At a base cost of 300 dollars per ring, Jostens rings are a heavy personal debate for sophomores of Rochester High School, Illinois. Every year, the students are given an option to purchase a class ring with their graduating year, but there are some raised issues with these costly rings — are they worth the price?
“I don’t really know if it means something to students today,” high school English teacher, Mrs. Meier said. “I guess if it is something that you are going to cherish as memorabilia then it has value. Otherwise, if it is just because everyone else is doing it, that’s peer pressure.” She has a unique experience with class rings. After spending over $400 on a class ring in her junior year, she moved to a different high school in her area, meaning that the school that was engraved onto her ring didn’t apply to her graduation status. She then had her ring stolen by, she suspects, a classmate. She says that she doesn’t have any regrets about buying the ring, but thar she would make different decisions if she could go back in time.
“In my view, class rings are an example of the ways in which tradition is used to compel parents to buy their children rings they don’t need and don’t really want except because everyone else is doing it,” said Professor Michael Hartsock, who bought a ring his sophomore year in the 1980s. “If everyone would stop buying class rings, no one would miss them.” He explained in the interview that he is strongly against the tradition of class rings; he finds them useless and a away to get kids to spend hundreds of dollars on something they don’t actually want. If he could go back in time, he would have never bought one and discourages everyone from buying a class ring in high school.
Class rings are a tradition that dates back to the early 1800s. They are deeply rooted in American high school history. But out of all the people I spoke to – Lilian Hartsock, college freshman; Michael Hartsock, professor; Renea Hartsock, Director of Public Health Services, and Mrs. Meier, high school English teacher – all of them either don’t wear their rings or do not have them anymore.
Class rings are completely optional, though most feel the need to purchase them because their peers also purchase them in the their school, but it is always up to oneself. Class rings are expensive and don’t last for a lot of people. They can be poor quality and costly. It is important to do your research and think about what you want when purchasing a class ring. Just because something is a tradition doesn’t mean it is worth the high price.
