by Katie Parkinson, alternative coverage by Libby Hyde
[wpcol_3fifth id=”” class=”” style=””]
At the end of her sophomore year she went down to the Commons with the rest of the class of 2014 to get fitted for her junior ring. Like everyone else, she tried on various sizes of blue plastic bands, trying to determine which size would work best. After picking the type of ring she wanted, choosing whether or not to have her name engraved on the inside and picking a size, she turned in her order form to Jostens, the company that makes STA’s class rings.
Then, she cancelled her order.
“I was upset when I had to cancel my order because I felt like I was going to be missing out on this keepsake from St. Teresa’s,” Cosgrove said.
Due to financial reasons, junior Emily Cosgrove would not be ordering her STA class ring.
However, her friends had other ideas.
“[Brianna Valine] and I came up with the initial idea,” junior Anna Leach said. “We had been talking about it for a while, so we called Jostens back, and were like, ‘Hey, this girl cancelled this order. Can you re-put it through the system,’ and we mailed them the check.”
In order to fund the silver class ring, which cost around $300, Leach conferred with junior Lauren Langdon, who then started up a Facebook group entitled, “Operation Ring for Emily.” She added 22 members and asked them to pitch in some money for Cosgrove’s ring.
According to junior Fabiola Gutierrez, everyone contributed around $20.
Once the money was compiled, all they had to do was find the right time to tell Cosgrove she would be getting a class ring after all.
“It’s kind of a big gesture, so we thought we should do something special,” Leach said. “We ended up giving it to her on her birthday in Mr. Whitney’s room after school.”
So, at the end of the day on Nov. 1, Cosgrove made her way down to her advisory, history teacher Craig Whitney’s room, to check out as usual.
“When I got down [to the room] it was really confusing because I was just trying to check out and then everyone was down here,” Cosgrove said.
According to Gutierrez, everyone was excited to finally tell her and see her reaction, given that the process had been going on since sophomore year.
“Natalie [Nuessle] came up and gave me a Build-A-Bear, and there was a card,” Cosgrove said. “I was reading it out loud, and it was kind of confusing. About halfway through the card I realized they were giving me a class ring, so it was really cool.”
According to Gutierrez, while Cosgrove might have been a little embarrassed being the center of attention, she was still smiling and seemed very happy.
“Mr. Whitney was laughing the whole time because he thought it was really funny that the person who didn’t want any of the attention got this whole party,” Cosgrove said.
In the end, Cosgrove said afterwards, she was glad her friends had gotten together to do this for her.
“I’m really grateful,” Cosgrove said. “I have awesome friends. They’re great.”
So, on April 15, she went down to the Commons with the rest of the class of 2014 to wait until the ceremony. She got in line, and walked up the steps, down the aisle and to her seat. And when it was time to go up on stage, she was ready to receive her ring like everyone else.
“After the ceremony I realized the ring and the ceremony meant so much more than just the ring because it was really about coming together and experiences it as a class and growing into our place as seniors next year,” Cosgrove said.
[/wpcol_3fifth] [wpcol_1fifth id=”” class=”” style=””]
By the numbers
source: STA’s Jostens representative, Jeff Heline
How many girls ordered junior rings this year?
About 135 rings have been ordered this year this year, though some usually end up ordering theirs late as well.
How many years has STA been getting rings from Jostens?
The current Jostens Representative for STA has been selling to STA for 23 years. The representative who worked before Jeff Heline had been selling rings for 30 years before that.
How long does it take to make a ring?
It takes about 10 days once the ring starts production. However, Jostens takes orders from STA students earlier than usual because they have to reserve extra manufacturing space because STA rings are different from other schools in the area.
How many high schools get rings from Jostens?
“In Kansas City and Missouri, Jostens controls about 75 to 80 percent of the market, though that number fluctuates a bit every year.
What is the average amount of money a junior ring costs at STA?
The average STA junior ring usually costs between 300 and 500 dollars.
[/wpcol_1fifth] [wpcol_1fifth_end id=”” class=”” style=””]
Contributors of Cosgrove’s class ring
Beth Mitchell
Abbey Haines
Adrianna Ohmes
Angelica Vincent
Anna Leach
Brianna Valine
Cori Mroz
Emma Connelly
Emmie Mccabe
Fabiola Gutierrez
Gabby Ferro
Kathleen Blanck
Katie Holt
Katie Law
Katie Tampke
Lauren Langdon
Libby Torres
Madison Fitzgerald
Natalie Rall
Paige Drummond
Rachel Moran
Shelby Hawkins
Tessa Smith
Natalie Nuessle
[/wpcol_1fifth_end]
