In 1897, Otto Jostens started a small jewelry repair business in Owatonna, Minnesota. By 1906, the company expanded to include yearbooks, caps, gowns, and their now-famous class rings. While these rings became a common tradition in the 1920s, it was after World War II that they became a universal symbol of graduation and academic achievement.
Recently, Jostens representative Brett Mooney visited the sophomore class to introduce these traditions to a new group of students. Mooney is a local sales associate who travels to over 107 schools across Mid-Missouri, ranging from Jefferson City to the Iowa border.
“I work as a sales associate for Jostens, locally, here around mid-Missouri,” Mooney said. “We work with schools anywhere south as Jefferson City, to as North as the Iowa border. Our specific territory involves over 107 schools that I travel to, doing a numerous amount of things. I give presentations to the sophomore and senior class about Jostens class rings and caps and gowns for graduation.”
While class rings are the most well-known product, Jostens offers a variety of other ways to commemorate the high school experience. These options include letterman jackets starting at $175, as well as custom belt buckles beginning at $185 and belts for $40. For more information on available products, you can visit the official Jostens website.
[/sidebar]Every year of high school feels like a new phase. Whenever someone makes a decision, they change. Wouldn’t you want to be able to capture all four years of your life in high school in one thing? Jostens offers a belt buckle, the letterman’s jacket, and the most anticipated class ring. Maybe those options would be the perfect way to remember everything in high school. However the question is if it’s worth it.
“It was the thing to do in the ’80s, early ’90s. Everybody got a class ring,” English teacher Jennifer Bryan said. Bryan has had here class ring since she was in high school and doesn’t live with a moment of regret. Bryan has also passed down the tradition for her daughters, buying them class rings when the time came. “It was fun to shop for class rings with my daughters. I still have mine. I think they have gone out of fashion a bit, but it’s always a cool memento of high school.”
The problem with class rings isn’t their look or what they represent. The real problem is pricing. Inflation in the American economy has made it difficult for kids to get something like this just for the aesthetic.
“I think the rings are totally expensive, but I thought they were really pretty,” Abigail Hutson (10) said. “It’s a one time thing and it’s for high school. They don’t really do these things in college and you’re only in high school for four years, but it’s like five hundred dollars minimum per ring.”
Despite financials being the only obvious difficulty, there is one problem that is quite rare. Allergies. Some people are allergic to metals, 20-25% of the world’s population is allergic to metal. Some of which can overlap on one person and cause them to miss out on this opportunity.
“I’m not able to have one because I’m allergic to nickel and copper because I will break out,” Matthew Rigger (10) said. “Anything that could even potentially rust just doesn’t work on my skin. I cannot use metals or anything of the sort.”
However, there are a small handful of people who are going all out on the rings. Individuals are invested in using the memorabilia to capture all four years of their high school career into a ring.
“I thought it would be cool to have something to remember my years of high school and it looked really cool when I was looking at them,” Abigail Janssen (10) said.
At the end of the day, it is your decision on how you are going to remember these four years of your life. Everyone has their own unique way of looking back and recalling all your memories.
