By Mianna Burke ’28
In December 2024, Derby’s Board of Education voted to require uniforms for the upcoming school year, the uniforms being a collared top or crewneck with the Derby logo on it and khaki or black colored pants. As of Nov. 2025, students have many mixed opinions about uniforms. Dress codes in the past few years have always been an issue with students either being stopped in the hallway to change, to get scolded about what they’re wearing, or going as far as getting a referral due to violation of dress code. Students have many opinions of reasons why they do or do not approve the school’s sudden decision to bring uniforms. One student per grade was interviewed, which were Veer Patel ‘29, Aileen Valencia ‘28, Shirley Diglio-Guerrette ’27 and Kerwney Jerome ‘26 .
Mianna Burke: Does the new uniform policy restrict your ability to express your identity or personality through clothing? Why or why not?
Veer Patel: Yes, because I don’t like the uniform. I would like to wear more comfortable clothes than khaki pants and uniforms. If my uniform gets too tight, then I’ll have to buy new ones, which will cost more. And I’d just rather wear my clothes at home which are loosely fitted and stuff like that.
Aileen Valencia: It makes everyone look the same and gives no one a sense of uniqueness, and khakis are hard to find. Regular pants would be more comfortable and easier to find. They would also give everyone their own sense of identity.
Shirley Diglio-Guerrette: Personally, I like the uniforms. The only thing I could say is that during the winter time it’s kind of hard keeping up with the policy when it comes to the pants. I understand the policy is strict, but I feel like I have a lot of difficulty along with many kids following that.
Kerwney Jerome: Honestly, I would say yes, scandal, because I feel you’re able to wear different accessories and style your hair or even wear different shoes to show my identity or to express myself. But I would also say no, because some people express themselves with clothing, specifically, wearing certain clothes, like bags and clothes. And I feel like we’re limited to that because of the khakis and not wearing our own jeans, and also that you can’t wear certain colors.
MB: Are there enough options within the new uniform to allow for some personal choice?
VP: I mean, sort of, yeah. But not really, because for instance the pants. Some pants are uncomfortable. I get that there’s different types, but I feel like if they were more versatile, it would be a better choice for personalization.
AV: No, I think students should be able to dress in more comfortable pants like sweats or leggings, especially since we have gym and we’re at school all day working. We should at least be able to wear comfortable pants.
SDG: I feel like there are enough options, I just feel like for those who do extra curricular activities, we have lots of clothing with the Derby logo, so I think we should be able to wear that as well, along with the required uniform shirt and pants.
KJ: Not really, because at first they weren’t even allowing us to wear jackets and cardigans. But I feel they started to become easy on that. And, all we really can wear is just the shirts and khakis … which aren’t very cool and leaves no room to pick what we want like jeans and other skirts.
MB: Does the uniform eliminate the daily stress of deciding what to wear, or does it make you upset?
VP: Yes, it does remove the stress of picking out clothes for the school day, because sometimes you can stress over what outfit to wear, but also no because you won’t be able to express yourselves at all.
AV: I wish I had more freedom as a student to wear what I want and there are students who like the uniforms and find them better, but those who don’t feel that way should be able to wear something that makes them more comfortable as long as it’s appropriate.
SDG: I love having the uniform for that particular reason, because I can just get up and my uniform is just laid out or I can pick out a random combination of the uniform. I don’t have to stress about it. I feel like it’s doing me a favor more than anything.
KJ: I wouldn’t say it makes me upset. I feel like it’s easier because we have very few options, but I do wish there was more freedom of choice when it comes to certain clothing items.
MB: In your experience, has the uniform made a difference in the amount of bullying or social judgment based on clothing/wealth?
VP: Some kids can afford a uniform, and some cannot, but I feel like if you just buy a uniform, then you’ll have clothing that you can wear for school and you won’t have to worry about other clothing. So, yes I agree that it has made a slight difference.
AV: I don’t think it made much of a difference on bullying since I’ve never really seen or experienced someone bullying because of what others are wearing.
SDG: I feel like for certain people, they may not be able to even afford the uniform, which can probably cause some judgement, but I think it’s okay because the school did open up a thrift shop so hopefully that can help them and won’t be an issue for them in the future.
KJ: Yes, I think so, because you can’t tell what people can and cannot afford because everyone in the school is wearing the same thing.
MB: What is your opinion of the design of the new uniform (style, colors, fit)?
VP: I think the design is pretty good because it’s not too big and it’s not that visible for most people to see.
AV: The design is alright. It’s pretty basic but there aren’t many options for color or style, so it makes it hard to personalize it. If it was more colors with just the logo as well, I think many students would find it easier to customize and deal with the uniform.
SDG: It’s nice with the logos and everything. It’s not very centered like how you see most uniforms are, I personally think they should do centered ones, but other than that I think it’s nice.
KJ: I feel like it’s very plain and simple. More should be added to make the uniform more unique and something that we can design to be able to actually enjoy wearing it more often, or just make a more variety of the uniform shirts with more creativity so it isn’t as basic.
MB: What alternatives to a full uniform would you prefer?
VP: I feel like we should have our own choice of pants. The uniform shirts I’m fine with, but pants are my biggest preference is having my own choice of them.
AV: The tops are good enough right now. Maybe add something warmer like a zip up for colder seasons, but I think the pant options should be a bit more open and lenient.
SDG: I think any Derby related clothing should be allowed, like how some of us have Derby sweatpants. It’s coming strictly from the school so I think it should be allowed, but other than that, not really.
KJ: Something like our school mascot on the backs of the shirts or like more freedom with pants. I don’t think pants should be a big deal, but other than that, I don’t prefer anything else.
While uniforms can reduce the stress of choosing an outfit and may help limit judgment based on clothing, they are not entirely necessary. Allowing students to choose their own pants would provide comfort and a sense of individuality without completely removing structure. A uniform shirt helps represent school pride, but a full uniform limits self-expression more. Giving students more freedom especially with pants would create a better balance between bringing all the students together and personal choice.
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