Students may want to tuck shirts in, take off the hoodies, and put their lanyards back on. Dean Joseph Pettinger, the newly appointed Dean of Discipline for Upperclassmen, has been working hard at keeping the students in dress code since assuming his new role several weeks ago.
Known as Coach Pettinger by most, he has had an interesting year of taking on many different positions at Marist. At the beginning of the year, he was tasked with the brand new role of “Attendance Liaison,” where he focused on assisting students who struggled with multiple absences.
His new position evolved throughout the year from assisting administrators, to swapping roles with the former Dean of Discipline, Mr. Joseph Inzinga.
Pettinger spent the last three years as a classroom teacher, teaching physical education and health. His love for sports and fitness does not end there, as he is also on the coaching staff for the Marist Boys Varsity Basketball Team. He notably served as the Chair of the Physical Education Department.
Dean Pettinger’s priorities are enforcing the rules spelled out in the student handbook.
“There are expectations for students and I’m working to the best of my ability to make sure that all students are following those expectations,” said Pettinger.
One of the most commonly abused rules in the handbook is the “General Dress Code Regulations.” Students these past few years have been breaking this rule wearing hoodies or non-Marist approved clothing and getting away with it. Dean Pettinger has been cracking down since he took over as dean, handing out detentions to anyone out of dress code.
As reported by MHS Media this week, 163 dress code detentions were issued from January 17 to February 17.
Nevertheless, this strictness still comes as a surprise to many, as most students agree they previously got away with breaking uniform rules.
“I was shocked when I was given a detention [for wearing a hooded sweatshirt]. I was used to wearing it, and occasionally being told to take it off, but the detention caught me off guard,” said one Marist student who prefers to remain anonymous.
Pettinger believes Marist lays out these rules for their students so that they can become the best versions of themselves after graduation. He says his strict approach is not to punish students, but rather to help instill discipline.
“Here at Marist High School, we have expectations everyone is capable of meeting, and the expectations are in place to help them be prepared and live a fulfilling life after high school,” said Pettinger. “Life’s not always going to be happy and roses every single day. If we can meet expectations and hold ourselves to those high expectations, in my opinion, students will be better prepared to handle situations.”
