From empty, saddening hallways to the full, energetic elevator line bustle, Léman has somewhat returned to the way it once was. From online learning to in-person learning, the past few years have been a rollercoaster for our administration and community. Coming into this school year, not only has our community welcomed new students, but new members of our administration that have implemented rules– strongly towards uniforms, to get our New York City private institution back on track.
When students participated in online learning, it can be agreed that dress-down day was an everyday occurrence. When students returned back to the building during hybrid learning and last school year with masks, this privilege was not completely taken away as the transition back featured many students wearing their own variations of the uniform. Some students continued to wear school colors and others chose to remain outside the uniform code. Post-transition year, the new administration has strongly reinforced the uniform policy making sure that no one exhibits their quarantine habits.
When asked “Why do you think we use uniforms at Léman?”, Ms. Karen Jackson, the Upper School ESOL Specialist, said, “I mean there's a few reasons, one is: the older, old school argument for wearing uniforms is that they’re an equalizer. It's supposed to be a way to remove socioeconomic and cultural nuance from our appearances so that everybody comes in with the identity of a Léman student. It also creates and continues a sense of community in Léman.” From the viewpoint of a beloved member of the Léman faculty, uniforms are a classic way to remove economic privilege from clothing and make every student within the community equal to one another. Coming in every day wearing white collared shirts with the Léman school emblem creates community, school pride, and an identity that represents everything students are within the facility.
While this is true in the eyes of some, others have various opinions on factors of the uniform, such as accessibility. Angelanie Nunez, a current 12th grader was asked from a student's perspective their opinions on the Léman uniform and their feelings on the topic. “ I feel like it's okay, whatever. If you wanna have a uniform, it's a uniform school. I understand that. I understand that there are rules to it, but I find certain rules are too much. Let's say I forget my regular Leman hoodie and I wear an outside hoodie. If it's cold, it's cold. I'm sorry. I refuse to get sick and the school building is already so cold itself.” Nunez speaks on how throughout the colder months, uniform restrictions can be difficult as temperatures shift and removal of these items lead to discomfort throughout the school day. They also spoke about how the hefty price tag on some of the school merchandise contributes to why many don't have Léman apparel. “Some students can't even afford the school uniform because of their circumstances. The school uniform on Lands’ end is already so expensive. Not everyone can afford it, and the school itself is expensive. Paying tuition, even with financial aid, is still a lot of money. So at the end of the day, it's like you're expecting students to pay so much for the school and then trying to spend so much money on the uniform, which a lot of kids can't afford.”
Another current 12th grader, Marrisa Proenza, speaks on how she personally likes the uniform as it unifies the students, while also providing consistency in her routine. When asked how she feels about the restrictions she stated,” As I said, I like not having to choose a different outfit every day, but I think that they could be a little less strict on some uniform things. Especially with the girls and the skirts, plus some mention of banning skirts. I think that was a little extreme.” Proenza sheds light on the restrictions, not only on the uniform but towards the female community of Léman with a possible banning of skirts. This policy has not been brought to the communities attention as of late, but could very much be the next step within the uniform restrictions.
As we continue to go through this school year we can only hope that everyone in our community is unified together, with aspects like lack of access and freedom, Léman students hold strong opinions on the uniform and its policy.