Uniform Guidelines
The Geneva School believes that uniforms play an important role in maintaining a culture conducive to cultivating virtuous scholars. In many respects the uniform is the face of Geneva. Uniforms encourage a sense of school identity and cohesion and also help to raise the standards of the school’s academic and cultural pursuits.
In addition to cohesion and identity, uniforms also serve to minimize distractions in the classroom thus contributing to a stronger learning environment. Non-conformity to the uniform code is a distraction we seek to avoid. This principle applies equally to distractive hair styles, hair color, makeup, and also to distractive behavior. Minimizing distractions allow us to maximize learning.
- A student must be in full uniform from the time he or she exits the car in the morning until he or she is in the car on the way home, unless students are changing clothes for an athletic practice or game.
- In order to maintain consistency of color and style, all uniform items except socks, tights, belts, and shoes should be purchased from TGS uniform suppliers.
- Uniforms must be worn at all times (including field trips) unless the dean of students gives permission otherwise.
- On occasions when students are authorized by the dean of students to be out of uniform (i.e. a no uniform day or a field trip where wearing uniforms would not be practical), they are expected to be prudent in their choice of dress, i.e. girls should follow the three-finger rule for shoulder straps and skirts must be no shorter than 3″ above the middle of the knee. Jeans and t-shirts are not permitted unless express permission has been granted by the dean of students.
- The director of the grammar school or director of the upper school is the final arbiter of whether a student is in compliance with this dress policy.
