Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

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Back-to-SchooI Shopping BTI , October 2009 By Caitlyn Hui

My sister and I always get excited for back-toschool shopping, so I wasn’t surprised when she eagerly hopped out of the car and rushed over to the store window. Fingers pressed against the glass, her eyes danced over the array of shoes. Row upon row of finely crafted, shiny, smooth, and sleek leather stared back at her. It was just the same as every other year, except these shoes were black, lace-up oxfords. Not quite the typical back-toschool shopping trip you would imagine. However, even though this year the shoe shopping was a little different for my sister, I’m sure she’ll get used to it as she struts her stuff down the Havergal halls for the first time sporting her new, fabulous oxfords. You guessed it girls, it’s that time again: back-toschool shopping - a truly crazy time of year. Those first couple of weeks before school and well into September, stores are bursting with eager girls scanning the racks for the t-shirts and jeans that will carry them through the fall. Maybe they’ve grown out of their old clothes, or maybe they’re just looking for that perfect first- day- of-school number; either way it’s usually a very exciting time of year that makes the change of heading back to school from those long, lazy summer days a bit more appealing. Except, it’s a little different for us Havergal girls. While we might want that new cardigan or pair of jeans, five out of seven days of the week we’re in green. We’ve got different priorities than the average high school girl. For us, those first couple of weeks aren’t spent in the mall but in our very own Green and Gold as we rush to stock up on gym tees, sweater vests, and tons of knee socks! Sounds like a drag, right? I mean, who wants to

go uniform shopping when you could be shopping at the Eaton Centre? Although, I’m not so sure I’d choose the mall. I mean, where do you think you’re going to get better customer service: Hollister or the Green and Gold? While the male models that sometimes open the doors at Hollister give it some points, the Green and Gold definitely wins. Where else can you find lovely, chatty ladies who give excellent help and advice? In fact, we’ve got a pretty sweet deal. Whereas everyone else has to stock up on the essentials, we can just focus on finding those special, key items for our wardrobes: the perfect little black dress, leather jacket or super stylish metallic leggings--the clothes that make our wardrobe special and help define our style! In all seriousness though, having a uniform isn’t a bad thing. Although it might seem to hinder all the “back-to-school” fun, it doesn’t stop us from browsing the racks for some cute pieces to add to our wardrobes. There’s no rule that says we can’t still participate in back-to-school shopping at Yorkdale, or even better, wait for those late September sales on Bloor! In fact, our green helps us to truly appreciate and take pride in the clothes we do wear outside of school, since we’re not in them 24/7. Plus, all that stress from choosing the perfect first-day-of-school outfit is completely obliterated. We’ll all sleep a little bit more peacefully the night before school, as we won’t have to worry about choosing an outfit for the first day. So, stand tall girls and shine those shoes because wearing a uniform isn’t all that, bad. Trust me, we’ll persevere while still reppin’ our green blazers with a smile- unless of course, that dreaded decision between runic or kilt causes you too much stress!

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