Six months until graduation, the Class of 2022 kicks off their graduation preparations with pre-orders for graduation ceremony items.

The Manhattan High Jostens sales representative, Jeff Heline, presented to seniors on Wednesday, Oct. 20, about ordering graduation cap and gowns, stoles, tassels, announcements, sweatshirts and more. For the past 25 years or so, Jostens has supplied Manhattan High seniors with graduation attire and apparel. Pre-orders are due on Wednesday on the Jostens’ website.

“I think that we prefer that [students] buy … from Jostens because [with gowns they’ll] be the same color,” activities director Larry Myers said. “[Otherwise, you’ll] probably stand out if you had something from a different company that might have … a different color or a different style.”

Students have the option between four graduation item packages and three cap and gown packages, with prices ranging from $153.25 to $408 and $80.45 to $159.90 respectively. Students can also choose to mix and match items to fit their wants and needs without purchasing a package.

“[Students need] a cap and gown and a tassel and … they want to have a stole, [which] usually comes with a gown,” Myers said. “They don’t need really anything else.”

If a senior wishes to just buy the items from Jostens that they need to walk at the graduation ceremony on May 15, 2022, at Bramlage Coliseum, their total would ring up to $66.50. However, according to Heline, students do not have to purchase their cap and gown from Jostens. Stoles and tassels must be ordered through Jostens.

“I would be glad to help … students order a stole and tassel if they already have a cap [and] gown,” Heline wrote in an email. “Please feel free to give our office number to any parent who needs help ordering (785-843-2967).” 

Jostens’ website does not list stoles as an individual item that can be bought because the packaging plant the company works with has removed the option. Thus, seniors wishing to purchase an individual stole must call Jostens at the number above to place a pre-order.

“The plant wouldn’t let us put the individual stole on the website this year,” Heline wrote. “[Last year] when customers placed their orders, they ordered the unit, which already contained a stole, and then they added a stole to their order, so there was a big issue with so many duplicate stoles being ordered.”

Manhattan High also has graduation items students can borrow to walk at graduation for senior families who can’t afford them.

“This is your … one last time that all [your peers] get together … so it’s important for everybody to have the opportunity to do that,” Myers said. “I think that if we can help at all, we want to make sure that everybody knows that … if you can’t afford something or if you don’t feel like coming it shouldn’t be anything that is stressful for anyone. It should be something that everybody wants to be a part of and [it] shouldn’t feel like they’re left out.”