Turner Woods Elementary School let students dress up in their Sunday best Sept. 4 for Tigers Tie Tuesday, so they could show off school pride and build good character that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

“Tigers Tie Tuesday is an opportunity for students, boys or girls, just to dress up and show their best,” said Jeffrey Tharpe, principal at Turner Woods. “They show pride in their school, but it’s also an opportunity for us to show them ethics and character.”

Tharpe said he gave the boys an opportunity to carry books or hold the door open for girls. He said he wants the boys to learn some etiquette, and he said he might switch it up next month so girls can learn etiquette by example as well. He said he wants all students to shine and become leaders by doing this.

“I think it’s important for Jones County students because it gives them an opportunity to dress up if they want to. If they want to have that chance, now they can dress up for school. It also shows that connection they have with their school and how they connect that with home,” he said.

The principal said he saw on social media some students love to dress up and he feels his students take pride in what they wear. He said for now they are going to try Tigers Tie Tuesday once a month, the Tuesday before Welcome Wednesday. The next Tigers Tie Tuesday will be Oct. 2.

“I think the younger students like being able to connect with the adults in their life,” the principal said. “Sometimes they want to be like a grownup and dress like a grownup.”

Tharpe said this was a good introduction to the students at Turner Woods to see what being a grownup is like. He said it helps them get prepared for dressing more professionally for a future career.

Nicholas Butts, a kindergarten students at Turner Woods Elementary School, said he likes to dress up sometimes. He said his mother likes him to dress nice and look nice.

“I like dressing up because it makes me look interesting. It’s fun to dress up and I really want to. My mama wanted me to dress up, too,” he said.

Another students, Jericho Brusse, an enthusiastic first grade student at the school, said it’s good to look his best so he can make money one day and show his best to others for his future job.

“I wanted to look like a captain. I like captains, so I dressed up like one,” Brusse said. “It’s cool to dress up for school and look nice. I want to keep dressing up like this and when I’m grown I will dress like this.”

Tharpe said he wants to see all his students put their best foot forward into society and love coming to school, so he feels Tigers Tie Tuesday will help achieve that.

“Our leadership team came up with this and decided to run with it. We wanted to introduce it gradually, so I’m excited about it,” he said. “It’s a chance to model the good things we do and show extra pride.”