The clothing that people choose to wear says a lot about a person. Especially when you’re a teenager attending a public high school. We feel the need to define who we are through our clothing, to prove we are not all the same.

Over the past few weeks WDHS has been debating whether or not it should make uniforms mandatory for next year. A letter was sent home to all parents regarding the situation, with three checkboxes: ‘yes’ to a uniform shirt, ‘yes’ to a full uniform, or ‘no’ to uniforms.

Students have mixed feelings, and this has been a big conversation starter throughout the school.

“I go to a public school for a reason; it’s not a Catholic school.” said Amy Moore, a Grade 12 student who is returning next year. “Uniforms are just going to make us into drones; all of us will look exactly the same, and in this day and age when we’re told we should embrace our individuality, it’s just not right at all,” she added.

However, despite Moore’s strong feelings, it’s not all bad news.

Corey Hughes, a Grade 10 student stated, “A benefit about uniforms would be that no one would be ridiculed for what they wear or for their style. And it would be easier to recognize students from people just coming into our school.”

Uniforms would make it harder for the students to violate the dress codes, as well as prevent bullying and discrimination because of clothing.

We all know, teenagers will always be teenagers. There is no guarantee that they won’t find ways to violate this new dress code.

Teenagers can be cruel. Eliminating fashion discrimination is a step in the right direction. How can we be sure the teens won’t move on to more sensitive topics?

The clothing that we wear can say a lot about a person. A certain style represents individuality. During our high school years, this is pretty important. Students are powered with the desire to prove they are different, usually by the means of their clothing.

Being enrolled in the public school system has its perks, and one of them happens to be the freedom to express ourselves through our style.