Mercy’s annual A-ball Christmas dance is planned for December 20th at Laurel Manor in Livonia. The dance is for Junior and Seniors only and is celebrated on the night of the last day of first semester final exams. However, there has been a controversial rule change for A-ball this year: dresses are expected to be long.

“I’m going but I’m really mad about the dress code and I know a lot of other people are too,” Senior Mia Bruno said. “It was just super last minute and and no one expected it, which is why I feel like a lot of people are not going anymore.”

Mercy administration sent out the new dress guidelines over the students’ Thanksgiving break. These new rules are causing girls to rebel and state they would rather not be in attendance, cancel their plans, and go out with their friends, rather than attend the dance.

“I think they should have been more proactive and sent this out months in advance especially if they were gonna change the guidelines for the dance,” Junior Ava Falcon said. “I think a lot of people would have been interested and wanted to go if they knew in advance that you had to buy a dress that was going to touch the floor and be very modest and conservative unlike the previous years because I would want to go but now I don’t.”

However, there could be some positives from this policy Mercy teachers think.

“I think we’re also trying to teach you,” Mrs. Andrea Kowalyk said. “I think the school has a responsibility to say we need to treat ourselves respectfully and now may be a time to do that.”

This dress code change is also affecting Mercy’s Newsprint staff. The Christmas King race that is a school competition for A-Ball is also having to be modified because of the amount of girls who are refusing to attend the dance.

“I think it is kind of crazy that they changed the rules last minute,” Senior Sara Samulak said. “Now it is just stressful because we are all unsure of the plans.”

Are these wardrobe rules really worth risking the school’s attendance to the dance? Mercy thinks so.