Rachel Lederman ’24 | Bella Notaro ’24
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy
Masks have become a daily necessity in the lives of everyone in the EA community. Throughout the school day, masks are always required, except at lunch or in a socially-distanced circle outside. As a result of these regulations, many students have developed mask preferences to achieve both comfort and style.
The two main types of masks that EA’s community members wear are cloth and medical. It is relatively split on which is most prefered. Elizabeth Boruff ’23 says that she favors “cloth masks because they’re more durable and frankly just fit [her] face better than the medical masks. Also, the medical masks are wasteful because they need to be replaced every few days, since they aren’t high-quality.”
However, sometimes the choice of mask is dependent on the situation or activity. Michelle Jiang ‘24 explains, “For sports, I normally wear a medical mask, since it is the most breathable.” Andrea Yu, Upper School librarian, states, “I only wear athletic masks because they are more triangular which better covers my nose. They’re also adjustable and have an extender wire on my nose, so as not to hurt my ears.”
Many times, the type of mask that the community prefers correlates with a certain brand. Popular brands among students include Athleta, Jaanuu, Under Armour, and Kitsch. Charley Harrar ‘23 explains her preference, saying, “Athleta masks are very comfortable and not too thick. They’re adjustable, so they fit everybody’s faces and they have a variety of colors. They also have multiple sizes, styles, and are very protective.” Susie Lim, Upper School science teacher, comments, “I always wear the Uniqlo masks because they feel really good on my ears compared to other brands.”
While function and comfort seem to play the primary role, style has some influence. Boruff states, “I really like having different colored or patterned masks because they allow everyone to add their own playful touch to this new aspect of the uniform. People are able to express their personality and match their mask to their outfit as well.” Pepper Claytor ‘23 agrees, explaining, “I like wearing patterned masks because they give me a chance to express myself through the uniform in a way we haven’t really had before.”
While wearing masks at school is not ideal, community members are grateful to be able to wear the masks that they most prefer. Jiang says, “I enjoy the freedom students are given with masks since different people have different needs and preferences. With choice, the mask situation is a bit more bearable.”