While eager seniors are ready to leave high school and start a new chapter in their lives, they need some items to help them along the path to the graduation ceremony. Those items are caps and gowns, and yet many students have questions regarding cap and gown payments and when they will receive payment notification.

Back on Nov. 14, seniors had a mandatory meeting in the Auditorium about ordering caps and gowns for graduation.

In an email to the class of 2020, prior to the meeting, it stated that the total cost of the cap and gowns would be $44 and that money would be collected on a later date.

A representative from MHS’s cap and gown supplier, Herff Jones, said the yearly meetings with seniors are very helpful and effective for the company in order to collect information about the specifics for the graduating seniors.

Elizabeth Elsner, a representative at Herff Jones, said that when she talked to the seniors during the November meeting, “[she] measured height and weight, and then [she brought the information] back to the office and put it in the system.”

Despite the meeting, some students have said they don’t feel they are receiving enough information about the cap and gown process or how to pay for them.

Others, though, don’t think now would be the best time to give that information to the Senior Class anyway.

   “I think that it’s taking so long because graduation isn’t until May, and there’s a lot of other events going on like WinterFest, finals just ending and Prom. If they told us now, I think that the information would just be forgotten,” said School Wide Vice President Damia Ali, senior.

In order to get more details out to the students, Herff Jones will start sending emails and postcards to students and their families very soon.

“Usually right around now is when they send the invoices out,” said Peggy Billittier, administrative assistant to Principal Dr. Anthony Kroll.

Also, students do not have to submit their payment for the cap and gown directly to the school.

“For the cap and gown, no money goes through the school. It’s between the student and Herff Jones,” Billittier said.

There are multiple ways that students can pay for their cap and gown before graduation through Herff Jones.

“They can pay on the website, or they can call the office at 815-756-4743, or pay over the phone with a debit or credit card, or by mail,” Elsner said.

If paying by website, visit https://highschool.herffjones.com/secom/makeAPayment.

Lastly, student cap and gowns will be given at a later date.

Elsner said, “We hand out cap and gowns on the same day as when [seniors] check [in] Chromebooks, [settle outstanding] fees, etc.”