I guess, if there was one thing we can thank Ravenscroft for, it would be this. It all started with semi-formal last year. My partner, a 2016 alumnus of Ravenscroft, arrived in style with a full head of bright teal hair. Since the beginning of freshman year, I had been jealous that schools similar to ours, such as Ravenscroft and Durham Academy, allowed their students to dye their hair “unnatural” colors. My question was, why had nothing been done about this rule? Conversations regarding the school dress code had already begun towards the start of my sophomore year, but there had been no changes made as of February. It was then that I received permission from the administration to send a proposal to Student Council to change the hair rule, a rule considered antiquated and unnecessary amongst much of the student body.

In my proposal, I cited four different dress codes: Wake County Public School System, Ravenscroft, Durham Academy, and Research Triangle High School. Nowhere in any of these dress codes is hair mentioned. As I reviewed our own dress code, I realized our hair color rule was the outlier. Every regulation, except the one regarding hair color, concerned an accessory or clothing item that could be removed or changed with ease. You may not have ever dyed your hair before, but anyone who has can attest to the fact that dying your hair takes more time and effort than picking out an outfit. It is, also, incredibly unhealthy to dye your hair repeatedly in such a short amount of time. Lastly, I felt the rule should be altered because, as cliché as it sounds, high school is one of the most important times in our lives. This is a time for us, as teenagers, to explore and express ourselves and build our self-confidence, and hair color is one of many ways in which we can show off our quirks.

Although I submitted my proposal over spring break, I did not receive confirmation on the rule until a few days before the beginning of this school year. When I found out, I danced with excitement. Seeing that same joy on the faces of my peers when they found out about the rule change only added to my own excitement, and it is wonderful to look around at lunch and see splotches of pink, blue, red, and purple hair in different places. This whole experience was important to me because it proves that change is possible. Someone just has to be brave enough to take the first step.

Margaret Velto ’18