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Tradition is an ideal held in high regard by many students, teachers and parents at NS. This year tradition has changed; the graduation gown policy at NS has been revised due to the identity revolution taking place across the U.S.
“Instead of two separate gown colors, there will only be one,” said Nan Ault, principal at NS. In the past, the graduating classes had males wearing red and females wearing white. Now, all seniors will wear red gowns. This decision was made and approved after the careful consideration of both the administration and school board members.
“The school board has been discussing this change for a while,” said Jeff Ericksen, assistant-principal at NS. Ericksen emphasises that this change is not due to any current students or issues at NS, but rather a preventative approach to avoid potential problems that may have appeared in the future. He also said that this change was approved at the start of the school year, seven months ago, and that it had been discussed the preceding year as well.
“Jostens, the company that provides class rings and graduation attire, suggested the change to the school,” Ault said. “Jostens is a nation-wide company, and they have seen some issues arise due to gender identity misunderstandings.”
Issues have arisen in various schools when students who identify with a different gender are free to choose their gown color for graduation, and this leaves other more traditional students feeling that equality is not being implemented fairly, at least pertaining to graduation.
“I understand that [transgender students] may be opposed to wearing the color of their biological gender,” said Anna Staker, senior at NS, “but we are letting the minority decide what the majority does.” Staker feels that the gown colors should have remained the same, and that many people, mainly women, are no longer fairly represented at graduation with the one color gowns.
“North Sanpete is not the only school to have one-colored graduation gowns,” Ault said. “Pleasant Creek has had one-color graduation gowns for as long as I can remember.” The uni-color gowns have helped to create an environment where all seniors are treated the same, regardless of gender or accomplishments. Ault feels that the one color graduation gowns will help to unify the graduating seniors, and it was an option that put less stress on the local community.
“[The administration] thought about changing to a two-color gown,” Ericksen said. This new gown would have incorporated both the traditional red and white colors, but due to the financial circumstances of the community, requiring every student to purchase a new gown would have put many families under unnecessary monetary strain. This influenced the decision to move into a one color red gown that many families would already have from previous male graduates. However, not everyone in the community feels this change is ideal.
“I don’t feel that this change is preserving tradition,” Staker said. She feels that women should be represented in graduation just as they have always been. Staker is proud to be a woman and she feels that this change degrades the distinctness between men and women. The administration feels differently.
“We made the change to preserve our school’s tradition,” Ericksen said. Ericksen feels that this change, while shocking to some, will preserve the tradition of graduation better than retaining a potential hotbed of controversy that could have been stirred up in the future.
