The new dress code policy at Walsh Jesuit had students wondering which shoes to wear this school year. So, what did they choose?

A basic overview of the shoe policy shows that shoes must be monochromatic earth tones such as tan, brown, white, grey blue, moss green, and yellow ochre but can still have white soles. Also, tennis shoes are allowed as long as they follow those guidelines with the logos and designs monochromatic, too. More specifics about this policy can be found in the Walsh Jesuit Handbook.

Previously, the shoe policy only included a few colors, such as black, grey, and tan. Also, tennis shoes were not allowed, so the rules were a lot more limiting regarding what students could wear.

Why the change in the dress code? Dr. Emily Grad and Mr. Gerald Rardin, deans of students, are responsible. Dr. Grad said that, because next year the students will no longer be allowed to wear hooded sweatshirts, they wanted to give something back to the students, and altering the shoe policy was a great way to do this.

The new policy is a way to “allow for personality while keeping professionality a part of the dress code,” Dr. Grad added.

These new guidelines have made it much easier for students to be able to find shoes or wear ones they may have already had.

Sofia Ruffa, a junior, said, “The new policy didn’t really affect me because I chose to wear my shoes from last year,” and junior Joey Passerallo agreed.

Nike Air Force Ones were already very popular among teenagers. Freshmen Emily Freund and Bridget Sloan both agreed that being able to wear Air Force Ones made the transition to high school much easier because buying new shoes was one less thing for them to worry about.

Sophomore Lauren Vitantonio and junior Kayla Flory, like other students, decided to embrace the new policy and bring color into their uniforms with Nike Air Force Pixels. “With being able to wear new shoes, a pop of color and more of my personality is able to be incorporated into my uniform,” Lauren said.

Another popular choice of students is any brand of white tennis shoes. Senior Avery Sloan, who has decided to wear white Adidases this year, said, “The new policy came at a great time so the other seniors didn’t have to worry about so many guidelines.”

“We all get to bring a little more fun into our uniform for our last year here,” senior Katherine Shaw added.