They say you have to dress to impress, and that’s exactly what kids at an elementary school in Maine do every week.
From elegant dresses to ostentatious suits, Chelsea Elementary School’s ‘Dapper Wednesday’ is a chance for kids to show off their most stylish looks.
The inspired school outfit of eight-year-old James Ramage and his friend Lincoln Bolitho sparked the tradition and soon everyone wanted to join in the fun. Now, the smart move has been adopted even by neighboring schools.
‘When we started using it, a group of teachers just congratulated us and then more children got involved and received praise. It just keeps going and a lot of people can feel good about it,” Ramage said. NPR.
Ramage’s grandmother gave him his first suit as a birthday present. Once he started wearing them to school, Bolitho decided to do the same.
James Ramage, 8, and his wardrobe inspired Chelsea Elementary School to start Dapper Wednesday last year.
What used to be a fun trio for Ramage, Lincoln Bolitho and educational technician Dean Paquette has become something the whole school can do together.
Ramage started wearing suits after being inspired by the wardrobe of a Fuller House character, who only wore fancy clothes.
Then his grandmother gave him a suit for his birthday and he said it made him feel good when he put it on.
‘I felt good. Because I thought when I looked at him in the mirror, he looked great on me,” Ramage said. Maine Public Radio (MPR).
According to her mother, the new look “definitely helped her confidence.”
By December 2023, she had a few more costumes and allowed MPR to take a behind-the-scenes look at her special Wednesday costume routine.
In the video, Ramage is seen moving the clothes in his closet from one side to the other while looking for the perfect suit to wear.
Once he’s chosen a suit, he selects a shirt and digs through his box full of bow ties.
Dressed and ready to go, Ramage slides a comb through his hair and tops off his adorable businessman look with a fedora.
Paquette joined in on the fun so he could support kids and their fun Dapper Wednesdays and hands out bow ties to kids who forget to dress up.
Ramage began wearing suits after being inspired by the wardrobe of a Fuller House character, who only wore fancy clothes.
Ramage’s mother claimed that wearing the suit made him feel much more confident.
Ramage revealed to MPR that he liked the suit and felt good when he wore it because when he looked in the mirror, he thought it looked good on him.
Ramage and Bolitho now own several suits and Bolitho has over 40 bow ties.
At school, his friend Bolitho immediately liked Ramage’s look and thought it would be cool if he got a suit of his own.
Bolitho now owns at least three suits and more than 40 bow ties.
Dean Paquette, education technician, also became fond of the boys’ suits and decided to join in their stylish fun.
“I saw it for the first time, but I wanted to support it,” he told MPR.
“That was the most important thing as an educator: Here are two young people who are doing something a little different.”
When Ramage’s classmates started getting involved, the education technician was there to help hand out bow ties to kids who forgot to dress up.
A student said CBS News Their formal clothing made them not feel like children, while another schoolmate declared that he felt like a president.
Paquette thought what the kids were doing was fun and wanted to support them. She also hands out bow ties to students who forget to dress up on fancy Wednesdays.
Chelsea Elementary School Principal Allison Hernandez was thrilled to see what everyone has been up to and is also participating in Dapper Wednesday.
Children and teachers not only dress up for fun, but they also receive support in and out of school.
According Local Spectrum NewsPeople have donated money to Chelsea Elementary along with other clothing items to create Dapper Closet.
Oklahoma high school students also sent the school a jacket made from ties, which was originally used in their school play.
Fuller House star Jodie Sweetin even took the time to meet Ramage and all of her classmates after finding out about Dapper Wednesday.
“I think they like that it’s a team effort for the school and that it makes people feel good about themselves,” Bolitho said.
“And I don’t think anyone would expect two kids to start such a big movement.”
At least two schools in Maine have started holding Dapper Wednesdays following the success of the one at Chelsea Elementary School.
A teacher at Oleson Elementary School in Texas requested that teachers and students do a Dapper Wednesday last January
Other Maine schools now have their own Dapper Day, including P. Burr Elementary in Lincoln and Greenville Consolidated School.
Oleson Elementary School in Texas also joined in the fun after a teacher, Mrs. Burton, insisted that they introduce a Dapper Wednesday to help “promote excellence and high self-esteem.”