you are banning an article of clothing, then it shouldn’t be banned, because I have never met anyone who was related to a gang in this school, and if they were they wouldn’t care about the dress code.”

There was also a point made about the hat policy. Smith said, “The hat policy is a Dimond policy, not an ASD policy. We should be able to wear hats, that way we wouldn’t have to deal with hair or anything, and it keeps the population warm during the extensive winter months.”

However this can be debunked as Mr.Caldarera has said that “South is the only high school that allows hats.”

Also concerning hats, Caldarera said that “Hats and bandanas are banned party because they can cause a sense of negativity.”

Pajamas are also banned from being worn in school. Chris Bulfa, a junior said, “It’s stupid, because what if I want to be comfortable during the day? And that’s when I’m comfortable, wearing my PJs.”

Similarly Smith had said that “Pajamas shouldn’t be banned because some kids want to be comfortable in class.”

Pajamas are not really gang related, one thing that can pose a problem about pajamas however is how skimpy that can be, but would anyone with common sense really wear less clothing in the frigid weather that Alaska has?

Clothes are one way that the adolescents express themselves, and the restrictions with the dress code it can feel oppressive.