August 24, 2005
Sale defrays uniform costs
Parents sell pants, shirts and shoes at used uniform sale
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Pants for $3, shirts for a dollar and shoes for a couple bucks: it must be the annual Catholic School uniform sale.
Last Wednesday afternoon, dozens of parents came to a meeting of the minds and wallets, buying or selling uniform parts in the cafeteria of Holy Angels Elementary School. As polo shirts, skorts, jumpers and pants changed hands at a fraction of their original cost, the event helped make a private school education possible for families.
"This is just one of the avenues that can make Catholic education possible for everybody," said Pam Roddy, one of the event's organizers whose two children will attend St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Middle School this fall. "You do save a substantial amount of money."
The Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools parent teacher committee sponsored the event, as they have done for the past 15 years. Each participating seller brought, displayed, priced and sold their own items, a change from previous year's rules that allowed parents to drop off bags of items for volunteers to price, sell and reimburse original owners.
After an initial rush, a few shoppers browsed through the tables during the two-hour event. First-time seller Kathy Mousseau, who has one son going into tenth grade, had a table filled with khaki pants and brand new shirts her son no longer can wear.
"They grow right out of them," she said.
A working mom with little time for extra laundry, Mousseau said she always bought her son five pairs of pants and even more shirts. Now that her son is attending high school - which allows students to wear khaki pants and shirts of any color - she wished she had shopped at previous sales.
"A lot of people don't come because it's a pride thing - that was me," she said regretfully.
Bailey Ray, 11, sized, sorted, labeled and sold used items from her closet and her two siblings' closets. Her mother, Gina, said she could keep any proceeds from the sale.
"I brought probably 15 things and sold about a dozen," said Bailey after packing up to leave. "It's more fun than a lemonade stand."
A sixth-grade student at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Middle School, Bailey gave the uniform mixed reviews.
"Sometimes I like it and sometimes not," she said. "A lot of time, when you wake up late, it's easy to pick out a uniform but sometimes when it's hot it gets heavy."
Martha Ahluwalia, expecting twins and shopping at the sale for her two nephews, recalled her days in the school system when she did not mind donning a uniform.
"I grew up here and went to school and the uniform was a no-brainer," she said.
Parents and students at the Grand Traverse Academy also have a used uniform sale scheduled as part of the school's open house this Thursday. As the other school in town that requires uniforms, the parents appreciate the chance to defray the costs of the mandated sweaters, polo shirts and pants, skort or shorts.
Having a uniform is integral to the academy's underlying philosophy, noted Allyson Apsey, assistant principal at the school.
"The uniform policy is really helpful to the school environment for safety purposed because outsiders are noticeable and also to really help keep the focus on learning rather than on what type of clothing you wear," she said. "It really helps kids not stereotype each other and accept each other - plus it's a lot less stress for kids."
All shirts, sweaters or fleece tops sport the school's logo and school staff also wear the uniform tops.
"We just have parents throughout the year turn in uniforms and when we have enough we have a sale," said Apsey.