A group of students at Rider decided to hold a top-secret meeting to come up with alternative dress up days than the ones that the cheerleaders already came up with to give the students more of a variety. For example, instead of dressing like a cowboy for Roundup, the underground idea was to dress up like Indians so our school would be filled with cowboys and Indians. However, this creative idea comes with some disadvantages. This year, only a small amount of students dress up because they are never positive of what the dress up day is. They don’t want to come to the school dressed up in all camo, when everyone else is dressed up as a superhero, or vice versa. Also, the underground dress up day, ‘pimp the hoes’ is not exactly school appropriate. Although some students prefer the underground dress up days, I would suggest that next year, students should just give the cheerleaders suggestions on what they think the dress up days should be. Underground dress up days are limiting participation and changing tradition, they really need to stop.
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RiderDramaClubKid. • Oct 7, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I enjoy our dress up days for the most part. And kids like me, who are in drama club get Thespian points, which are needed if we want to be a Thespian. The only other dress up days I participate in are like the ones on Facebook. But, I rarely do that. The main two-three I participate in are like wearing purple for Gay Rights, and purple was also once used for Being Against Bullying and another was suicide awareness, and one of my best friends committed suicide last year so I felt the need to participate in that one. We should’ve been able to have the 80s dress up day. That would’ve been cool, but the fact we had neon kinda still gave the privilege seeing as most 80s things were neon and bright colors,etc. I can’t wait to find out what the next dress up day will be this coming week and it would be cool if the cheerleaders let us have an input, then everyone would had their input would be happy, but if they didn’t speak up to them, it’d be their own fault so then they couldn’t be unhappy about it. Combining ideas is a fantastic idea! (:
jon lanford • Jan 6, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Yep, nothing wrong with underground dress up days. I think the group of kids that did that did a much better job at making ways to make eRider football games spirited than the Cheerleaders did.
Kelsi Kotulan • Nov 6, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Okay, well i wrote this article because i was asked to. And i had no idea what she was going to do with it. But i sure didn’t think it would cause so much controversy. I do think it is stupid that the administration wouldn’t let us do 80’s day and stuff because of dress code, and i do think alternitive dress up days is a good idea, but it has caused barely anyone to dress up because the only way they will know what to dress up as is by facebook. So maybe get the word out better and it will work better in our school.
By the way, sorry i said ‘undercover’ instead of ‘underground’ and said there was a secret meeting, but i was just writing an article over something that i didn’t have much information about.
Bryce Henderson • Nov 6, 2009 at 9:14 am
Drew makes a very good point. Why should we only have spirit and do things like dress up days for the football team? Last time I checked we have a great soccer program, volleyball team, baseball team, and all the other programs at Rider deserve the support that the students show for the football team. I can assure you that dress up days will continue throughout the year.
Yes, we will stay in dress code. Yes, we will support our school all year long. And yes, we will look ridiculous.
Kyler • Nov 6, 2009 at 2:25 am
No offense but the cheerleaders did a horrible job picking out the dress up days this year. Whooo lets all show our spirit by being as dull as humaly possible. Like whats the fun of dressing up in camo?roho gear? or tie die? Most people already do this on a day to day basis. Way to think outside the box guys. They seriously could have done better. I’m glad they came along along and took over. Stop being negative. Under ground dress up days are here to stay.
DaniAdams • Nov 10, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Your comment honestly has nothing to do with the article, or the subject at hand. It isn’t the cheerleader’s lack of creativity that gave us simple dress up days, but the administration’s concern with dress code violations. There is no need to bash eight hard working and school spirited girls because the administration told them no.
And underground dress up days haven’t “taken over” the number of people who go with underground dress up days versus the actual dress up days are about equal. I don’t find the underground dress up days anti-Rider spirit, think of them as a way around administration’s overly strict rules and participate if you want to, but if you don’t then leave everyone alone about it. Either way, there is NO need to bash the cheerleaders for following the rules.
Mr. Fantastic • Nov 4, 2009 at 6:30 pm
The only people i have heard give underground dress up days a hard time is people who tend to be typically negative about anything in general. A lot of people think it’s great, and i do too. No matter how stupid or whatever the dress up day is chosen to be, there’s always a way to make it legit. Several people i have talked to like the idea of doing random dress up days throughout the year. I think that can be potentially pretty great, and if the rider faculty will take a chill pill, it will be. It could even be used to support other sports too. We’re lucky enough that us folks at Rider dress up in the first place. It’s legit. Don’t like it? Don’t dress up. Not an issue to make a fuss about.
Killin’ zombies since ’85,
Drew Williams
Tanner Ford • Nov 4, 2009 at 5:03 pm
As one of the coordinator’s of the group, the last time I checked the people making these rules, the principals and administration, have only been here for only 2 or 3 years so what do they know about Rider tradition? Nothing. Some students have been here longer than some of our faculty and most have older siblings where they can recall events that they have done in past years. And yes Pimp the Hoes was a little off but we didn’t have time to change it and what most people don’t know is that it used to be a regular dress up day in the past.
