Two boys wore suits to school. Classmates joined for ‘Dapper Wednesdays.’

Looking out at the cafeteria tables, Dean Paquette’s eyes widened when he saw what two students were wearing.

The 8-year-olds, third-graders at Chelsea Elementary School in Chelsea, Maine, were dressed in suits – James Ramage in navy blue and Lincoln Bolitho in gray, both wearing ties that matched. Paquette, a bus driver and staff member who works with special education students, was impressed by the formal wear, and he went to the boys’ table to compliment them.

“Look,” Paquette recalled telling James and Lincoln in October. “The next time you wear suits, I’m in.”

Paquette, 55, wanted to join the students to show them it was “okay to dress up,” he said.

told The Washington Post.

“None of the other kids were really doing that,” he said.

The following Wednesday, Paquette walked into the cafeteria to meet them, wearing a black suit and a tie printed with piano keys and colorful music notes.

Others quickly took notice of Paquette, James and Lincoln wearing suits once a week. A few classmates and teachers joined in, dressing up every Wednesday in fancier clothing than usual. Then Chelsea Elementary administrators invited the entire student body to participate in “Dapper Wednesdays.”

Now, officials at other schools in the district have said they want to take part, said Chelsea Elementary Principal Allison Hernandez.

“It’s nice to see kids getting recognized just for being themselves and for wanting to bring a little bit more good and cheer,” Hernandez said.

It all started with a birthday wish. In April 2022, James asked his parents for a suit for his seventh birthday after seeing Max Fuller wear them on the sitcom “Fuller House.” It “looked cool” on the character, James recalled thinking, and he wanted to give it a try himself.

His parents bought him a navy blue suit, and he started wearing it to school that year, when he was in first grade.

He stuck out in the crowd of children walking through the doors when he wore it the first time – but not in a bad way, he said. His teachers were quick to compliment his suit, words of encouragement that made him want to continue wearing it into the next school year.

“They said I looked good, and I looked really good in it,” James said. “It just made my heart feel really good.”

He kept dressing up the next year, attending class in blazers and button-downs, sometimes paired with a tie or fedora to match.

The praise James received inspired his best friend, Lincoln, to also wear suits to school this year as the two began third grade.

“I was like, I think that might feel nice if I get some compliments,” Lincoln said.

The duo decided they’d start wearing suits on Wednesdays.

The first week they wore them, Paquette, a former music teacher, spotted the pair in the cafeteria, pledging to join them next time.

“Dressing up is good,” Paquette said. “In my teaching for 34 years, I wore a shirt and a tie every day. That doesn’t happen anymore.”

For a few weeks, the trio met in the cafeteria to check out each other’s outfits. With each passing week, more students joined in.

They get off the bus on Wednesdays wearing ties around crisp, collared shirts and colorful tulle dresses that peek out from their coats, Hernandez said. She compliments the students – and watches as they compliment one another.

“That’s just such a simple thing that we can do,” Hernandez said. “And I love supporting the kids in their efforts, no matter what they’re doing. This is just such an easy thing.”

On Nov. 27, a Monday, the school sent a notice encouraging students and staff to join in “Dapper Wednesday,” describing it as a way to “showcase you looking your best while celebrating your own personal style.”

Two days later, James wore a black suit with a gray fedora. Lincoln wore an all-white suit and a striped tie with a paisley pattern. Paquette joined them again with a suit and Santa Claus tie – and a box of 40 black bow ties for students who wanted to wear them. That day, about a third of the school’s 276 students joined in, Hernandez said.

For upcoming Dapper Wednesdays, Paquette said the school plans to buy more bow ties, as well as hair bows. After that, he also hopes to keep a stash of thrifted dress shirts students can borrow to participate.

As for James and Lincoln, they plan to keep the suits and ties as a part of their school style for years to come.

“I think I might bring it to my high school,” James said.