THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 6, 1995 TAG: 9509060418
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
As students at Norfolk's Ruffner Middle School began filing in for the start of a new year Tuesday, art teacher Timothy Wright couldn't help but smile.
Outfitted in dress shirts or blouses, plaid ties, trousers or pleated skirts, they looked uniformly neat and seemed so quiet and orderly.
``The first thing that came to my mind is that these children look ready to learn,'' Wright said.
The spiffy button-down look, long seen only in private schools, may mark the start of a trend in public schools in Hampton Roads and in Virginia - student uniforms.
Students at several elementary schools in Virginia Beach and Portsmouth returned to classes Tuesday sporting color-coded attire.
Two other elementary schools - Bowling Park in Norfolk and Douglass Park in Portsmouth - have had uniforms for several years. But Ruffner is the only middle school in the region to try a new state law allowing school districts to require uniforms, Principal Pamela Hoffler-Riddick said.
Hoffler-Riddick, whose motto is ``Learn to Earn,'' is banking on the new dressed-for-success look to improve the learning environment at the inner-city school by reducing behavior problems and raising student achievement.
``I am ecstatic!'' she said Tuesday. ``It's just such a profound difference in terms of the statement these children are making. We want to create a whole new image.''
Ruffner teachers aren't any sartorial slouches, either. At Hoffler-Riddick's urging, the faculty last year approved a detailed dress code, the city's first, to ensure a professional look.
``There's no need of telling them (students) to dress a certain way and then for us to come in looking shabby,'' Wright said, who was dressed in a double-breasted coat, dress slacks and tie.
Hoffler-Riddick estimated that 90 percent of the students started the first day of classes wearing uniforms. Each grade wears a different color shirt or blouse - blue for sixth-graders, yellow for seventh-graders and white for eighth-graders.
Through community donations and school events, Ruffner raised more than $4,500 to help needy families buy the matching outfits, which run from $50 to $100. The school draws students from three public housing neighborhoods, and about 75 percent of its 1,100 students qualify for free or low-price lunches.
Most parents and students seemed sold on the idea, although some of the kids remained resistant.
``Just look at it,'' eighth-grader Cammi Walkup said as she gestured toward her white blouse, plaid tie and pleated skirt. ``It's just uncomfortable. The skirt's OK, but the tie's got to go.''
Sixth-grader Thomas Harris, striding confidently through the front doors of the school, proclaimed the uniforms cool. ``I like it,'' he said. ``Kids can't tease you about it. It's a unique uniform.''
Johnetta Jordan, mother of an eighth-grader, said the uniforms will end competition among students over their dress and set the tone for learning.
``It's going to give them a little more discipline and let them know that this is not playtime but a time to get your books and buckle down and learn,'' Jordan said.
In Virginia Beach, four elementary schools adopted a voluntary uniform policy this year - Seatack, Strawbridge, Thalia and Windsor Woods. At Thalia on Tuesday, about half of the pupils were in uniform.
``I like it because it's blue and white,'' said second-grader Heather Moore. Heather, whose younger brother also wore a uniform, said she made the decision with her mom and dad. ``We all wanted me to wear it.''
But second-grader Christine Pacuk came to school in a bright floral dress.
``What uniform?'' she asked. ``The only uniform I got is a Brownie one.''
In Portsmouth, Nikki Hyshaw and her 5-year-old son, Davon, walked hand-in-hand to S.H. Clarke Community Academy. Davon, who began kindergarten Tuesday, sported creased navy shorts, a white oxford shirt and a navy tie.
The look suited mom just fine. ``I think the kids look better and it also saves money,'' she said. ``It sure beats the kids wearing their pants hanging down, or those baggy clothes.''
At Clarke and other area schools, teachers donned uniforms, too. Cassandra Butts and other staffers at Portsmouth's Emily Spong Elementary wore navy pants or skirts and white tops.
``It shows that the teachers and the staff are being role models,'' Butts said. MEMO: Staff writers Aleta Payne and Vanee Vines contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MORT FRYMAN/Staff
Fifth-grader Joel Banjo-Johnson sports the new uniform of Thalia
Elementary School in Virginia Beach.
KEYWORDS: SCHOOL UNIFORMS by CNB