Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

notes that read “Skirting the Issue” and whose size made them useful for a quick check of the appropriate distance between knee and hemline. The discussions and debates continue, of course, as do the workarounds. Thankfully, Spirit Days provide school-sanctioned opportunities to improvise on the uniform, with spirited and often clever results. Thanks to the creation of the Dr. Catherine Steele 1928 Archives, Havergal has been the beneficiary of donations of uniform items from the earliest days of school, and second-century students have been happy to try them on and experience the school’s history in a very immediate way. A uniform is simply an aggregation of specific articles of clothing, and over the years there have been many changes to Havergal’s, as even a quick look at students’ footwear makes very clear. However, one need only understand how many Old Girls have saved theirs—and how on special occasions they don them—to realize the warm memories they evoke and the continuing pride they reflect. All these symbols, from the songs to the uniform, reflect the school’s values and serve Havergal in two important ways: not only are they touchstones for the community as it grows and changes, but they also help us explain Havergal College to the wider world. Students in Archival Clothing

Crazy Sock Day, 2013.

The state of the uniform has been a discussion topic at many staff meetings in the Upper School, and questions about consistent enforcement have been raised by all concerned. Sometimes reminders do not get the desired results, however, and the administration, faculty and staff resolve to be even more vigilant, a fact that did not go unnoticed by students who responded in many different ways to “the Great Uniform Crackdown” of 2005. It is to the school’s credit that arguments advanced by students on both sides were very well considered, as the 2005 BTI article written by Grade 10 student Laura Garfinkel reveals. Though she disagrees with the renewed focus on the ways the uniform is worn, she presents a judicious and thought-provoking argument. In June 2009, concerns about the uniform, and in particular, the length of the kilt or tunic, gave rise to a new “campaign”: the creation of yellow sticky

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