Opinion

Opinion Roundup : are gym uniforms really necessary?

Amaya De Lorenzo, Hannah Fang, Imogen Kujo, and Anya Basnayake • May 24, 2025

Students and staff share their opinion on the gym uniform policy.

At Townsend Harris High School, physical education uniform policies vary between classes, and their necessity is debated among students. Some classes require a full uniform of a t-shirt or hoodie, and sweatpants or pajama pants, while other classes just require an equivalence of the clothing sold at the school store. Some students argue that the uniforms are expensive, and don’t contribute to the athleticism in class, while others believe uniforms are useful.

Below are a range of opinions on uniforms for physical education class.

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“I own two Townsend shirts and one pair of Townsend sweats. My teacher does require us to wear our uniforms. She usually is strict about uniforms, by taking points off those who come to class without their uniform. I wear my uniform every class. I do get good usage out of them since they’re pretty hard to sweat in, but I feel like we should be able to wear our own athletic gear. Some people may not be able to afford gym clothes, and I don’t believe wearing our uniforms contributes anything to our physical health during class.”

— Freshman - Owen Garcon

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“My teacher does require phys ed uniforms but I don’t change. It is a waste of time. As long as I can run and exercise, I don’t believe there is an issue. The uniforms are thick and mediocre. I feel hotter and sweatier in the uniform than my own active clothing. If the school is going to make uniforms a requirement, then we shouldn’t be charged for them. Some students cannot afford that. It is not fair and a waste of money. I believe that we should be able to wear our own sweatpants and athletic gear because I’m burning the same amount of calories in my own clothing as I am in the $60 school branded uniforms.”

— Sophomore- Emmie Krikheli

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“I own a P.E. T-shirt. I do not own the pants that go with it. I wear the uniform often, but I have other options: my robotics hoodie or my Class of 2026 T-shirt. My teacher requires uniforms. They reminded the class on multiple occasions about preparedness but even still, at least 50% of my class doesn’t wear some part of the uniform. I think that students should definitely be able to wear their own sweatpants and athletic gear. I think that the only exception to this would be jeans, as I’ve found them to be less flexible than other pants.”

— Junior - Brandon Pinto

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“I own the T-shirts, sweatpants, and the shorts. The sweatpants and the T-shirt I’ve had since freshman year, so I’ve been using them for all four years. I even used [my sweatpants] for when I was in the art department in S!NG,so I get really good use out of them. [However,] if you have your own sweatpants, I think it’s fine, because I feel sweatpants are sweatpants. [In] my opinion, if you’re wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, you should be fine. Or even a T-shirt—any T-shirt—and sweatpants, I feel like you’re still gonna be able to move around freely and it’s not going tobe constricting you.”

— Senior - Hailey Ahn

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“Students do have the PE uniform, and that includes top bottom and athletic footwear. And that’s what we follow.  At the beginning of the year, this is what we share with the students but, [the expectation may change as time goes on] somebody gets shorts and maybe it’s a bit colder or the weather changes. I think there’s a bit more flexibility on the bottoms as they can be athletic bottoms of student choice and comfort, but there’s always the expectation for the top. I expect all of my students to follow it, unless, of course, there’s any type of specific accommodations that need to be put in place for many reasons, medical and such. I think most of the students [follow the rules].  There are some that don’t, and I think that’s where we reach out to homes in our progress reports to see how everyone can come better prepared for class. I guess from what I’ve seen in other schools, the price seems to be fair.  But I also think there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to someone who, for whatever reason, is not able to afford a uniform. Our administration is always able to support students in that aspect. There’s a mindset that comes along with changing uniforms for a class.  You show up prepared, just like when you show up prepared for your other classes with a notebook and a pencil and materials for that class. And the same for the uniform, I think it also helps our students build good hygienic habits. If someone is prepared for class they’re also more inclined to participate because they know that if they’re gonna get sweaty, they can change into clothes that are not going to be sweaty.”

— P.E Teacher - Gabriela Pedreros

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About the Contributor

Anya Basnayake, Opinion Editor

Anya Basnayake is a sophomore at Townsend Harris High School. In her free time she is usually playing guitar or catching up with friends.