SAC announced the sale of Marc Garneau’s hoodies on 7 March through Facebook. The twenty-eight dollar-hoodies were purchased by twenty-seven students from the SAC office from 20 March to 7 April. From 3 to 7 April, after SAC placed its first round of orders, a second purchasing period was offered to fulfill the student demand.

Mohammed Walizada designed the MGCI Apparel for the 2016-2017 school year. Photo: Yaseen Habeebuddin

Sales were originally planned for October, but due to conflicts with the sale of Athletic Association hoodies and Fall Fest tickets, they were postponed until after the March Break. Designed by Mohammed Walizada, the hoodies feature a cougar logo with “MGCI 2017” inscribed below. The hoodies were offered in twenty-one different colours.

Design submissions were closed to the general student body on 30 September, 2016, but they remained open for students in art and technology classes for another week. Five designs were selected for students to vote for online. A tie resulted, and a popular vote was held between the top two designs. This time, instead of voting online, over five hundred students participated in a ballot voting process to select the final design.

SAC offered the hoodies in twenty-one different colors. Sales were promoted through the MGCI Updates Facebook group, announcements, and posters. Commenting on the advertising efforts, SAC’s External Affairs Officer, Yaseen Habeebuddin said, “My committee and I tirelessly promoted the school hoodies through various means and sold them in the cafeteria everyday. We have sent out our first order of about thirty sweaters, so students can see what the hoodies look like in person. Hopefully this will boost sales after they see how good the hoodies actually are.”

Lisa Wang, a Grade 11 MGCI student, supported the initiative, saying that “MGCI hoodies are a great way to rep Garneau and show school spirit wherever I go—be it at school or at No Frills.”

All hoodies are expected to arrive by mid-April, and will be announced on the MGCI Updates page. Despite delays in the release of the apparel, the hoodies have been well received by the student body and SAC is pleased with the turnout.