Despite once being a popular symbol of pride in the high school setting, the varsity jacket has now become a trend of the past.
The prestige of the varsity jacket has veered away from its original purpose. Once exclusively reserved for athletes who earned varsity letters through their skill and dedication to a sport, the jacket’s meaning has shifted. WHS and many other schools have granted varsity status to school clubs and organizations, allowing them to receive varsity letters as long as they compete against other schools in some capacity, meaning they would be eligible to buy a varsity jacket. This shift has led to an often debated question: What does it truly mean to be “varsity” anymore?
In the past three decades, the meaning behind the jacket has diminished, specifically at WHS. Each year, we have noticed fewer and fewer athletes wearing their varsity jackets and, instead, opting to wear their jerseys as a way of showing dedication to their respective sports.
As we walk around the hallways of the school, we see students who are not part of an athletic program wearing varsity jackets to represent their involvement in after-school activities. While it’s great to recognize the dedication of those in non-athletic organizations, there is something about varsity jackets that has traditionally been tied to athletic achievements.
To be abundantly clear, we are not here to diminish or devalue the work that clubs and organizations have put in to become successful. Instead, we believe participants in WHS activities should have their own form of recognition that celebrates their achievements and hard work without taking away from the longstanding tradition of varsity jackets being available only to athletes. It would be amazing to see another way to recognize these students, separate from how we have celebrated athletes.
The purpose of introducing a way to celebrate these students’ contributions to WHS outside of the athletic realm is to provide recognition in their respective areas of interest. At the same time, the rich history and tradition of varsity jackets can be restored to athletes and thus the varsity jacket would be seen in the hallways of WHS once again.
We believe that everyone deserves to feel fulfillment in their own passions, so having separate dedications for athletes and club members will achieve this goal, and both athletes and non-athletes can receive a satisfying sense of pride and accomplishment. If we make this shift, we might see hockey players or gymnasts sporting their varsity letter jackets on game days and meet days again.