story by Lauren Langdon, photos compiled by Lauren Langdon and Meghan Lewis

At 6:20 a.m., an alarm clock wakes a sleeping girl. She hits the snooze button and 15 minutes later, she races around her room. She throws on her white polo shirt with the St. Teresa’s Academy emblem, zips up her unwashed tartan plaid skirt and stuffs her feet into her Uggs.

After she looks in the mirror, she runs out the door, mindlessly finishing the daily routine of changing into her STA uniform. However, that STA uniform is rooted in 147 years of history.

From knee length jumpers to different plaid skirts, STA’s uniform has changed since its founding in 1866. The common theme throughout all of the changes is a coordination between administration and students.

Jumpers and Shoes

When Egelhoff attended STA from 1957 to 1961, the uniform did not include a tartan skirt. The options for her were a burgundy, light blue, gold or dark green jumper that covered the knees with a matching belt.

“[The jumper] was all right,” Egelhoff said. “In those days we didn’t ask. We did whatever we were supposed to do.”

Although Egelhoff did not mind the jumper, the black and white Saddle Oxfords were inconvenient because students’ shoes had to be polished and have clean shoe strings.

“They had to be polished, and if they weren’t, we got a warning,” Egelhoff said. “So, we had to polish our shoes like once a week.”

Instead of dressing out of uniform on Fridays, STA seniors were allowed to wear black loafers, and later in 1969, brown loafers were also allowed. There were many drastic changes during the 1960s, including a switch from jumpers to red and blue plaid skirts with green, gold, blue or red woolen blazers.

“[The plaid skirt] was probably just more in style than the jumper,” Egelhoff said.

Later, in the 1980s, students had four different styles of plaids, including tartan plaid, black plaid, red-and-white plaid and brown plaid.

“It was very strict,” Egelhoff said. “We didn’t get any options like you kids do as far as wearing a sweatshirt or something like that. We never got to do that.”

Jewelry

The only types of jewelry 1961 alumna and development and special events coordinator Terri Egelhoff was allowed to wear were class rings, small religious relics without stones and pins or medals, if awarded by STA.

The 1966 handbook stated that no jewelry, even crosses, were allowed with the exception of a wrist-watch, chain or medal. The only acceptable earrings were gold or silver studs in the 1960s.

According to science teacher Mary Montag, when she attended STA from 1977-1980 students did not wear as much jewelry.

“At that time, big piercings and hoops weren’t as popular, so there weren’t as much rules,” Montag said.

[nggallery id=425]

Hair

Restrictions on students’ hair is not new at STA, but there used to be rules on how students could wear their hair, and what they could wear in it. A 1961 Dart article states that students were only allowed to wear barrettes to keep hair out of their face.

In 1966, the hair guidelines became looser when the handbook said all ribbons and barrettes were allowed, but “no extreme hair-dos are permitted.” Future handbooks elaborated on permitted hairstyles.

“Students should arrange their hair becomingly, and should not wear hairstyles that are distracting and extreme,” according to a 1969-1970 handbook.

A 1982-1983 roster cited more items students were prohibited to wear, like hats, visors, scarves, bandanas and headbands. Three years later, a roster included the same list, with the exception of bandanas. The current uniform code, according to the 2012-2013 handbook, bans hats, visors, sunglasses, scarves or any distracting accessories.

Future

In recent years, STA has made multiple additions to the uniform, including a fleece jacket and a cardigan. According to principal of student affairs Mary Ann Hoecker, some students want to add a blazer to the uniform. While it may be expensive, Hoecker says the administration will look into it.

“[Blazers] can make a nice looking uniform, but they are more formal,” Hoecker said. “I would like to know if the student body would find them as comfortable as a sweater. A blazer, I think, is harder to keep clean [because] I think you’d have to have those dry cleaned, whereas your sweaters are very washable.”

A major change of the uniform–like a change in plaid–is possible but unlikely due to demand and cost, according to Hoecker.

“We’ve changed over the years,” Hoecker said. “Would we change out of plaid? It’s possible, but usually you need students, parents [and] everybody on board with then. I don’t hear anybody saying they want to change the plaid at this point.”

According to Hoecker, many people think STA’s tartan plaid is the best.

“When I look at these [other plaids], they just don’t do anything for me,” Hoecker said. “What I like personally about our plaid is that I like the black background.”

Other possible changes include eliminating the white polo in favor of the black polo, which some people think ages better.

“There’s been some talk that white eventually gets dirty, yellows and all that, whereas there’s the thinking that black might stay a little cleaner…and you could get more use out of it for a longer period of time,” Hoecker said.

Despite numerous changes to STA’s uniform, people associate the tartan plaid skirt with STA students. According to Hoecker, when people recognize the skirt, they call STA to talk about interactions, both positive and negative, they have had with the students.

“The uniform identifies us and the behavior of the student is either a plus or a minus to the public,” Hoecker said.