Along with the recent arrival of warm spring weather has come the “barely-there” outfits worn by some students. Although some of these outfits are incredibly cute, most are in serious violation of the dress code, and they make me want to scream, “COVER UP!” The current dress code, put in place by the administration at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year, was created to make the school a better learning environment. The rules in the student planner state that the dress code encourages respect, character, and reasonable levels of modesty. The exact definition of unsuitable clothing is, “items that expose undergarments, excessive skin, or inappropriate areas of the anatomy.” It also states that shirts must cover the chest and both shoulders. For shorts and skirts, students are asked to use the fingertip rule. This means shorts and skirts must at least reach the end of students’ fingertips when their arms are hanging down at their sides. It’s not unreasonable for teachers and the administration to ask students to wear clothing that makes them look like respectable young adults. If students dress in a way that makes them look respectable, the administration will treat them with respect. They aren’t asking students to get a whole new wardrobe for the warmer months of the school year (although that would be a great way to get parents to buy new clothes). It clearly states that the staff understands that there are some clothes that students wear outside of school during times of warmer weather. They just don’t want that type of clothing being worn during school hours. Some examples of inappropriate clothing that are specifically mentioned in the code are midriff-baring tops, tube tops, halter tops, and spaghetti strap tops. The administration does a fairly good job of keeping the school at reasonable temperatures to allow students to wear clothing that cover their bodies without sweating. Thus, shirts that barely cover anything are unnecessary. While these rules may seem to only apply to girls, they actually don’t. The dress code also states that baggy pants that expose undergarments are unsuitable for school. So if you think its cool to wear pants so low that you’re boxers are hanging out the top, you can let your pants sag as low as you want before 7:50 and after 3:05. So far this spring, the administration seems to understand current fashions and is allowing some clearly inappropriate clothing to wander through our halls. However, students should not wear inappropriate clothes because it doesn’t bring you much respect from teachers or peers, and believe it or not, having teachers respect you might even help your grades. So wear clothing that covers inappropriate areas of your body that are also appropriate for the current weather conditions.