Dylan Hillard • Nov 4, 2009 at 10:54 am
I don’t really understand the point of arguing over this anyway. If the students want to do something they will do it. They aren’t breaking any rules, unless there are rules against creating a new tradition. It’s really making me mad that the new administration this year is trying to take all the fun out of Rider. We aren’t even allowed to caravan for the Rider/ Old High game! High school spirit may show itself in slightly off-color ways but if we crush that then there will be no spirit at all. I haven’t even gone back to a football game in about 4 weeks because you can’t say anything AT ALL without getting tossed out. I’m sure the “New Regime” is going to be really happy when in 3 years from now no one shows up to the football games. If they want to crush the spirit out of Rider then that’s fine but they shouldn’t be surprised when people start passing up Rider and going to our arch rival’s school. They are digging their own grave.
Your friendly neighborhood spiderman • Nov 4, 2009 at 1:46 am
Dressing up is more than just for the football team, it’s for the entire student body. It’s a tradition that bonds the students of Rider High School together. The creation of the Underground Dress Up days is exactly what the student body needed. A way for dress up days to be decided on by the people that matter most. The people that are always on the front row, the people that you hear over the roar of the crowd, the people with the most school spirit. Granted this system is not a total democracy, but it IS a step towards it. Why should it be a select few that decide, that don’t even participate mind you, what the rest should be?
Terran Watson • Nov 4, 2009 at 1:03 am
So, let me just start off saying, I wonder why I never thought about doing a story over this. But I realized that I honestly didn’t care about the “underground” dress up days.
The dress up days is all about showing school spirit. And I like the fact that a selected group of individuals thought this up, that they would actually have they’re own dress up days, completely different from the ones Rider already has. It doesn’t hurt anything, it’s not hurting anyone’s feelings. So why is it a big deal?
Now, the “Pimp My Hoes” day was kind of ridiculous…when it’s things like that, which may seem harmless, I can understand why the administration may be getting a little antsy over it. It’s funny, but honestly, it’s kind of like…why would you dress like that anyway? Dress like something else.
All in all, the underground dress up days are harmless, in my opinion. Keep it clean, and no one will have a problem with it. Simple as that.
-Terran Watson
Evan Trembley • Nov 3, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Woops. Wasn’t finished.
The Admins can send people home for breaking school dress code, yes, but what makes that broken dress code any different from one the Admin sees on any normal day?
On the point that only a small portion of students dress up because of confusion…is it because of confusion? Ask the people Friday who aren’t dressed up and see what they say. Is it because of confusion or because they just don’t care?
“Also, the undercover dress up day, ‘pimp the hoes’ is not exactly school appropriate.” I Don’t know if you are aware of Rider having an “official” (yes, it was painted on butcher’s paper) Pimps and Hoes day, but i know it has happened, along with some others that you may deem not school appropriate.
“Undercover dress up days are limiting participation and changing tradition, they really need to stop.” Limiting participation? Giving the student body another option to dress up, to express their Raider spirit certainly does not hinder participation at all and to say so seems rather biased and foolish, honestly I’m not trying to be rude and I mean no offence, just giving some criticism via my opinion.
Looks like they will stop, when we finish. Good luck finding another class as spirited as your 2010 class, and that cares enough to come together to create their own traditions and expand Rider’s presence in this city.
Evan Trembley • Nov 3, 2009 at 11:31 pm
100% with Bryce on this. What tradition has been broken by underground dress up days? Dress up says are as dress up days do. I understand that the administration has been approached with some suggestions and have made some “official”, that is they’ve been painted on butcher paper and hung around the school, and that their reason for shooting down such ideas as the Superhero day and 80’s day has been dress code violation, but anyone who’s a part of the Rider Underground Dress Up Days group on Facebook knows that every reminder sent out has plastered on it usually in all caps and surrounded by asterisks to STAY IN DRESS CODE. The leaders have no more control over who decides to stay in dress code than the administration has over any student on any normal school day.
Mr. Anonymous • Nov 3, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I for one am shocked at the lack of good reporting on this story. If you can’t even get the title of an event correct you shouldn’t be reporting on it. This story does nothing but make the point you are trying to argue for seem weaker. Get the story straight or don’t write.
Chronicle Reader • Oct 28, 2009 at 8:57 am
I think the underground dress-up days are cool. I understand about the “pimp the hoes” day, and that’s one that’s unnecessary. But I think they’re pretty funny, especially when you see someone that went all out for them, when everyone else is dressed like something totally different. I do agree about telling the cheerleaders suggestions, but I think we should keep the underground dress-up days.
Bryce Henderson • Oct 28, 2009 at 8:53 am
As the leader/brain behind these “Undercover” dress up days I’d like to set a few things straight. Never has there been a “secret meeting” to cause problems with the dress up days. We have/did make suggestions to the cheerleaders and they were very supportive of them; however, when they approached the administration with these ideas (very normal days that have been TRADITION at Rider for at least as long as I’ve been in attendance such as Superhero day and 80’s day) the normal dress up days were rejected for fear of dress code violations. It is because of this that the UNDERGROUND (not “undercover”) dress up days were born. Every year I’ve looked foward to the dress up days and being able to have a blast looking ridiculous alongside my fellow classmates. We don’t interfere with the dress up days or bash them, we simply offer an alternative to the ones we don’t approve of. Every game I see kids in the stands wearing their costumes from our underground dress up games, and more often than not these are the kids on the front rows who are cheering the loudest and having the best time supporting our football team. If cheering the loudest and supporting our school in our own costumes is “changing tradition” then this is a change that I’d say is definitely for the better.
Bryce Henderson