I have over 70 pairs of socks and if I can’t wear them during the school year and it’s too hot to wear them in the summer, then when will I wear them? With my flip flops when I go to the beach?! No thank you!

We should have the freedom to wear the socks we want and when we want because it’s such a minimal part of the uniform. Socks give us a way to express ourselves in this world of conformity. We can choose what kind of backpack we want to carry, so why not socks?

I know I’m guilty of walking into school at 7:26 a.m. on Monday morning with my new socks that I just bought from Target over the weekend. I walk fearless — yet fearful. As lunch rolls around, I try my best to dodge the deans at every moment.

I have glided my way through the past two years of school wearing my cupcake socks accumulating only one detention. When I served my detention earlier this year, four out of the five of us waiting outside B110 had gotten detentions for socks.

I cannot wrap my head around the idea that we cannot wear our cheetah printed socks to school without getting a 45-minute detention. To me, it just sounds so ridiculous. Detentions should be given for disrespectful or disruptive behavior instead of minor issues such as dress code. Jill Hegna, associate dean of students, tried to explain to me the reasons for such a strict dress code.

“[The socks are] part of the uniform and [the dress code] helps keep it uniform,” Hegna said. “It gives a positive and clean look to the uniform.”

If they want to make us all look more uniform, then I think the deans should be cracking down on more obvious pieces of clothing instead of a 15-inch piece of cloth that covers my feet with only five inches showing.

I understand when all girls are supposed to wear knee highs for Mass days because we are all in the exact same uniform –­ same color, same vest, same skort. But on other days, we have the option to choose from many different colored shirts, shorts and sweatshirts; so why aren’t we given that opportunity with socks?

In past years, the deans allowed students to wear Christmas-themed socks during the end of December. This year was different since students were already wearing Christmas socks before the deans’ approval. However, students not only ended up receiving detentions, but were also banned from wearing Christmas socks at all this year because so many people were breaking the rules. This boggles my mind beyond words can explain, but I will attempt to voice my frustration.

So let’s get this straight. We are already breaking the rules by wearing Christmas-themed socks before the deans approved this notion; so to punish us, they never approve this ever-so-wanted wish. AND give us detentions?! We are already wearing the socks! Talk about a double whammy. Putting more and more restrictions on teens will only incite them to rebel or bend the rules even more.

This past year, I have started something called a “sock update” on my Snapchat where I show my friends the socks I wear for the day. They range from stripes to holiday-themed to dinosaurs to even kiwis.

“I look forward to your sock updates every day,” said junior Taylor Poehlman. “I think it’s a super creative way to show your personality through social media which is hard to do.”

If I’m able to make at least 100 people smile through my sock updates, then imagine the amount of people I can bring joy to when they see me walking from class to class. It also brightens my day when I get to pick from my array of socks in the morning and let’s be real here, it’s probably the only thing that gets me excited for school. And I know other people must feel that way too!

“I love wearing [unique] socks because we already have a uniform that we wear every day and a fun sock can jazz it up!” said sophomore Gretchen Reinert.

Not only do students feel that dress code for socks sounds absurd, but SMCHS parents don’t feel that it’s a necessary restriction.

“I don’t think socks should fall under the uniform guidelines,” said SMCHS parent Stephanie Callahan. “Wearing a fun pair of socks gives the students a way to express their fashion creativity while still dressing respectfully. It might even cut down on dress code coalitions if students are able to get creative with their choices.”

SMCHS should allow students to freely choose what socks to wear because it is not harming or affecting anyone. If the deans changed the rules about socks, it would allow us, as students, to respect the deans more because they are open to our opinions. If they even considered this option, I think it gives students more comfort knowing that the deans care about the students beyond giving detentions.