CCHS juniors who had ordered their class rings months prior finally had the opportunity to receive them in a ceremony hosted by Herff Jones on Tuesday, March 13 in the auditorium.
“The finger ring is a mark of distinction,” class Treasurer Alexa Pichardo said. “It represents the most widely-known custom in the world.”
Juniors had the chance to customize and buy their class rings for a week at school during the second quarter or design them online at any point before the deadline through Herff Jones. Ring style, engravings and stone color, as well as cut, were all customizable by the students. Starting at around $300 and up, the ceremony was not an event all students attended.
“This ring is a bundle of your high school memories that will last a lifetime.”
“This ring is a bundle of your high school memories that will last a lifetime,” class President Robin Zide said.
Organized by Herff Jones and its representative Daniel Ramirez, students and parents filed into a decorated auditorium at 6:30 p.m. for the ceremony. Capping off at a brief forty minutes, the ceremony began with a set of speeches from class officers and Ramirez, who spoke on the tradition of high school class rings.
The auditorium was packed with students and parents who had come to see their soon-to-be-senior children receive their ring.
“Parents chose to be here tonight to celebrate you,” Ramirez said, commending the older audience for their presence.
Each student who ordered a ring was called to the stage to receive their ring before sitting down. A ring box shaped like a graduation cap and tassel was included with the purchase, as well as the details of the lifetime warranty and six-year replacement insurance.
After all students had received their rings, a “turning” of the ring was led by Ramirez.
“Once you’ve graduated, you turn the ring around 18 times for 2018, towards the pinky finger,” Ramirez said.
Aaron Blanco, a junior at CCHS, spoke on his reasons for buying a class ring.
“I bought the ring because I thought it would be a nice thing to remember my years in high school,” he said. “I think the ceremony was actually really nice and well done. I was concerned that it was going to take forever, but they got through all the people pretty quickly and the food afterward was nice.”
Photo by Sarah Khan
