OC HIGH: Student News and Views

Tougher lines are being drawn on what Orange County students can wear to class. Many teen-agers wonder why. OC High asks: “Are dress codes necessary to solve problems at school? If not, why do you think they’re instated? Do dress codes interfere with freedom of expression?”

NEXT WEEK: How important is a GPA?

“Definitely not. The school administration may think dress codes will solve problems, but most definitely they restrict First Amendment rights.”

David Poggi, 17

senior, Sunny Hills

“No. People dress the way they feel. Administrations put dress codes in to censor peoples’ expression.”

Danny Doublin, 17

senior, Fullerton

“No. It’s trying to make everyone look equal. But even though they look equal, they’re not going to act equal. I express the way I feel through how I dress.”

Steven Grossman, 14

freshman, Katella

“No. They’re instated to prevent against gangs, but you can’t express yourself because of them.”

Joe Ollar, 14

freshman, Mission Viejo

“I don’t see it solving all the problems, but with uniforms there is no pressure about everyone wearing the same thing. The administration wants everyone to be equal. We have extracurricular activities where people can express themselves, and everybody’s personality is reflected by how they wear their uniforms.”

Mayumi Hattori, 16

senior, Mater Dei

“No. They think it does, but everybody has their own identity and style of clothing. If they try a dress code, everyone will rebel. It’s identity.”

Kelli Eisman, 16

junior, Woodbridge

“I don’t think it would work. It would save me a lot of money, because then it’s not a fashion show. There are many other ways to express yourself than through clothes. Use your mind.”

David Espana, 17

senior, University

“No. It shouldn’t matter what you wear to school. I feel that wearing clothes makes you express yourself.”

Elissa Naideth, 16

junior, Edison

“No, because you should be able to wear whatever you want. They think the way you dress can influence other people, but it doesn’t. If you have a shirt that expresses your view, and the school says you can’t wear it, then that blocks your freedom of speech.”

Erin Stein, 17

senior, Edison

“Yes, because then you don’t have to worry about what to wear to fit in, and to solve gang problems and ethnic divisions. I don’t express myself through how I dress.”

Jeff Pazanti, 16

junior, Santa Margarita

“No, because people are going to wear the clothes they want to anyway. Maybe they think it will (solve problems).”

Sarah Lorton, 16

sophomore, Fullerton

“No, because you shouldn’t judge a person by how they dress. They think they alleviate the problems that way. But people dress like their personality, and dress codes prevent that.”

Maya Zutler, 14

freshman, Brea-Olinda

“For some people, yes; for some people, no. Some people who wear certain clothes don’t get brought into gangs. Clothes say what you are.”

Alan Osborn, 16

sophomore, Katella

“No, because it’s not the dress codes; it’s the people who need to change. They’re trying to find some solution to the problems in schools today. People express themselves by how they dress, and it eliminates the way people can express themselves.”

Emily Cohen, 14

freshman, Irvine

“It depends on the school. If kids want to express themselves, they will say what they feel with words.”

Wendy Campbell, 14

freshman, Mater Dei

“A general dress code, yes. You have to let people dress how they want to because everyone is an individual, but they should follow a guideline as far as exposure and not promoting gang violence goes.”

Allison Rivera, 17

senior, Los Alamitos

“Uniforms solve the problem of buying back-to-school clothes. We get days when we can wear our own clothes, but we can always add our own personal styles to our uniforms, so our own personalities come out.”

Becky Coates, 17

senior, Mater Dei

“I don’t think they’re necessary to solve problems at school. We have uniforms so people don’t have the hassle of what to wear. But uniforms also show respect. There are other things besides your uniform that express who you are.”

Roselyn Mangali, 17

senior, Mater Dei

“Yes. They keep students from being distracted from the purpose of being at school. It limits expression to a certain extent, but you can express yourself elsewhere.”

Gayle Rivera, 17

senior, Los Alamitos