The district spent about $5,200 to purchase 48 uniforms for the seventh-grade group, eighth-grade group, freshman, junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders, said Athletic Director Dave Bauer. The uniforms are funded through the district’s athletic fund, he said.
The uniforms are very similar in color and style to the old ones, said Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli.
Carol Kelley, the district cheerleading adviser, agreed.
“There really aren’t many differences except when the girls were being sized, I had the sales representative add an extra inch to the length of many of the skirts,” she said.
Kelley said the uniforms fit better because they were fitted specifically to each cheerleader. There also is a little yellow near the neck instead of just blue.
“I thought the gold would look good with the navy turtlenecks under them,” she said.
Last August, a “miscommunication” about the girls not being able to wear their cheerleading uniforms during a pep rally after school prior to the Monroe Hornets’ first football game of the year grew into a national media story about what is appropriate attire for cheerleaders and school dress codes.
The district’s board of education stood firm by prohibiting the cheerleaders from wearing uniforms during school because the skirts did not comply with the dress code.
The policy was clarified last year to require that the bottoms of shorts and skirts be no shorter than 3 inches above the knee.
Bauer said the cheerleading uniforms were replaced this year to bring them into a replacement cycle with other district athletic teams.
“They’re on cycle and we’re just trying to cycle them into the same year,” he said.
Bauer said the district’s baseball and softball teams will get new uniforms.