High school memorabilia: We buy yearbooks but DD didn’t want us to spend $$ on an ad, not important enough to her. She was able to submit a family and baby pic for free. And, spent more time deciding on a Senior quote than working on her college essays…lol! No ring but they did market a “seniors 2017” t-shirt she wanted and a coffee mug with the name of all of her classmates. With the addition of cap/gown, invitations, sr portraits, and senior trip, my wallet is empty and we are done.
Southern sororities: I rushed at a large southern U at my mother’s urging, she was a sister of a well-known sorority at another southern U. I was a double legacy with lots of recommendations. But, it was the most awkward thing I had done to that point. They did me a favor and didn’t bit me which was devastating at the time (I’d been on campus for a day and classes hadn’t started) but I wasn’t a good fit and they ended up doing me a favor. I found my people eventually and never looked back. The stereotypes of southern sororities are mostly correct and, like schools, you have to find your ‘fit.’ My DD is curious but not committed but I’ve insisted she will not rush until after 1-2 semesters.
** Yearbook: ** The cost of yearbooks are buried in tuition here as well so we’ve never had to lay out more cash for it. I suppose the ads help defray the cost. We looked at years past and it seems like every senior has had some type of ad page. They are mostly cute and sentimental. So, yes, were going to “waste” $300 on the ad…but it will be heartfelt and it will be forever.
Memory Lane
My parents bought me a set of luggage when I was going off to college. I wasn’t well traveled at the time, but they were well worn when retired many years later. I also received a “footlocker” as another practical essential. With all the talk about memorabilia, I went searching for it this morning. It’s official, I think I an old enough now that this stuff has historical significance. Not only do I have the “typical” stuff, HS Diploma, Varsity Letter, etc. but I have the programs for events such as the National Honor Society induction, Senior Awards Banquet, Commencement… I have the 1985-86 Boys Basketball Schedule with cheer chants attached. Scholarship notification letters and certificates are in there. Also a Commencement Ticket, a button the yearbook sold for fundraising, my cheerleading jacket, an Elks 1st place Free Throw Contest Trophy, a section of my cheerleading skirt (because loose was not an option). Somehow my husband’s HS Diploma, and our 3 college diplomas between us made it in there as well. There is actually much more, but decided to seal it back up and age it some more. How does one just throw this stuff away?
Since we pay tuition for S17 he gets “lots of free stuff”: yearbook, cap and gown, no pages to buy in the yearbook. (It’s free! LOL!)
While I’m glad to not have to buy a page, I would LOVE to create an embarrassing page.
Sororities: my D15 did join one. But her school is a small private. Rush is in January. There are no residential houses. They are not what one might experience at a big southern state school. For this, I’m glad. She loves it!
S17 would never join a fraternity - no matter where he ended up in school. He’s just not that social. He has friends but he’s not interested in a big group. I don’t see that changing in college.
Yearbooks S insisted he doesn’t want one, and we didn’t purchase one, although I’m starting to regret that now. I think there is an option for buying an ad, but I didn’t pay any attention since S was adamant he wasn’t getting a yearbook. They don’t come out until next fall so he wouldn’t be able to get his friends to write something in it. like I did when I was in HS. I still have all mine (also a yearbook staffer) and I look at them occasionally. Ditto for class rings, although I don’t regret not making that purchase.
Sororities They weren’t common at my college and my children have no interest in the Greek system. (They’re both somewhat introverted and need the ability to retreat from the social aspect.) But, I have two nieces who both rushed. One is in the Midwest, where sororities are becoming more common than when I was in school. It seems like they do some fundraisers for charities that consist of mailing pledge cards to relatives and the rest of their activities are party buses to larger cities and their sister sororities/frats on other campuses, dances and parties on their home campus, etc. But my niece likes it and her parents don’t mind the extra fees. The other is at TCU, and rush was very difficult for her. She (coming from the Midwest) didn’t realize the extent of dolling up she’d have to do to get a bid and was miserable for the first few days. She is more of sporty type and although she was more into makeup, hair and trendy clothes than my D in HS, she was way out of her league in Texas and it was really her first experience with rejection. She did eventually get into a house and apparently loves it now.
@Mom22DDs If your D is interested in service more than social I’d recommend checking our Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity if a chapter exists on whichever school she attends. Most chapters are co-ed though I think there may be a few hold out all male chapters. It’s foundation is service and chapters have lots of projects and ongoing service throughout the year but unlike a standard service club it’s has a lot of the fraternity characteristics that make it different.
We’ve gotten every yearbook for D and S from K to present. My kids have looked through mine and laughed and my Dad’s and laughed even more. We also have a lot of the art projects my kid’s classes made for the silent auction in which I overbid in some bidding war with another parent every year. I get reminded how it’s worth every penny whenever someone picks one up off a bookshelf or coffee table and we look through it. I guess it’s the George Emerson in me.
