Barrington graduation will look different this year

Boys and girls will all wear the same color cap and gown

By Josh Bickford
Posted 4/14/17

Unity and inclusion are the driving forces behind a move to change the color of graduation caps and gowns at Barrington High School this year.

No longer will female students wear white caps and …

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Barrington graduation will look different this year

Boys and girls will all wear the same color cap and gown

Posted

Unity and inclusion are the driving forces behind a move to change the color of graduation caps and gowns at Barrington High School this year.

No longer will female students wear white caps and gowns while males wear blue. Starting this year, all graduating seniors will wear blue caps and gowns that have gold trim.

"It's to show inclusion and unity," said Joe Hurley, principal at Barrington High School. 

Mr. Hurley said he had considered the change for about two years and more recently talked about the new caps and gowns with members of the school improvement team, which includes students. 

"We had them vote on the design," he said. 

Mr. Hurley said the final decision to make the change was his, and he shared the news of the graduation garb shift with staff, students and parents right before the holiday break. 

The initial response was mixed.

"I can't say it was positive when everyone heard the news," Mr. Hurley said, adding that some people did not agree with the move away from white and blue. 

"I received a couple emails. Two or three — not too many."

Mr. Hurley said some of the resistance was based in tradition. He said female students had, for as long as he can remember, worn white caps and gowns, while boys wore blue. Mr. Hurley added that some of the school's female students were upset with the change because they had planned to wear an older sister's cap and gown.

"We had the blue and white gowns for so many years," he said. But the colors were never the official colors of the high school — Barrington High has always been a "blue and gold" school. (Mr. Hurley said he is not sure what initially spurred the blue and white caps and gowns.)

The shift to all blue caps and gowns trimmed with gold will reflect the school's desire to be "inclusive for all." Mr. Hurley said there have been some students in the past who broke from their gender's color on graduation day — he said there have been female students who asked and were given permission to wear blue caps and gowns. 

Mr. Hurley added that some students also wanted to mix the colors. He said a male student had asked to wear a blue gown and a white cap, and a female student had asked to wear a blue cap with a white gown. Mr. Hurley said those requests were denied.

"That's not going to show unity," he said.

"Eventually, it's going to become an issue we don't need to deal with."

Recently a school official outfitted a mannequin with the new blue and gold cap and gown and placed it inside the high school's main office. The mannequin serves as a reminder to seniors that they need to order their caps and gowns for June's graduation. 

Mr. Hurley said he will be excited to see the new caps and gowns on graduation day. 

 

"I think it's going to look good. It's their class colors," he said.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.