Camille Kay

Sophia Morgan, a sophomore, measures the length of her shirt to check if it follows the dress code.

Carlmont’s dress code guides students in following business attire and sets boundaries for students as well.

Carlmont creates a welcoming atmosphere for students to express themselves while encouraging appropriate attire at the same time. Carlmont also focuses on teaching what clothing is academically appropriate during class and how to avoid distractions through these restrictions. This allows students to get a feel of what attire they will have to wear when working for a company.

“It structures you and it’s more of a professional boundary,” said Nicole Crusick, a senior.

In the real world, most workforces require a dress code or a uniform that workers must follow in order to be qualified as an employee. So, for meetings and interviews, students would want to practice good habits and dress professionally.

Dressing professionally doesn’t necessarily mean wearing a tuxedo or a nice dress every day, but wearing clothing that is not distracting to other students and will not negatively affect others as well.

Carlmont cares about their student’s comfort, especially when the stress of homework and tests builds up, thus the dress code at Carlmont allows enough room for students to make their own choices and create their own style.

“We have so many different kids here from different backgrounds and different places,” said Terri Plack, the secretary and administrative vice principal at Carlmont. “We want them to express themselves. I think it’s super important that teenagers, that kids can do that. But I think it’s really important for kids to understand that there is a time and place.”

However, it can be difficult for students to diligently follow the dress code when social media has such a huge influence on many students’ lives, so it is hard to make the decision on what is acceptable and what is not for school. This is especially if many popular stores are following these trends created by social media.

“I just went [to the mall] this last summer at the end of August, I noticed that the choices out there were limiting,” said Kelly Redmon, an English teacher at Carlmont.

It is challenging for students to find clothing that is appropriate to wear to school when it is 85 degrees outside and when administrators like Plack can only see from the chest up, as it encourages less appropriate school attire. However, it is important to follow the dress code at school regardless of these issues.

“If we happen to confiscate an inappropriate t-shirt, then at 3:15 you’re on your own,” Plack said. “But while you’re at school, we need to be consistent.”