For high school students across America, spirit week is known as the highlight of the fall season and an opportunity to show off their school pride. But this year, the Upper School’s spirit week has an unexpected twist: “mandatory uniform bottoms.”

As Upper School students opened their inbox on Oct. 11, their hopes for a fun spirit week were dashed. In black, bolded and underlined text were the three fateful words that would soon handicap over 50% of our creative liberties, stamping out almost all hopes for an exciting spirit week. 

Not only are our clothing options limited, but the majority of students only have two days to show off their school spirit: camo day and red and black day, both with mandated uniform bottoms or jeans. 

The student body is not holding back on their right to a spirit week either. Once it was revealed that students have to wear uniform bottoms throughout spirit week, an online petition sprang up. With almost 129 online signatures, students are putting their foot down against this rule. 

When I was in eighth grade, I would often see Upper School students leaving school in their bright red tutus, colorful leggings and camouflage cargos, nailing the theme. Now, as an Upper School student myself, I do not get to experience the themes and traditions I once looked forward to. 

Even on my social media pages, people from other schools are posting and sharing collages of them posing in that day’s spirit week theme, with not a single uniform bottom in sight. For public schools, it’s common for people to go all out. At Bellaire High School, students can be seen repping their best Barbenheimer fits, sloppiest Adam Sandler imitation or taking a side on Mathletes vs Athletes. 

To some people, this entire situation and petition might seem petty or unnecessary, but it’s more than just a week of atrocious color combinations and fashion decisions—it’s about the restriction of a student’s freedom. It might just make the difference from having a terrible month to one filled with recovery and healing.

For me, October is one of the hardest months of the entire year. With school officially at full steam, it’s hard to find the little things that make life a little better. With tests and quizzes left and right, a week of themed outfits—without uniform bottoms—might just do the trick to lift my spirits. 

This entire week is aimed to celebrate the pride and spirit engraved in the football season. By only allowing us control of 50% of our outfits, it’s impossible to truly showcase our commitment to the School’s team. 

As I’m writing this, I know it is too late to change this year’s spirit week, but I hope it voices the concerns and disappointment from me and the student body. Let this stand as a message from the students of St. John’s that our constructive liberties—and School spirit—feel restricted.