https://www.ameshighweb.com/showcas...b7IVD4oxV86X3gM71s5yQ3RDgwuP_kQ4m3wLuOavNbtyY
I ran across this story today. Apparently Ames High has a partnership with a company and requires the purchase of a robe/mortar board/stole/tassel package for $60 in order for the graduating senior to participate in the ceremony (with some undefined "exceptions" for hardship cases). Students cannot not reuse the gowns purchased by their older siblings.
From the article:
For Chiara it’s not about the monetary cost of the garment. “I really did want to walk at graduation, but it’s against my morals to buy a throwaway garment that was made in a sweatshop,” Chiara said. “This type of thing hurts people and the environment, and I am being required to buy it if I want to participate in the most important event of my high school career.
“I shouldn’t have to choose between morality and graduation.”
It also seems to me that this is a "convenience" decision for Ames High.
From the article:
“There’s no doubt the way we do it makes it simpler for everyone involved. Specifically, administratively keeping track of who orders what,” said Tim Robson, the Josten contact point for the school. “The more flexible you are with it the more complex the process will become.” However, if the administration wishes to change the kinds of packages offered, allow students to wear an older sibling’s gown, or switch to a renting option, they can, and Jostens will accommodate for those changes, Robson said.
“I think that it is inexcusable that the administration doesn’t offer other options, especially when it’s in their power to do so,” Chiara said. She suggested that a new package could be created that included all of the necessary graduation items minus the cap and gown. This would allow students to still receive everything they need, but substitute a cap and gown from an older sibling or friend. The gowns do not change from year to year, Robson said, making this a viable option.
A concern raised by Evans was that the price for an individual cap and gown might go up if the school was purchasing fewer of them, but this is not the case. “It doesn’t matter whether you order 150 caps and gowns or 300. [The package] still would be $60,” Robson said.
Chiara also suggests that the school should be looking into renting the caps and gowns each year to eliminate the waste of the keeper gowns altogether. “I automatically assumed that renting would be an option, because that is what ISU does,” Chiara said. Several of the other schools Jostens partners with have opted for the renting option, Robson said.
Seems like a rather rigid decision to me. I'm curious what others think - particularly recent AHS grads or parents of AHS students.
I ran across this story today. Apparently Ames High has a partnership with a company and requires the purchase of a robe/mortar board/stole/tassel package for $60 in order for the graduating senior to participate in the ceremony (with some undefined "exceptions" for hardship cases). Students cannot not reuse the gowns purchased by their older siblings.
From the article:
For Chiara it’s not about the monetary cost of the garment. “I really did want to walk at graduation, but it’s against my morals to buy a throwaway garment that was made in a sweatshop,” Chiara said. “This type of thing hurts people and the environment, and I am being required to buy it if I want to participate in the most important event of my high school career.
“I shouldn’t have to choose between morality and graduation.”
It also seems to me that this is a "convenience" decision for Ames High.
From the article:
“There’s no doubt the way we do it makes it simpler for everyone involved. Specifically, administratively keeping track of who orders what,” said Tim Robson, the Josten contact point for the school. “The more flexible you are with it the more complex the process will become.” However, if the administration wishes to change the kinds of packages offered, allow students to wear an older sibling’s gown, or switch to a renting option, they can, and Jostens will accommodate for those changes, Robson said.
“I think that it is inexcusable that the administration doesn’t offer other options, especially when it’s in their power to do so,” Chiara said. She suggested that a new package could be created that included all of the necessary graduation items minus the cap and gown. This would allow students to still receive everything they need, but substitute a cap and gown from an older sibling or friend. The gowns do not change from year to year, Robson said, making this a viable option.
A concern raised by Evans was that the price for an individual cap and gown might go up if the school was purchasing fewer of them, but this is not the case. “It doesn’t matter whether you order 150 caps and gowns or 300. [The package] still would be $60,” Robson said.
Chiara also suggests that the school should be looking into renting the caps and gowns each year to eliminate the waste of the keeper gowns altogether. “I automatically assumed that renting would be an option, because that is what ISU does,” Chiara said. Several of the other schools Jostens partners with have opted for the renting option, Robson said.
Seems like a rather rigid decision to me. I'm curious what others think - particularly recent AHS grads or parents of AHS students.
