By Nathan Grant ’16, News Section Editor
Every year, students take their school pictures by the legendary tree in the front lawn. But did you know, Country Day had a procedure regarding how boys and girls can pose for their school pictures? Yes, it’s true. Before this school year, boys were expected to pose by leaning on the tree while girls were expected to pose by “hugging,” or holding onto, the tree. Though this wasn’t a clear-cut rule, it was a tradition. And not many students challenged that tradition.
However, last year, one student tried to pose in a way that was not traditional. The photographers tried to tell the student how to pose but that student did not wish to do so. That was when something needed to be changed.
This year, Country Day clarified its policy for student photographs. Instead of posing in the traditional way, students can now chose how they want to pose for their pictures. When students get their pictures taken, a photographer will ask them if they want to hug or lean on the tree. If a boy wants to hug a tree, he can. If a girl wants to lean on a tree, she can. School photographs are no longer gender-defined.
Ms. Thornberry, Dean of 9th and 10th grades, explained that last year, the students in her advisory were upset by the customary photography procedure. Some of her students did not want to be instructed how to pose based on their gender. Agreeing with her advisees, Ms. Thornberry explained, “Photographs should not be based upon gender. They should be based upon preference.”
Believing that this was an important subject, Ms. Thornberry spoke to the Division Heads at Country Day. Some of the Division Heads were not even aware of the supposed “rule.” To give students more options, the Divisions Heads spoke to the photographers and now students can pose in one of two positions regardless of gender. As Mrs. Luebbers stated, “Whether you lean or hug on a tree, it makes no difference to me.”
Ms. Thornberry and several other teachers believe that the photo policy clarification helps students have a choice. Though there are only two possible poses, students have the ability to decide how they wish to pose for their picture. As Taylor Boggs ’16 explains, “It is good that the school is progressive and gives students a choice.”
Though photos have become more individualized, some students may succumb to peer pressure when they see their friends pose in a certain way. Many students waiting in line for photos last week didn’t even know there was a change. Though Country Day has clarified its photo policy and has given its students more options, it will be interesting to see if students still decide to pose in the traditional way.
