Published Dec. 15, 2021
By AVA CAMARGO
From senior portraits to letterman jackets to vandalizing Pacific Grove High School before the annual Shoe Game, CHS has seen traditions come and go throughout its history. Class rings and letterman jackets, for instance, once held great significance to previous CHS graduates, but they have generally gone out of fashion in this generation.
According to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, they started the American tradition of class rings in 1835. A symbol of school pride, the class jewelry serves students with a romanticized memory of their high school experience. Along with caps, gowns, and other graduation necessities, rings were on the school supply list at CHS until they were removed last year.
With more student interest, principal’s secretary Lisa Brazil mentions there is a possibility that jewelry and jackets will be brought back to Carmel High.
“The items that have traditionally marked high school, such as the letterman jackets and rings, have all gone away,” Brazil says. “What has replaced them are sweatshirts and t-shirts. When students graduate from high school with a pile of shirts, many are going to immediately donate or throw them away because they will most likely never be worn again.”
Local high school alumni reflect on their traditional mementos and discuss their significance now.
“It is not like how it was back then,” North Monterey County 1990 alum Alicia Stirling recalls, “and I would definitely invest in a ring for my daughter this year, plus rings are back in fashion these days and that may spark interest as well.”
Graduation rings come in a variety of styles to accompany the personalities of each school and individual. (courtesy of PIXABAY)
Like Stirling, CHS alum Jennifer Kadosh, Class of 1987, owned a class ring herself and believes that material keepsakes should remain important to students nowadays. And Kristine Tarozzi, the dance and yoga instructor on campus, mentions that she had a traditional cheerleading jacket when she attended CHS.
“At the time, having a jacket to represent cheer was valuable to me,” Tarozzi says. “It was an old tradition that has died out… and I would not be opposed to the idea of their return.”
CHS alum Steve Rammel, who graduated in the ‘80s and did not have a ring of his own, discusses the popularity of them in his graduating class as well as their significance now.
“It wasn’t until I was an adult that I thought these were cool traditions,” Rammel says. “I now value the importance of school dances, letterman jackets and all representations of school pride for students these days and fully support their possible return.”
Today, many students question the worth of bringing back rings and jackets primarily due to their expense. Rings are typically priced around $200-400, the most expensive being over $2,000, and jackets are usually between $300-$600.
Still, senior Aiden Slade recognizes that letterman jackets would “contribute to school spirit and revive sport culture.” Seniors Isabella Twomey and Dylan Barrett both agree that they would not buy class rings for themselves, but they believe that many of their classmates would be fond of this revival.
With varying opinions on the relevance of high school traditions resurfacing, it is up to current students to decide for themselves whether these customs are worth keeping.
