One of the School’s cherished traditions — the senior blazer — is getting an accessibility boost.

Thanks to the efforts of last year’s junior class leaders, a new blazer lending library is up and running, featuring 15 (and counting!) blazers, contributed by alums from across eight decades, 1947 to 2020. Students can still purchase a blazer through Barrington Outfitters or from their own clothier, but they now have a third option.

“It started because we were seeing how, over the course of the year, some students were raising concerns over the cost of purchasing a blazer or having to go off-campus to buy one,” explains Casey Lai ’25, last year’s Junior Class President — this year’s School President. “We were also getting questions about having to buy a blazer that students felt like they were only going to wear a few times.”

Casey and last year’s Junior Class leaders — Vice President Ginamarie Bocchino ’25, Secretary Zaria Hutchion ’25, Treasurer Julia Tocchio ’25, and Student Council Rep. Vale Romero ’25 — put their heads together to come up with a plan.

“We thought we might be able to have a stack of blazers available from over the years that people could borrow from,” adds Vale. The group coordinated with Junior Class Advisor Jenni Jordan and Manager of Alumnae Relations and Advancement Partnerships Lynelle Weaver to communicate their request to alums during the winter. “Now, it’s coming to fruition!” she says.

“Which we’re very grateful for,” shares Casey. “Some alumnae even donated their rings back, which was very kind of them.”

Blazers are available in a range of sizes, with some subtle differences in style among the generations, which adds to the cool factor.

“We honestly didn’t have huge expectations,” Casey continues. “We thought it would be cute to have a stash of a few blazers in case someone needed one, but the alums responded in such force, and the support has been overwhelming.”