Lots of BSM faculty and staff members have their own personalized outfits and fashion sense that they convey through the outfits they chose to wear each school day. With the multitude of unique clothing styles, what did these fashionistas wear when they were students in high school?

When Spanish teacher Tim Frye was in high school, baggy jorts (jean-shorts), baggy T-shirts, and sports jerseys were popular. Sneakers were also on the rise, especially Chuck Taylors and Converse Weapons. However, one’s socks should not be showing and sometimes the teenagers would even put an extra sock in their shoes to puff out the Chucks. Socks and sandals have become popular in more recent years, which completely goes against the fashion styles Frye faced in high school. “Sandals or slides were unthinkable. You would never wear them out of your home or outside of the beach. To wear them in public wasn’t a thing,” Frye said.

Throughout the decades, jeans have always been an essential part of high school style, but in the 1960s, Director of Alumni Relations & Community, Mary Fran O’Keefe, always went with the common styles of wearing skirts and dresses instead of pants. Now, O’Keefe never finds herself reaching for a dress or skirt. Back then, teenagers usually wore matching sweaters and pleated skirts or shift dresses or shirt-waist dresses. However, she moved to a different school for her last 2 years of high school where she wasn’t able to wear what she wanted. “Only the girls had uniforms. The boys did not. We had [to wear] a pleated skirt and a blazer. I hated every second,” O’Keefe said.

Many BSM faculty members were plagued with wearing dreaded school uniforms. Many, however, were still able to develop their own style after high school or college. Math teacher John Groess had to wear a uniform from kindergarten to his senior year in high school. “I didn’t wear as many bright colors because I wasn’t as outgoing and willing to wear whatever I wanted as I am now,” Groess said.

Some teachers who have taught at BSM for many years have seen the progression of style and fashion in high school. “It seems like fashion or trends go through so much quicker than they did when I was in high school. If there was a type of jacket or coat that you’d wear, you’re probably good for all four years, but now it’s good for one year, and the next year is going to be something else,” English teacher Anne Marie Dominguez said.

Since their high school years, many faculty and staff members have developed new and improved fashion styles. Dominguez is known for her well-put-together and elegant outfits and Groess brightens up everyone’s day by wearing math-inspired fanny packs and shoes. Now, they all have the freedom to wear whatever piques their interest, along with keeping up with professional standards. “I cared less about what I wore in high school than I probably do now. Because this is my job, I obviously take more care about what I wear,” Frye said.

Fashion and styles may change, but these BSM faculty members know how to represent their unique personalities through clothing.