Lewiston High School, after decades of using blue gowns for boys and white for girls, has announced it will use all blue caps and gowns for graduation beginning this year. (Sun Journal file photo by Daryn Slover)
LEWISTON — All the high school principal did was to send out a routine memo on the matter of caps and gowns for graduation.
“Reminder that payment for caps and gowns goes up monthly,” he wrote. “Don’t forget to get your payment in to Mrs. Thompson in the main office.”
Simple. Then he just happened to mention that boys and girls will be wearing the same colors for graduation — and social media went a little crazy.
“The tradition of all the females in white and all the males in blue is nice,” wrote Bobbie Hill, in a Facebook post about the change in color scheme. “I like change, however I think some things should stay the same. This is one of them.”
“Why change if it’s tradition?” wondered Deb Masselli Clarke of Lewiston.
In his memo, Lewiston High School Principal Jake Langlais explained the reasoning behind the change.
“Many schools have gone to the solid color for a few reasons,” he wrote, “one of which is to be considerate of gender and identity in our modern world. We will still gather with boys on one side and girls on the other as we have done in the past.”
A flurry of comments followed on the popular Lewiston Rocks Facebook page. By and large, most commenters supported the idea.
“I think this is an excellent and needed change,” wrote Lewiston school teacher Allison Lytton. “Either all blue or an option of color for any student. There are many things that shouldn’t stay the same just because it is the way they have always been. Society has changed quite a bit.”
“My twins are graduating this year at LHS,” wrote Margit Lee Tripp, of Lewiston. “I asked them what they thought of the change. Both agreed the change is fine. Like most seniors, they’re more about getting their diplomas than the color of the gown!”
Others pointed out that most area schools – as well as just about all colleges – uses a single color when graduating classes.
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