THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 15, 1995 TAG: 9509130155
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
WHEN IT COMES to getting dressed for school in the morning, 10-year-old Michael Vaughan Jr. doesn't waste time mulling over his duds.
That's because the fifth-grader's school wardrobe consists primarily of white shirts and dark pants.
Michael began assembling this ensemble last year when Douglass Park Elementary became the first Portsmouth public school to implement an optional uniform policy.
Students and faculty were asked - but not required - to wear white tops and dark bottoms at least twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. About half of the 890 students complied. More are expected to participate this year.
``Because a student wears the basic look - that's what we call our optional dress code - it doesn't place him in any different advantage over another student,'' said Douglass Park principal Gordon Ellsworth. ``It just shows they have chosen to go with our optional dress code.''
Since implementing the policy, Ellsworth has seen a decrease in peer pressure among his students, who range from pre-kindergartners to fifth-graders.
``We're not saying that a uniform look is the end of all discipline problems. It's just one facet that we've used to try and create a spirit of unity among the students,'' he said.
Michael's mother, PTA president Dorothy Southall, has nothing but praise for the school's basic look.
``I like it because it gives all the children a sense of equal worth,'' said Southall. ``The main goal is education first, clothes second.''
Michael, on the other hand, wasn't as immediately sold on the idea as his mother.
``I thought we were going to have to wear it every day, but then I found out we only had to wear it two times a week and sometimes on School Spirit Day,'' he said. ``At first I had some doubts, but now I'm over it.''
Emily N. Spong and S.H. Clarke, two newly reopened Portsmouth elementary schools, have adopted similar policies.
Throughout the summer, parents and students at Spong were invited to stop in, view the uniforms on display and place orders through a local department store.
The girls could choose between pleated skirts, jumpers or cuffed shorts, all in navy blue and ranging in price from $7.97 to $10.97. A white blouse with rounded collar and cuffed sleeves completed the look at $6.97.
The boys could order long- or short-sleeved white shirts at $6.97 each, shorts at $10.97 or long pants at $13.97. Blue cardigan sweaters for both sexes cost $12.97 each.
``It's cheaper than going to The Limited Too,'' said Stephanie Johnson, principal of Emily Spong. ``I think that's what the parents love best about the uniforms.''
For some students, like fourth-grader Ricky Burgess, 9, shopping for school clothes may not even be necessary. The dark blue pants, white short-sleeved shirt and black tie were already part of Ricky's Sunday attire.
Starzetta Hailes, mother of Jacoby Hailes, 10, is in favor of student uniforms because it promotes ``togetherness.''
``I think it's great that they're going with uniforms,'' she said. ``For one thing, when you put them all together, it looks neat like in the military. It symbolizes unity, a coming together and being one.''
Even some Spong teachers have made blue and white part of their work-day attire.
``In terms of the teachers wearing the uniforms, it's to support the students, to let them know we're behind what they're doing,'' said Nancy Robertson, a first-grade teacher at Emily Spong.
``It's not mandated by the state, but we do encourage it because the focus is on education, not what you've got on,'' she said.
Johnson, Spong's principal, is excited by the prospect of seeing her students walking to school in a sea of navy blue and white.
``It just makes a difference when you make people feel good about themselves, and I think that's what's going to happen with the uniforms,'' she said. ``Kids will feel good about themselves. We won't be dealing with the `haves' and the `have nots.' ''
The parents of students attending S.H. Clarke approved the idea of school uniforms before Christmas of last year.
``We started having uniform-fitting parties in February for the community,'' said principal Daisy Murphy. ``And parents started laying away uniforms and paying on them in March. So it's been an ongoing process with us.''
Darnell Johnson of New Directions Center is another Portsmouth principal who has implemented a voluntary uniform policy that features white tops and dark pants.
``Kids like it because they can start focusing on what's in the book and not what's on their back or on their feet,'' said Johnson. ``That's a real big problem in urban settings. And I think it's probably hitting rural settings, too.''
Johnson said uniforms give students a sense of pride in their school, as well as in themselves. Uniforms can't do it alone, he said, but they do help in enhancing students' self-esteem.
``Look at prom night,'' he said. ``Most kids don't act up on prom night because they're dressed up. And kids who dress up on picture day don't get in trouble either . . .
``Uniforms just give kids a little more pride in their schools. It's a discipline kind of thing. That's what a uniform does. It gives kids a sense of discipline.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JIM WALKER
Twice a week, Michael Vaughan Jr. willingly wears dark pants and a
white shirt to Douglass Park Elementary, where he is a fifth-grader.
The school's uniform rule is optional.
Ricky Burgess, 9, far left, and Jacoby Hailes, 10, wear the
suggested uniform to Emily Spong Elementary. For Burgess, the dark
blue pants, white shirt and black tie were already part of his
Sunday attire.
First-grade teacher Nancy Robertson shows her support for students
by wearing a dark skirt and white blouse. With her are Marquita
Williams, left, Bryandy Butrand and Alexandria Harris.
KEYWORDS: SCHOOL UNIFORM by CNB