The dress code here at Elder high is something most students take lightly. They wear and dress pretty much however they choose but obviously nothing ridiculous. Any quarter zips and sweaters normally pass depending on the teacher. But the one thing that I’ve personally been aware of is the different shoes worn around the school.

Other Catholic high schools have a relaxed dress code where their students can wear a fair amount of pretty much whatever they want. Here, it’s a bit annoying not being able to pick and choose. But the one thing we can normally get away with is our shoes. The first shoe of discussion is the iconic Sperry Top Sider.

Junior Tiric (Scales) Evans gives the hard truth as to why he chooses Sperry’s above the rest. He says, “I ain’t got no other shoes, I wear these cause I’m black and poor.” He “says” he lost his Clarks but we all know he doesn’t have any.

Among the rest of the school, majority of the students will agree that their preferred shoe is the Sperry. In the Online edition of Dress code, you will find the acceptable shoes to wear. I know for a fact that nobody has ever visited that to see what’s acceptable and what’s not, so that does no good. But Sperry’s are ideal, they’re cheap, and reliable so if you’re not trying to impress anybody and be boring like everybody else, Sperry’s are the shoes to get.

Me, I’ve had Sperry’s and they certainly aren’t bad shoes, but I wanted something different and staff writer Charlie Mazza can attest.

Clarks are exemplary. They’re everything you want in a classy looking shoe and can be worn for any purpose. I asked Mazza, “Why Clarks over Sperry’s?” He told me, “They’re more my style. They give more comfort when it’s cold out making it more of a winter shoe. And the simplicity and style of them are second to none.”

As a Clark wearer myself, I can tell you they are an amazing shoe and that they are an all year round shoe. Not a winter shoe whatever that means, but Clarks are my shoe of choice and always will be.

Oddly enough, there is always that one kid to stand out. Out of 950ish students at Elder, the lone wolf with a style of his own, is Sam Kayse. I don’t know what goes through his head, but he comes to school every day wearing low cut Timberland boots that barely resemble an “acceptable” shoe from the dress code.

With the average weight of a pair of Timberlands at 3.5 to 4 pounds you and I both wonder why he wears these horrific shoes. But he says, “The style, comfort, and support is all there.” There’s no possible way that any of these descriptions fit these shoes. He also stated, “They feel like gym shoes wearing them all day.” Not a chance these feel remotely close to any gym shoes I’ve ever worn, but hey that’s what he’s into I guess.

Different styles are what makes Elder unique. For the shoe game, Sperry is the top dog and most likely always will be, but maybe that’s just because people don’t have a good sense of style.