Being the first year that gets to keep their cap and gown the seniors are beginning to set their expectations for their graduation attire. Alison Crock, 12, explains here expectations for her cap and gown, “I’m just trying to make it my own and not make it look like everyone else, put something different on mine that no one will know.” This thought is synonymous within the senior class. “It’s gonna look sick,” says senior Nick Colgan. Expectations for the cap and gowns are high and new ideas for how they’re going to be customized run rampant. Despite the seniors being able to keep their gowns this year the school administration has kept limitations on what can be customized, the caps can’t be decorated and must stay blue and black. Putting a cap on their creativity has many seniors feeling scammed, they must buy the garments, but aren’t allowed to express themselves with it.  

With the upcoming deadline for seniors to buy their cap and gowns, prices are changing, and seniors are becoming more frantic to pay for it all. “I think they’re a little too expensive. We’ve been paying for so much and we have other stuff to pay for,” explains Crock. Seniors pay for class fees, application fees for college, and much more. The cap and gown are an essential part of graduation and seniors are unable to walk the stage without it. Cap and gown prices are high because the seniors keep the gown, unlike past classes who only got to rent their gowns. “I feel very lucky to be the first ones to be able to (keep the cap and gown), I feel bad though for the previous classes that had to pay just to have to return them in the end,” says Kaleb Romero, 12. The seniors are happy to keep the gowns this year, but prices are debated between them.  

What restrictions will administration set on gowns and how will seniors who are unable to pay for graduation attire walk the stage at the end of the year?