Have a junior this year? Start saving now. And by saving, I mean putting away a sizeable chunk of change every week, because if you think you got nickled and dimed to death in elementary school, you're not going to believe senior year.
Before school even starts they start with the "BUY THE YEARBOOK NOW" emails and snail mail. Before school even starts, they want a check for $100 for the yearbook. Welcome to senior year.
Most of the dunning I just toss in the circular file. Class rings? TOTAL waste of money. And they cost hundreds of dollars.
Senior portraits? A $35 sitting fee, then offers of packages that run from $295 to over $1000. For a photo of your darling special snowflake taken by a hack photography studio that only does school photos. Our school does not accept any other portraits.
Let's not forget the Prom. $100 per ticket, tux rental at $125+, new shoes, a corsage and lapel flower at around $50, a haircut, makeup, a new dress, underwear, and then there is the freaking transportation. A limo? Could cost every kid $100 just to ride in a limo. One with a fireplace is more.
Oh, how about those prom photos. You know, the posed ones you parents want to put on your coffee table right next to the b'nai mitzvah album and your wedding album? Check out the cost.
Prom pictures are from 6:30-7:30 at the Copley before Prom starts. If you would like pictures taken you must bring a check the night of prom. Tomorrow, during advisory, a brochure will be passed out with the different photo packages, which range in price from $29-95.
Cap and gown? $35. And they are ugly and barely clean.
And then there are the guilt costs. In our school we have two papers, the Lion's Roar and the Denabola. Plus we have a local city newspaper. And the yearbook. You get dunned for every single one of those pieces of great literate. They call you on the phone with this whole guilt speech about how you want to honor your graduate with a congratulatory ad in such and such publication. Every parent is doing it, you want to do it too. You're poor? We have tiny ads for your poor people. Look at the costs just for the school papers:
Our special section devoted solely to the Class of 2009 will be distributed at graduation on June 11; we want to include your tribute to your son or daughter. A graduation tribute in The Lion's Roar has many advantages:
- No extra charge for photos
- An award-winning design staff that has won major national awards will design your ad at no extra cost
- We distribute at graduation, in school, in the community, and mail home to subscribers
Full page (11x17): $220 Half page (11x8.5): $170 Quarter page (5.5x8.5): $120Eighth page (5.5x4.25): $80 Ads can be printed in color for 50 percent more than the black and white price.
Support Your Senior By Advertising in Denebola
Attention parents of seniors! Congratulate your son or daughter on graduating with a Senior Ad in Newton South's Official School newspaper, Denebola, in its award-winning, 64-page graduation issue! Offering the largest-sized ads of any Newton South publication, Denebola's graduation issue will not only be distributed at graduation and in school, but will also be mailed home! Prices start at $65, and we will design your ad for FREE! You can also include as many pictures as you'd like at no extra charge!
Pricing and Sizes
Back page (11 x 21 in - *Boston Globe Size*) Full Color: $340
Full page (11 x 21 in - *Boston Globe Size*) B&W: $260 / Color: $300
Half page (11 x 10.5 in) B&W: $180 / Color: $215
Quarter page (6 x 10.5 in) B&W: $120 / Color: $140
Four by five (4 x 5 in) B&W: $95 / Color: $105
Business Card (3.5 x 1.75 in) B&W: $65 / Color: $80
Online Ad (150 x 600 pixels) $20 with print ad
Photos (as many as you want) FREE!
Design my Ad FREE!
ALL SIZES LISTED AS WIDTH x HEIGHT
I don't even know what the yearbook and city weekly are charging, but I can promise you it's more.
You know what I haven't mentioned yet? The most costly expense of all? The dreaded SAT prep. What a frigging racket. There are a million of the professional places like Kaplan and Score and there are a lot of smaller, private tutoring business that promise more increased points than the professionals. And then there are private tutors that come to your home. Since most juniors take the SAT in June, and then again in October or November, many parents do two rounds of prep. Average prices seems to be $1500 to $3000 per course. Gulp. The schools all offer a prep class but it's not good. Not good at all. Too many kids, too little time, no individualized instruction.
Don't forget the college applications, which can average about $100. Some kids apply to 10 colleges. Not mine! College applications come after college trips to visit various campuses. I don't think this is necessary but I'm apparently in the minority. I never visited any of the three campuses I eventually studied at. And we didn't have the internet way back when, so the only thing we got from the college was the bulletin. It wasn't that interesting. Now there are DVDs and all sorts of web sites and discussion groups for applicants. Since most people do take the trip, don't forget to pack away some bucks for hotels, meals, gas, and college hoodies. One MUST get the hoodie.
Of course, after you've gone completely broke senior year, and are still reeling from all the end of the year activities that are picking your pocket, you kid has to choose where he or she is going to college. And you? You get to write the first of many tuition checks. Jokes on you when you see just how much this is going to cost you.
I'm thinking that plumbers, electricians, and carpenters have the right idea. Because this whole college experience is not for the weak of heart. Believe me on that!
We are in SAT prep mode. Nobody is especially happy about it. Not the student, who now has to do mountains of extra SAT homework or risk the wrath of the mother who wrote an extravagant check to pay for the class. Not the mother, who now has her Sundays hijacked having to drive said student to said 2-and-a-half-hour-class. 
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