Junior high and high school girls say goodbye to sweat suits, midriffs and secular band attire while the boys now know how to treat a lady.

After the peer counseling class presented the annual gender chapel on Sept. 5, girls will have no excuse on appropriate school wear and the boys about etiquette.

Seniors Barbara Krikorian and Kristen Amerine hosted the “What Not To Wear” fashion show to give a visual aid of inappropriate attire.

“Gender chapel was cool because the dress code was enforced in a fashion show,” Rachel Balint, ’08, said. “I had a lot of laughs and I hope peer counseling does it again next year.?”

Although many students enjoyed the event, others expressed mixed feelings.

“Gender chapel was a waste of time,” Alexandra Aleman, ’09, said. “I have heard the same rules year after year and we know them by now.”

In the same assembly “Big Sister” program was introduced. The program is an opportunity for high school girls to make an impact in the lives of their “little sisters” in junior high.

While the girls talked mostly about the dress code, the male faculty gave their insights to the boys.

“Mrs. (Molly) Sargent wanted to address dress code issues for the ladies early in the year,” Scott Falk, campus pastor, said. “So they needed a corresponding chapel for the boys.”

The male faculty lectured about dating, relationships, accountability, discipline and how to drive a stick shift.

While P.E. coach Scott Callisch said most of us will learn by making mistakes, he did emphasize the importance of knowing when a mistake will be life alterning and steering clear of the “big mistakes.”

Callisch also added a clear mandate: “Learn how to drive a stick shift because sooner or later, boys, you will be given the opportunity to drive a Corvette. And shame on you if you can’t.”

“It gave helpful insights on how to understand the complexity of the female mind,” Walter Scott, ’08, said. “Females can take multiple ideas and conversations at the same time and understand it all.”

The staff plans on hosting another gender chapel for second semester.

“Gender chapel allows different issues to be addressed separately without embarrassment,” Falk said. “It gives everyone a chance to speak about issues in a straight forward way.”