By Lindsay Newfeld

As this school year draws to a close, the faculty and staff at Tempe Prep are already looking at ways to improve our school for next year. Some of the big changes being discussed focus on simplifying the school uniform to make it easier for teachers to enforce and for students to comply with. All of these changes, drafted by the Dean of Students, Mr. Keating, are not for certain yet. While they have been presented to the Board, they have not yet been approved. All of the following simplifications are still up for discussion and may be changed at a later date.

To begin with, the girls’ uniform skirt and all of the shirts will remain the same. However, for girls next year will be the last year in which they are allowed to wear blue pants and shorts. The following year looks at changing the girls’ pants and shorts to khakis, matching the boys’ dress code.

Mr. Keating has also added a clause to the uniform policy considering religious headscarves, which will have to be of a white, black, or navy color next year. In some cases, girls may also wear long skirts that are khaki, navy blue, or of the regular skirt material.

The specific changes regarding the boys’ dress mostly consist of tightening up the regulations on hair. For both boys and girls, only black shoes will be allowed, and thus only black belts. Socks and tights will either be white or black; the exact color is still undecided, but there will no longer be a navy option. There will also no longer be a winter dress code, which means shorts may be worn all year if desired.

With all of these changes floating around, remember that nothing is set in stone yet, but the Board will be voting on the issue soon. As Mr. Keating states, “we just want to simplify the dress code to make it easier on students to come to school wearing the appropriate uniform.” So be on the lookout for these changes and be prepared when August rolls around for next year!