Teachers at Sacred Hearts Academy were looking especially dapper at the school’s September first Friday mass. Particularly, the male teachers, who were bringing back formal attire traditions by wearing slacks, dress shirts, dress shoes and ties.

“To me, it shows respect and the importance of mass,” said college counselor Randy Fong, who encouraged his fellow colleagues to bring back the tradition. The Academy had once required faculty and staff to wear formal church attire to school mass.

Many of the teachers who chose to dress up for mass said they enjoyed the change to their wardrobes.   

“Formal Friday [attire] is a nice opportunity for male teachers to look sharp,” Choir teacher Zachary Moore said. As a new teacher on campus, and to Hawaii, Moore says he has already been wearing his share of aloha shirts to school. Therefore, he decided to go beyond aloha attire for the occasion, dressing up in a collared shirt and tie.

The classy attire did not go unnoticed by the rest of the school body.

“They looked respectable, and I liked it,” said sophomore Ragelle Lumapas.

While most chose to wear the common necktie, some opted for a classy bow tie, including Social Studies teacher Alexander Adkins.

“As a teacher, I want my students to look up at my face,” Adkins said. He explained how bow ties encourage direct eye contact because of how unusual they are in today’s society. They seem to catch people’s attention.

“They are also simply classier,” he said.