Jostens serves as graduation apparel provider
Jostens, the company which provides WHS seniors with the customary graduation caps and gowns, charges students $27.50 for the garments, which are available at far lower prices elsewhere.
WHS is not alone in its dealings with Jostens, as surrounding schools including Smithville, Orrville, Norwayne, Dalton, Chippewa, and Triway all make use of the same memorabilia manufacturer.
WHS principal Tyler Keener stated that Wooster has been working with Josten’s for a long time
“We’ve been working with them a long time, and they give us the best deal,” said Keener.
At WHS, seniors attend an assembly, during which they are given information about Josten’s services and receive the order form. However, the order forms make it very easy to purchase the large packages, which are many times the cost of a single cap and gown, while omitting the fact that students have the option to purchase simply a cap and gown at a far lower price. WHS senior Sarah Hopkins states that she was confused by this fact, and expressed frustration at the manner in which information was presented in the handout.
According to mademan.com, a homemade gown can be constructed from as little as five yards of cloth. Royal blue polyester can be purchased for $3.50 on Amazon.com, which result in a total cost of $17.50 to make a gown at home. Further, cap and gown sets can be purchased from graduationsource.com for prices as low as $17, more than $10 cheaper than Jostens’ offering.
Students are not presented with the option to purchase graduation apparel from any other source but Jostens.
