Currently, 80 percent of Chicago public schools have mandatory school uniforms, and as a suburb to this city, I think we should bring the idea of Naperville Central getting school uniforms up to debate.

It’s no secret that we, Central students, are very school spirited. We absolutely crushed the dress up days during Homecoming week, and the hallways were filled with red and white apparel every Friday during the football season. A study by the US Department of Education showed that 80 percent of teachers agree that the change from regular clothes to school uniforms increased school pride and created a sense of community among students. We obviously love wearing our school colors, so doing it on a daily basis would only be an upgrade for our school pride.

The annual average price of a school uniform is $250, which may seem expensive. However, Naperville is proven as a financially well off city which have won many awards including second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine (2006) and wealthiest town in the Midwest by American City Business Journals (2010). The annual cost should be affordable for parents, especially when regular clothing would not need to be bought as often.

Uniforms carry many benefits as well, one of them being an easier morning routine. I think many can relate to the hassle of not knowing what to wear in the morning, especially seen from a girls perspective. With classes starting as early as 7:45 a.m., it is much preferable to spend an extra 15 minutes snoozing compared to looking into a closet.

The largest benefit of the school uniforms, however, is that it encourages a positive school environment. In the same study by the US Department of Education, 95 percent of teachers said school uniforms promoted a positive student behavior.

So many students are judged everyday on what they wear by their peers, or what they don’t wear for that matter. Let’s get into a simple mind set of seeing people for their talents, their personality and not for how great they can pull off a pair of jeans.

I would love to see the change of school uniforms at Central, however, I’m sure not everyone feels the same way. Some people may feel that the uniform takes away from their identity. To those people I say – that doesn’t have to be the case. I don’t see any reason to not allow self expression through make-up, hairdo’s, shoes, jewelry or other school appropriate accessories. A teenagers ability to be their own independent person is important, but school uniforms doesn’t have to take away from that.

There could even be a variety of different outfits to choose from. Students wouldn’t have to wear the same outfit everyday, but would be able to switch between different styles. We could even have non-dress occasions where students would be allowed to wear their regular clothing.

I will admit that there was once a time where I didn’t want to wear a school uniform. But after looking over the the pros and cons of the issue, it is clear that the pros outweigh the cons by far. I think the uniforms have many great aspects to them and should be considered for Naperville Central High School.