Blast from the Past
BUTLER TWP — The Butler High School Sequinettes will have a new look that mirrors the uniforms of the past: a white dress with plenty of the namesake sequins.
The uniform will be a return to the white dress that the Sequinettes historically had, according to Jeff Kroner, band director.
Currently, they have a two-piece uniform with blue pants, but that uniform can be less flattering than the white dress and is more than 10 years old, Kroner said.
The new uniform was designed by the Sequinettes' adviser Sara McLafferty, a former Sequinette herself.
The dress includes a swooping pattern reminiscent of the Golden Tornado logo sequined in blue, gold and white on the body of the dress with gold sequins down the left arm.
According to McLafferty, the Sequinettes are thrilled about the return to the traditional dress.
“Everyone is really excited about going back,” she said.
But with so many sequins on the uniform, the cost goes up, Kroner said.
“Sequins are where a lot of the money is coming from, but they are the Sequinettes,” he said.
In January, the Butler School Board approved $12,000 in the 2016-2017 school year to buy 80 uniforms, when each uniform was an estimated $150.
Now that Kroner has explored changes offered by members of the school board, including adding large sequins and using a thicker fabric to withstand wear, each uniform costs about $250.
“This new uniform, with the (thicker) material, will really hold up,” Kroner said.
Because of those changes, Kroner told the board Monday that he now is requesting 70 uniforms for about $17,300 from DeMoulin, an Illinois-based uniform company.
The board approved spending no more than $18,000 on the uniforms for the Sequinettes for next school year.Although the cost of tickets to school sporting events can be used for uniforms, that only applies to athletic uniforms, which President Nina Teff clarified Monday night. Both band and the Sequinettes are considered cocurricular activities, so those students do not pay an activity fee.Kroner hopes to have the new uniforms by the end of August, but the district would need to order them in early June, he said.Kroner is seeking to get bids from two other uniform companies: Stanbury Uniforms in Missouri and Fred J. Miller Inc. in Ohio.The district will host its annual pie festival on the first day of school, Sept. 1, and Kroner hopes to have the uniforms for that event. However, if the uniforms arrive later in the fall, he said they will switch to the new ones immediately.
