Uniformity

Q:  Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school?  (Thank you, 100 Random Questions!)

A:  Yes.  For seventh and eighth grade I went to this "Academic Center" for smart people.  When we tested in, they told us we were gifted.  I still don't believe it, especially based on the caliber of the students that were in some of my classes.  Let's not talk about it.  This Academic Center was part of a larger high school which wasn't the best high school in the area.  In fact, it's safe to say that the high school has a bad reputation.  So the entire school had a uniform, including the Academic Center.  We had to wear white collared shirts (either polos or just plain button downs) and dark bottoms.  We could wear dark dress pants or jeans.  And we could also wear skirts if they came to the knee or lower.  But we couldn't wear capris, which I found weird.

Oppressive uniform to keep us in line.
Thanks, Google!

This high school also had metal detectors at the entrance to the school, including those fancy little conveyor belts that the airport has where you had to put your backpack every morning.  It was a real pain.  We also had to wear our IDs around our necks, and if we got caught without our ID on...well, then we got to go to detention.  I never had to worry about that.

Then I got to high school.  I swore I would never wear a white collared shirt again, but this high school had what was called a "dress code."  Not necessarily a uniform, but a "dress code."  Which I still maintain is the same thing.  We had to wear THE polo from our school which came in a variety of colors.  There was also the difference between the old logo and the new logo, both of which featured a cross of sorts because we were a Catholic school.  Kind of.  We could only wear pants.  Dress pants with no patch pockets.  My freshman year that meant that you could wear all sorts of wild colored pants as long as they didn't have patch pockets.  The rule evolved, and we were only allowed to wear: black, khaki, stone or blue pants.  What's stone?  I would guess gray.

That's me on the right from senior year.  Though my hair's covering the logo on my polo.
You have no idea how difficult it was to get this stinking picture.

So yes.  Uniform for a long time.  Six whole years.  At my high school, you could also wear hoodies and jackets if they had to the school logo on them.  Otherwise, you'd get asked by the Dean to put your sweater away.  Even if it was really cold.  Yeah.  You could also wear t-shirts if they were from school sponsored events, but you had to wear a polo underneath.  Which got a little warm...but you dealt with it if it meant you could wear a better shirt!