'LAX Bros and Preppy Hoes' Sparks Controversy at Nicolet

A group of about 60 Nicolet High School seniors took Homecoming Week to a new extreme Wednesday, bypassing the scheduled theme of "Pajama Day" and substituting their own theme: "LAX Bros and Preppy Hoes."

Many of the girls came to school in what resembled a Catholic School Girl outfit, or similar attire to what Britney Spears wore in her video, "Hit Me Baby One More Time" — with miniskirts, button-down white shirts and loose-fitting, men's ties. 

And while both Nicolet administration and local parents say it is a tradition for seniors to do their own, special theme during homecoming, Principal Greg DePue said this time it went a bit too far. 

"We checked it out as a case-by-case issue," DePue said. "The whole theme, what it comes down to, it's not about disrupting the educational environment. They tried to make a buzz and get a rise in the school and in the end, that's what they did."

Nicolet administration found this to be such inapropriate attire, they sent out an e-mail to parents that said:

"This morning a small group of students came to school dressed in a manner that posed a potential disruption to the school environment.  While Homecoming Week is a great opportunity to build school spirit, it is important that we maintain our educational focus first and foremost.  Please join us in encouraging your student to actively participate in Student Council sponsored activities and appropriate dress up days.  Positive school spirit within an educational-centered environment should be our collective goal this week and throughout the school year!"

 

But one student says the administration's reaction just places restrictions on the students' free will.

"They didn't really send very many people home, but all the girls had to take their ties off because the administration said it was slutty and we will all get suspended if we do cowboy day tomorrow," student Kenzie Rose Reddin said on a Facebook comment. "They are suppressing our free will and say if we dress up as anything but batman tomorrow we will get sent home to change. ... Seniors have been doing their own dress up week for as long as we have had homecoming week. They are taking away a tradition that is very important to the seniors at Nicolet."

Individually, each of the students who participated were asked to change into something else if they could. DePue said that it's not common for administration to step into a judgment role of student attire, but if and when they do, it's an arm-length rule for skirts. 

"We tell them to hang their arms at their sides and their finger tips have to be longer (for a change to be required)," he said. "But most often, we don't have to address it. It's almost always not an issue."

But on Wednesday, it was an issue. Not all parents agree however. 

"This is tradition," Ann Deuser, local business owner and Nicolet parent said. "You could take a toga and make that inappropriate. It's what you make out of it."

This tradition of seniors creating their own dress-up theme goes back many years, DePue said, and for the last two years students have been very good about meeting with the assistant principal to have the special themes unofficially approved. But this year, students did not receive permission for this theme. 

"They went diametrically opposed to what was agreed upon," DePue said. 

"I’m not surprised," said Kris Ricigliano, a Nicolet parent. "I don’t think it would be limited to Nicolet by any means. I’m glad that the school is reacting to it, but I don’t think it’s the mark of kids being bad kids."

But Mary Wallace, another Nicolet parent, is disappointed with the kids' choice in how to celebrate homecoming. 

"(It's) disrespectful, out of place and distracting for what school is supposed to provide," she said in a Facebook post. 

Thursday's theme is scheduled to be Western Day and DePue said students have been warned to dress in accordance with the planned and approved theme or they will be asked to change.