Few students are aware that Mrs. Hansen started a dress code station in December, just a week before winter break started. However, we find it important to bring light to this issue. 

On January 17, 2023, we were able to talk to Mrs. Hansen about her dress code station. Now, we can fully understand why she started the station, and we hope you will understand, or even sympathize, too.

Mrs. Hansen tells us of her inspiration: her students’ journals. She read that many of her students feel the dress code is unfair, mainly because the students don’t have the resources to fix their clothing or the money to buy new clothes. After hearing this, Mrs. Hansen brought it upon herself to be a resource for her freshmen students and any other students who may have a similar problem. The best part about it? It’s 100% free! Who doesn’t love free services/goods?

“I have a whole box of fabric that we were using for humanities,” says Mrs. Hansen. “I have everything in my room for students to come in free. Using donated items, their clothes can become compliant without them having to go buy new clothes.”

Mr. Manion stated to Mrs. Hansen that clothes must be altered before they are worn on campus. Meaning a student must wear something other than their clothes in need of fixing when bringing the item(s) to Mrs. Hansen.

“What is the most common type of clothing you have to alter?” interviewer Joy Mayo asks.

“Probably ripped jeans that need patches. It is one of the most frequent dress code violations.” Mrs. Hansen replies.

While Mrs. Hansen has yet to have students come to her for help, she does see plenty of ripped jeans to know it will be the most common fix-up.

Why not add a bit of spice? Not only can Mrs. Hansen fix your clothes, but she can also make them personalized! Scrap the “holy” jeans for something more creative. 

"I have all colors of fabric. You could come up with a design and I could paint it. Clothes can be fun, creative, and still compliant.” Mrs. Hansen says.

We assumed fixing clothes would take a few hours at the least. Surprisingly, we were very wrong! 

“How long would you say it takes you to alter a piece of clothing?” Joy asks.

“A couple minutes.” (Whoa!) Mrs. Hansen responds. “I have fabric glue that will dry within half an hour. It will take longer if you want to paint something, but still not too long.”

There are other places you can go to get clothes, such as a church in Tushka that has plenty of clothing for donation (not specified where.) When it comes to buying new, but cheap, clothes, try Goodwill! Tons of people go there to find brand new clothes; all you have to do is wash them before use. The closest Goodwill to Atoka is in Durant, Oklahoma. There is also one in McAlester, Oklahoma, along with a Treasure Trunk, which is the same as Goodwill.

The easiest fix for students at Atoka High School is to visit Mrs. Hansen. It takes very little time and costs nothing. Please spread the word! Mrs. Hansen is ready to alter clothes or potentially paint them. She has all the resources and knowledge to do so. Once again, it is absolutely free.

Contact Information
Place: Atoka High School

Room: 13

Email: pHansen@atoka.org