Yearbook: S17 and S18 don’t want anything to do with them. We ordered one for S17 because it was his Senior year. I have all 4 of mine and my wife has all 4 of hers. I remember going around the last week of school and having people sign them. That doesn’t seem to be happening at S’s school.
Cap & Gown: We are about to order the basic packet with cap, gown and tassel. Same with grad announcements.
Letter Jacket: Both S’s have Letters for Band, NHS and Swimming. Both have letter jackets because they are very popular in our school and our district. The neighboring district they are not popular so few people have the jackets. There is only one place in town that sells them and they are pretty spendy.
Senior Trip: My S17 really wanted to go back to Lake Tahoe (in CA/NV) for a family reunion for his senior trip. It was booked months ago. We used to go every year, then every other year but it has been 3 years since we went. High School Band and Football conflicted with being able to go. This summer we will be going for sure!
Sororities: My wife has written several letters of recommendation for friends and cousin’s kids. I have written a letter for my nephew for my Fraternity. Joining a Fraternity was very beneficial for myself as I was one of 3 kids from my high school going to San Diego State (500 miles from home) and SDSU was a Big school! My S17 plans to march in college and the marching band will end up being like a Fraternity/Sorority but he is still considering joining a Fraternity at this point.
** Cap & Gown ** Haven’t ordered them yet. I guess they came with some class rink package but since we aren’t ordering one of those. I think we hear about the basic packages come spring.
** Class Ring ** What’s a class ring. Nope… none of us care for that kid of memorablila.
** Letter Jacket ** This year the band was ordering letter jackets for the Marching Band. (Really??) S17’s comment… “Don’t waste the money on something I will wear once.”
** Senior Trip ** Probably not. There was supposed to be a spring break marching band trip, that has been canceled. S17 hopes to work as a councilor this summer his camp, and if he gets that job it will take up most of the summer.
** Sororities/Frats ** Zero interest here. Not something anyone is the family has done or is likely to be involved in.
DH is more sentimental than me regarding yearbook type of things. If it was just me, I would only buy year books for senior years. But we buy year books for every single year for both kids.
For graduation, I only ordered cap and gown.
For yearbooks, I do wonder if cell phone pictures & social media sharing will change the desirability of yearbooks. I do look back in my yearbooks sometimes. I have a 8th grade one, one for my sophomore year (I was moving across country after that year) and a senior year book. I do sometimes wonder… what happened to so & so and use the year book to look up their full name. Or bump into someone from back then and want to look them up. But I have few pictures of those days, some because I took photography for one semester but not many. But High Schoolers these day. if they don’t delete them all will have these years memorized with tons of pictures.
But comparing this to class reunions. Neither my husband or I have been to any of our H.S. class reunions. Even though my parents still live in the same city and it wouldn’t be that difficult to attend. My parents have flow cross country to attend some of theirs. Their class reunions have been important to them. They lived in small towns, knew every kids by name. And haven’t kept in touch with many of them.
But I’m really not interested in my class reunion, I only attended the school I graduated from for one year. That year I had more friends in other grades than the one I graduated from. And through social media (email) I have kept in touch with a large group of my H.S. friends. I don’t even know the people who organize the reunion for my class.
My kids will have nothing to do with class rings, yearbooks except sr year, no letterman jackets, no senior trips etc.
My wife is always trying to buy them something school related or try to get them more involved in stuff like homecoming and pep rallys, but they just aren’t feeling it. They like their school and have a lot friends but for some reason don’t take to school pride items or participating in school events other than their own. I try not to make a big deal out of it, it’s their choice in the end. I’m not the high schooler.
Have not ordered cap and gown. Just going basic, whatever that entails.
Gracious, sick for a couple of days and now I need to catch up with 250 posts. Time to start skimming!
S toured the last school on his list, a mid-sized private school that’s about half UGs and half Grad students and liked it! I didn’t expect him to like the LAC-type environment. So one more CA school app to work on. He would have to get big MAC to attend, so it is a roll of the dice, but “worth” the gamble.
Edited for the (now old) credit card QOTD: You may still get access to your students bank account after they turn 18 by having them authorize you to access the account. I have full access to D’s savings and checking accounts, which are at the same bank we bank at. It is extremely easy to transfer money between accounts, like now because she owes us $15 for using our credit card when she forgot her card. I have “view only” privileges to her credit card account so I can see what the balance is in the event I have to pay it.
@mommdc Like someone recommended, D and I started a wish list on Amazon for dorm stuff. Oh my it’s going to be expensive! Thankfully no grad party here; just her trip and a nice dinner to celebrate.
Nope… none of us care for that kid of memorablila.