By Maeve Rice
At McNicholas High School, the debate over skirt lengths has become a daily struggle, raising questions about the dress code policy, fashion, and modesty.
Mr. Bill Losekamp, the Director of Student Life at McNicholas, said the biggest struggle the faculty face daily with students is the dress code. “We are trying to make the dress code about modesty; we are trying to teach people it’s not a problem to be modest,” Losekamp said.
Losekamp has noted that skirt length discussions have been ongoing for several years. Due to its status as a Catholic high school, it is important to the school that students live out a Christ-like example in their everyday lives. Losekamp stated that there have been numerous emails and phone calls made from both outside and inside perspectives, about skirt lengths. A simple mistake is one thing, but after the first incident, it becomes an issue, he said. As the topic becomes more serious, the consequences increase as well. As of now, being questioned about a skirt gets a detention.
Fashion can be a big issue surrounding dress code. Students attempt to add the latest trends into the uniforms or completely go in a different direction and disregard the dress code overall. Others argue that preparing students for the real world and teaching modesty, and having kids being professional is most necessary. Some students feel the skirt length policy is outdated and prevents them from expressing themselves through fashion. The handbook states, “Skirts/skorts should be no higher than 3-4 inches above the knee.”
“We want to be able to say, those are McNicholas kids walking down the street,” Losekamp said. “In the thirty years I’ve worked at this job, [dress code]is the most frustrating part of the job.”
At the end of the day, Losekamp wants to be proud of the kids McNick is sending into the world after their education.
“Hopefully by the time everyone graduates they understand what modesty is about,” Mr. Losekamp remarked.
The McNicholas Milestone 