With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathedral Preparatory School decided to relax their dress code to begin the 2020-21 school year. This led many students to wonder about how long the relaxed dress code will be in effect, or if the administration will relax the dress code further for winter.

The current relaxed dress code allows students to wear any solid colored collared shirt, khaki shorts, and sneakers. Though this change has precedent with the administration sometimes allowing students to dress down on particularly hot days, those days followed typical dress down rules and usually lasted no more than a week.

So why did the school enact this change now? According to the Assistant Vice President of Academics and Student Affairs at Cathedral Prep, Mr. Rick Herbstritt, it was a decision designed to help students.

“We utilized the relaxed dress code to offset the discomfort of wearing a mask in connection with the warmer weather so student’s could be comfortable,” he said.

However, students who have become accustomed to the relaxed dress code will soon have to revert to the traditional Prep uniform.

“The relaxed dress code will end after the 1st quarter,” Mr. Herbstritt said. “Beginning the first day of the 2nd quarter the regular dress code will be back in effect.”

While the change is coming, Mr. Herbstritt noted that he was on board with the relaxed dress code while it lasted.

“I did not mind the relaxed dress code for its intended purpose,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing the students in their regular dress code though.”

If one thing is for sure, this pandemic has had an impact on student life at Cathedral Prep, and the relaxed dress code is just one of these many changes.