On Sep. 23, the Jostens Renaissance team visited State High. Jostens Renaissance is for building a culture where students and teachers want to be there and can thrive being there. This was an informational meeting for seniors about graduation caps and gowns, and they also informed the sophomore grade about the class rings in advance of their graduation. This interrupted State High’s academic schedule for an hour during the school day.

9th-grade principal Danielle Ambrosia touched on the set-up of the Jostens Renaissance. “Our school district has partnered with [the] Jostens company, and they are providing our graduation regalia, so our caps and gowns make sure everyone is looking their best for the ceremony,” Ambrosia said.

It’s easy to see the purpose behind typical senior caps and gowns, but it was a bit different for sophomores to be getting their merchandise presentation so early.

Sophomore James Morgan thought this was strange. “Personally, I think yes, because, as a student, we just get to go out of class for a little bit. But I can see some teachers being like, ‘Oh, I lost some instruction time because we had to go to this presentation,’” Morgan said.

“I feel like they could have just sent this [information] as an email,” Morgan said, although he understands the perspective of Jostens. “They probably want to do this presentation because all the students could see it.”

The student body was confused about the presentation but enjoyed losing a few minutes of class time. The class rings could be a big part of their high school career and something to look back on decades from now. For the seniors, it was more important for them to miss class time for the presentation because they are talking about their caps and gowns for graduation which is a huge day in their life.

Ambrosia understood the confusion from the sophomore class. “Just like how we wear sports sweatshirts or our varsity jackets, things of that nature. Class rings are all-inclusive because you don’t necessarily have to be in a certain niche to get one. It’s just a State High thing,” she said.

The 9th-grade principal also explained the purpose of the promotion to the sophomore class. “If you don’t order them in your 10th grade year, you could still order when you’re in 11th or 12th grade year. So you can change your mind,” Ambrosia said.

Freshman and junior students were also concerned with when they would be getting a presentation, since they did not receive one from Jostens this year. “Right now where we’re standing, it’s once a year for sophomores and seniors. So the current ninth and 11th grade class would get the same type of assembly next year,” Ambrosia said.

The ultimate goal of the Jostens Renaissance presentation was to give students an opportunity to support their school and share keepsakes that will last them a lifetime.

“I hope that students recognize that these types of partnerships the goal is always to benefit the students to enjoy their high school years,” Ambrosia said.

From the class rings with the sophomores to the caps and gowns with the seniors, State High had a great opportunity with Jostens visiting State High.