KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- With the start of a new school year, some students are sporting a new look.
Mary Immaculate Parish School has been in Kirksville since 1956 and this year they’re doing something a little different.
Students are now required to wear school uniforms, so why the change after so many years?
“This is my third year now as principal and when I first came here some of the parents approached me and asked me would I consider uniforms," said Sister Ruth Ann Klauser, principal of the school.
And that’s when the planning began, and a committee was put together.
“We began in May of my first year and then we worked all last year working on it together and then we decided at the end of May last year that it would go into effect this coming school year," Sister Ruth Ann said.
And the parents couldn’t be happier.
“I’m really happy about school uniforms," said Jennifer Hamlet. “First of all, I like how the kids look and I like that there’s no fight about what we have to get dressed in in the morning."
"In the long run it’s probably going to be cheaper for me and easier for me to make a decision every morning about what the kids are going to wear and all the kids look the same at school,” said Michele Behnen.
The school t-shirts run between $15-20 and the pants, shorts and skirts run about $25. If you break it down, it might seem expensive, but according to the school’s principal, it’s cheaper in the long run.
"The uniforms are very well made so they'll last the students 2-3 years,” said Sister Ruth Ann. “What we'll do is have an exchange program with other parents so if your child outgrows the uniforms then they will just bring them in and we'll exchange with another child that needs them."
Even though the school is for them and so are the parents, but what about the students themselves?
“I like them because you don’t have to dig in your drawers everyday to find something to wear,” said 2nd grader Eleanor Hamlet.
“I’m neutral because I won’t have to decide what to wear in the morning, but I don’t really like the idea of uniforms, but these are really cool,” said 7th grader Bridget O’Reilly.
“I like them because they keep us more organized,” said 7th grader Joey Hagar.
Mary Immaculate Parish School is the only school in Kirksville to have school uniforms.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO