For years, the middle school has had P.E. kits. Every time any middle school student would have P.E., they would go into their locker room and put on the same, sometimes smelly, orange shirt and black pants. There would always be people losing them, other people stealing them, and overall they would just be an annoying thing that everyone had to deal with. The school needs to hear the students’ voice and get rid of P.E. kits.
According to a survey of the middle school, over half of the student body doesn’t want P.E. kits. The students had many complaints that the P.E. kits were too uncomfortable to play sport in. A lot of people just said that they were big and ugly. “They’re not practical and not very comfortable to wear,” said eighth grader Dylan Sweidan, “and they don’t look good either.”
In addition, a lot of people simply stated that they would much rather wear their regular clothing rather than the same P.E. kits. Over 82 percent of students own suitable clothing to wear for P.E. Allowing students to dress in their own clothes would create a more comfortable environment to learn in.
“Having P.E. kits gives kids a sense of belonging,” explained P.E. teacher Ms. Kate Newns. While Ms. Newns has a point that everyone dressing the same can create a sense of belonging, it also limits creativity and a student’s ability to express themselves through their clothes. The P.E. kits can lead students to feel self-conscious about how they look, which can take away from their learning process. When P.E. kits are making students learn less because they’re focused on how they look rather than what is being taught. It is clear that it is time to change the rules.
The P.E. department needs to change their policies, and allow students to wear what they want. P.E. kits are designed to help learning without creating distractions, but now create even more distraction because students become self-conscious when wearing P.E. kits. When P.E. kits take away from the experience of P.E., it’s obvious that change needs to be made.
By Ava Crawford and Dom Alberts
Staff Writer and Scroll Editor
