WATERVILLE — All graduates will wear purple at Waterville Senior High School’s graduation June 9, a change from past years, when girls wore white.
Members of the senior class voted Thursday to move to a single-color “gender-neutral gown to ensure that all WSHS are able to participate and enjoy their graduation ceremony,” according to a post by acting Principal Brian Laramee on the school’s Facebook page.
“The change is indicative of the school’s core values of respect, openness, kindness, engagement and integrity,” according to Laramee’s post on the school’s Facebook page announcing the change.
“I am very proud of our seniors for their willingness to put aside a long standing tradition in order to ensure that all WSHS graduates are able to participate and enjoy their graduation ceremony,” he wrote.
Laramee said that the decision was made after a vote by the senior class Thursday, but comments on this story on centralmaine.com and social media sites Friday said it was a chaotic voice vote and some feel they didn’t have a say. Laramee did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Outside Waterville Senior High School on Friday as school let out for the day, senior Henry Parent, 18, said, “I think it’s good for everybody. It’s good for equality.”
But other seniors weren’t happy with the change or the way it was done.
Jessika Moody, a student in the high school’s alternative education program, said in an email that students at the alternative school were not told about the meeting where the vote was taken.
“If I’m part of the school, why was I not even notified of my senior class meeting?” she said. Moody said that she had hoped to wear white at graduation like her mother, who graduated from the Waterville high school 22 years ago.
One student who was interviewed outside the school but did not want to give his name said the school administration “kinda decided for” the seniors but that he didn’t have a problem with gowns of a single color.
By Friday afternoon, the school’s Facebook post had 43 comments, the overwhelming majority of which supported and applauded the change.
One of those who didn’t agree was Waterville Mayor Nick Isgro, who said in an interview Friday morning it is political correctness gone too far.
“Certainly if that’s what the class decides, I’m not someone to make a judgment on what the students want for themselves; but I feel we have to ask, what are we teaching our young people to make them so sensitive to the point they find the color of graduation gowns offensive?” Isgro said.
The move is part of a national trend as people become more aware of gender issues, The Washington Post reported in June.
“Schools around the country are beginning to reconsider their policies to ensure that unspoken assumptions and long-held ideas about gender don’t have a discriminatory effect on their students,” said Eliza Byard, executive director of the national Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, in the Post story.
The Massachusetts Department of Education issued a guidance document for schools that references gender-nuetral graduation gowns, as well as dress codes for proms and school functions, suggesting that schools evaluate all gender-based policies, rules and practices “and maintain only those that have a clear and sound pedagogical purpose.”
It said policies that separate students by gender “can have the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing, and excluding students, whether they are gender non-conforming or not.”
Maine’s Department of Education, though, does not have any guidelines for school graduation attire, said Anne Gabbianelli, director of communications for the department.
“It doesn’t sound like anything we would get involved in,” she said Friday. “Maine is a local control state, so they can pick whatever colors they want.”
Still, some area high schools also are making the change.
Like Waterville, Madison Area Memorial High School changed its graduation gowns this year, a decision by staff and students that all graduates will wear blue gowns with white stoles, according to Principal Bonnie Levesque.
“We felt it was time to make a change and ensure equity for all students,” Levesque said in an email, though she said the school didn’t have a specific gender issue that prompted it.
She added that it’s hard for girls to find white dresses to wear, noting that darker colors show through the white gowns.
At Winslow High School, all graduates have worn a single-color gown — black — for about the last 10 years, Principal Chad Bell said. They also wear an orange stole, representing the school color.
Bell wasn’t principal at the school when the change was made and doesn’t know what the reason behind it was.
“To me it shows class unity,” Bell said. “I don’t want to say it makes everyone look the same, but there’s really no boys, girls or anything. It just shows class unity that everyone is going to wear the same color.”
Skowhegan Area High School, which has different colors for boys and girls, is among those not considering a change said Principal Monique Poulin.
“I’m not certain if it’s ever been brought up,” Poulin said. She said the separate colors are “something that we do plan to continue this year.”
Outside Waterville Senior High School after school let out Friday, students couldn’t agree whether they liked the change, which most agreed probably won’t change back next year.
“The reason for the change was basically because of transgender students,” said Alex Pressey, 18. “But I think if they have a choice, most people will respect whatever they pick and wouldn’t say anything.
“I think the tradition should stay and it shouldn’t really have changed.”
Chay Phelps, a junior, said students should have a choice of which color gown to wear.
“It’s kind of like the bathroom issue and what bathroom transgender students should use. They should be able to do whatever they want to do and wear whatever color gown they want.
“Honestly, it’s not a big deal, but it’s been a Waterville tradition.”
The problem, though, said junior Andrew Gifford, is when there are students who don’t identify as either gender. “Then it would be good to have everyone wear one color.”
Rachel Ohm — 612-2368
Twitter: @rachel_ohm
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