You see fun senior activities on social media and school webpages and tend to get excited about finally being a senior, but does anyone acknowledge the outrageous prices that come with being a senior? To be able to participate in these things is a privilege since it comes with a cost.

“This year I’ve bought a parking pass, a yearbook, prom tickets, prom dress, a cap and gown, senior pictures, and I had to pay to paint my parking spot,” said senior Abigail Fluharty.  “The total comes to around a thousand dollars.” 

Students find themselves scrolling through different “packages” to make it seem like a deal when it’s really all a marketing ploy to encourage you to spend too much money. The price of a cap, gown, and tassel alone comes to a total of $94.95. This can be a financial struggle to some, especially if a parent has more than one child going through this school system. Parents are having to pay hundreds of dollars just so their children can have the bare minimum.

“I think they just want to take money from us,” said senior Savannah Reed.  “I have four older siblings, and they each had to buy a new cap and gown when we could’ve just reused one.”

There are also student athletes who are having to pay loads of money for clothing and necessary equipment for their sport along with having to pay these extra fees to do simple things like park at school or go to prom. A parking pass alone is forty dollars.

“I do not think these prices are fair,” said senior Kyndel Johnson. “We need the school to help provide for us, I have to use half my paycheck to park here, buy my prom dress and a lot of money goes into cheer; it is an expensive sport.”

While the cost to be a senior is very expensive, almost all of these activities are not necessary.  It is not required to go to prom, paint your parking spot, or even participate in graduation, but these things are a luxury that students want to experience in their senior year.

“I do think the prices are pretty fair,” said senior Landon Everhart. “Seniors can choose if they want to spend that much money, and if they don’t, they just don’t get to do it.”