Students investigate how dress codes have changed over time, what current school data and student feedback show, and how clear communication can help younger students understand new expectations. They use research, discussion, and analysis of historical sources, surveys, and media examples to create an accurate, welcoming campaign for incoming sixth graders. The work culminates in welcome packets, campaign materials, and QR-linked audio or video messages shared at The New Look Launch hallway exhibition for authentic feedback from school leaders, the counselor, and younger students.

Students will research the history of dress codes, gather and interpret school-relevant survey or graph data, and use that evidence to answer focused questions and write clear claims about effective, inclusive school expectations. They will collaborate in discussions with peers, school leaders, and community partners to analyze examples, test ideas, and revise campaign materials based on feedback from younger students and classmates. Students will create and present welcome packets, posters, and QR-linked audio or video messages that use concise language, visual design, and digital media strategically for a sixth-grade audience. They will reflect on their teamwork, communication, and revision choices to improve the clarity, accuracy, and welcoming tone of their final campaign.

Students will create research notes, interview questions, survey graphs, evidence boards, and draft campaign scripts as they study dress code history, analyze school-relevant data, and test what messaging is most clear for incoming sixth graders. They will also produce prototype posters, slogans, welcome messages, and short audio or video pitches with QR codes, then revise them after peer user-tests with fifth graders or incoming sixth graders and feedback from school leaders and the counselor. By the end, each team will publish a student-designed campaign kit with posters, slogans, and QR-linked digital messages that explain the new dress code in clear, inclusive language. Teams will also assemble welcome packets for fifth graders that include a campaign flyer, key expectations, and QR codes to student-created audio or video messages, and display their final work in a hallway exhibit during the New Look Launch.

Open with a “Policy Power Pop-Up” feedback circle where the principal, assistant principal, and counselor rotate through student groups to react to sample dress code posters, slogans, and welcome messages. Students examine a few historical and current dress code examples, then sort them by time period and discuss how expectations and language have changed. Next, teams review a small set of school survey data or charts about student confusion or concerns, identify what sixth graders would need to know most, and draft one quick campaign idea to share aloud. Close by introducing the challenge: create a clear, inclusive campaign that uses history and data to help incoming sixth graders understand the new expectations.

Host a “New Look Launch” in the hallway or library where teams display posters, evidence boards, and welcome packets for incoming sixth graders and their families. Add QR codes that link to student-made audio or video pitches, clear dress code explanations, and welcome messages so visitors can hear students explain the history, data, and reasoning behind their campaign choices. Invite the principal, assistant principal, counselor, fifth grade classes, and families to attend, ask questions, and leave feedback on which messages feel clearest and most inclusive. End with students giving short live campaign pitches and introducing the final materials that will be used to onboard next year’s students.