Starting the week after Thanksgiving break, students won’t have to wear their uniforms on Monday – community T-shirts will be the new norm on the first day of the week.

Students will have the opportunity to buy a community T-shirt and wear it, along with jeans and tennis shoes, on Community Mondays. Each T-shirt will match the community’s color and have the community’s saint on it.

Mr. John Barber, an English teacher and community dean who has been at BC for more than 20 years, said this is a “huge change” and he likes it. “I think it will be really cool,” he said. “The school will be a sea of different colors on Mondays.”

Order forms are expected to go out next week and shirts will be delivered before Thanksgiving. Cost is $10 per shirt.

Assistant Principal Alan Schuckman said the dress code change will let students more comfortable on active Community Mondays and will help build community. “It makes Community Day more special and, like everything we’re doing, will help build community,” he said. 

“The T-shirts are a great way to bring our communities together and encourage school spirit. I’m really excited to see how everyone’s turns out,” said Leslie Carvalho, a junior leader in the St. Teresa house.

“I believe the T-shirts would be a great idea because it’s a way for the school to still be in uniform, yet express the community they are in visibly, in a comfortable way,” said senior Alandra Torres-Hernandez. 

Brittyn Hipp disagreed. “I don’t think is a good idea because it’s another way to split us up instead of uniting us. When we all look and dress the same, we are one.”

The T-shirts are also promoting stewardship because, on the order form, students can opt to pay a little more than the $10 the shirt costs to help those students who cannot afford a shirt.

“I love how we can donate extra money to help out someone else,” Sydney Reid said.