Are School Rings Still a Thing?

Sophomores, It’s your time to partake in the sophomore class tradition of purchasing a class ring!

Ancient times
Believe it or not, class rings date back to ancient times! It started in Egypt, where sects wore the same rings to show that they were in a group. From there the Romans picked up the idea; Cleopatra gave Mark Antony a ring, and he liked it so much that he gave similar rings to his Praetorian Guard. This is how the idea spread to the military.

Pride and Memories
The more modern history of class rings surface in 1835 and beyond. Westpoint, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton gave these rings as a symbol of their values and pride. From there it spread to most high schools and colleges. Today’s high school class rings are meant to show school pride and activities or interests of the student. When recently asked about buying a class ring, one student spoke about the future memories that her class ring will bring. “I want a class ring because I think it will be nice to have and be able to look back on your time in high school,” says sophomore Emillie Jackson.

Options
For a while, most class rings were basic and had one look. They were made of some type of metal such as gold, silver, or pewter. As class rings evolved and people wanted more options, companies started offering more designs. Today’s class ring now has many different styles, metals, stones, and personalizations to choose from.
FCHS Sophomores
If you are a Fluvanna County High School student, you may have received an email recently about ordering your class ring. The email has a link to Josten’s website where you can pick a style and customize a ring. When the email came out, many different murmurings were heard from students, some positive where they were excited about ordering, and some negative where it was said that class rings are stupid. This led me to wonder, are sophomores still going to buy class rings, and are they still in style?

Opinions
There are many opinions online for and against high school class rings. Some say to get it for the memories, some say not to waste your money, and to wait until college. I decided to reach out to Fluvanna sophomores to get their opinions. I asked a couple of questions to some classmates: are you going to purchase a class ring, and do you feel that they are still in style? “I don’t think class rings are as in style as they once were,” Jackson added. Sophomore Jay Lyons somewhat agrees with Jackson, stating “I don’t know if they’re in style, but I think if they’re done right they can look good.”

Expense
Other students are interested in buying a class ring, but the cost seems to be on their mind. Class rings tend to run anywhere from $70-$250 or more according to Jostens, depending on your choices.“I will not get a class ring because my broke self can’t afford it,” Sophomoreweighed in. Sophomore Tyler Davis also mentioned the cost, stating “I’d get a class ring, it’s a bit expensive.” and then half jokingly said, “I’d get one for the funsies.”

Whether you get a class ring or not is up to you and your parents. It seems that most sophomores are looking forward to having this keepsake. I bet if you ask your parents about their high school class ring, they will go dig it out of a drawer and share their high school memories with you.