Many Stapleites wince and whine while sleepily walking from their houses to the cars waiting in the driveway. They gripe about the chilly walk from Wakeman to the cafeteria entrance of the school. They shiver as they hop out of their cars and hurry into school.
However, these are trivial issues to Doug Caffery ‘13, who braves the subzero temperatures of snowy Connecticut all winter long in his favorite summer attire: shorts.
Caffery, part of a small percentage of students, chooses to wear shorts throughout the winter instead of the more conventional and practical sweatpants, courdoroys, and jeans that are frequently seen around the school.
“It’s great for showing off the legs,” he brags.
Greg Salamone, a fellow fan of the winter shorts look, credits his main motives behind his choice of style to looking cool and comfortable.
“I wear shorts in the winter because I have an excellent collection of cool, fun looking shorts that also manage to be comfortable at the same time,” he said.
Despite the weather outside, Caffery and Salamone believe that their outfit choices are the most logical, as they dress in anticipation of the temperature inside the school.
“The school is about the same temperature as a warm spring day,” Caffery said. “The school heats each room to a good standard that seems fitting of shorts.”
These bold outfit choices do not go unnoticed. The fad of boys wearing shorts to school creates quite a reaction from students and parents alike.
“I think it’s hot,” Molly O’Shea ‘14 said of the trend, although she did acknowledge the sacrifice that comes with baring legs during the winter. “They must be freezing.”
Winter short wearing boosts morale for other students. Freshman Harry Epstien credited wearing shorts in the winter as “a way to keep up the spirit of summer even during the winter.”
On the other hand, not all parents support their children in sporting this specific style during the cold and flu season.
“Last year in January my mom hid my shorts from my brother and I,” Caffery recalls.
These short wearers, like many others, do not allow any negative feedback to deter them from continuing to dress how they please.
“While I may be suffering through an intense winter chill through the 7 hour school day, I do it in style,” Salamone said. “In my opinion, my swag to chill ratio is very balanced when I’m wearing shorts. I guess it’s just something about my legs.”
Trent • May 9, 2012 at 1:58 pm
I wear shorts whenever I can except at work we have to wear jeans or dark slacks and the company shirt as your uniform. I always wear them to school or to hang out and my favorite time is in the winter with a sweatshirt or jacket because of the looks and comments you get sometimes.
Joe Johnson • Dec 20, 2011 at 11:11 pm
I wear shorts, but half the rooms in school are freezing and the other half are burning.