Uniform Vote at King

As the uniform vote comes up, be aware that there are both pros and cons to having a uniform and not having a uniform. Talking with students from King, there are plenty of different thoughts running through heads as the voting period approaches. Therefore, it’s essential to decide before you cast your vote. This article covers the specifics. 

When?

The vote will be happening from June 6th to 10th, 2022. 

Who can vote? 

Incoming grade nines, current grade 9s, 10s, 11s, or if you’d instead not vote, you can give your vote to your parent or guardian.

How often does the uniform vote happen?

Every three years, The vote was postponed due to the pandemic.

How many votes does the school need to keep or not keep the uniform?

60%.

What happens if uniforms are kept?

Students will be able to wear past and present uniforms, council, sportswear, and colour block options. With colour blocking, the students of King can wear a white or dark blue top, black or grey bottoms, and shoes of any colour. 

What happens if uniforms are taken away?

Students will only need to follow TDSB’s dress code. More information on the dress code can be found at this link: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Policies-Procedures-Forms/Detail/docId/204.

Talking to students, many thoughts are going into the voting process. For example, when speaking with a grade 9, Areeb Munir says that he’ll be voting no to the uniforms because “I feel it’s easier in my daily life to wear what I want to.” 

Meanwhile, grade 10, Olivia Grysczyk

has a different perspective on uniforms. “My favourite part of the uniform is its unity amongst the student body. We may all be completely different people but collectively, wearing the uniform is something that we all share. Many people use fashion and clothing to experiment with and express their identity. I think that losing that creative outlet would be difficult for some. But I also think that there are ways that this could be accommodated. Maybe through dress down, days, and other similar events, students could showcase their styles while maintaining the benefits of having a uniform. In addition to that, uniforms also can show that a student is much more than the way they look. When everybody is dressed in the same attire, the concept of defining who they are through their appearance is lost, which is almost a more effective way of people conveying their identity,” says Grysczyk. When asked how she’ll be voting this upcoming week, she mentioned that at the moment, she’s leaning towards voting to keep the uniform; however, she would like to hear more opinions and thoughts on the topic before deciding. 

When speaking with Keye Sun, a grade 11 student, she says that uniforms are helpful for not having to pick out what to wear in the mornings. “I think taking away the uniform allows students to express themselves; however, even with the uniform policy still in [place], students can express themselves in other ways. Essentially there are pros as well as cons to the uniform. I will be voting against the uniforms! Mostly because it’s a colour-coded uniform and I don’t really like that; I think it’s going to look weird and unorganized. If it was full of Mccarthy’s uniforms again, I might have voted for them!” Says Sun.

Speaking with a member of the faculty at King, Ms. Shaw points out some things for students to keep in mind when voting and her personal experience in high school. “Learning occurs in classrooms when a student is ready. Sometimes students are not ready for different reasons, and how students feel can be part of that readiness for learning. When I was in high school, how I felt about myself was partially determined by my clothes. More importantly, the clothes that other people wore that I wasn’t because I was economically disadvantaged. In my personal experience back in high school, how clothing made me feel negatively affected my readiness for learning. While wearing a school uniform doesn’t level the playing field for all students, it can help move some people towards that goal,” says Shaw. “And the school uniform is less expensive for parents to purchase!”

Staff, parents and guardians, alumni, and students have different opinions. Try creating a pro-con list to help you decide how you’ll vote. Remember, every vote counts!