With the upcoming departure of the class of 2024, the topic of hoodies has been brought up. To commemorate their final year at Malden High School, they will have something to remember it with. The hoodies are usually just seen as merchandise, but to many, they hold sentimental value and represent memories.
Senior Ana Clara Nuno expressed her feelings on the hoodie and her departure from Malden High School. She stated how she already had an idea of how the hoodie would look and that it “was not really a big shocker… I feel really happy about it, I liked it and of course, I feel glad to have something to hold my memories.”Overall, she is not only content that she will have something to hold memories with but is also “glad that it is a hoodie because I will probably use it a lot.”
While Nuno’s input on the hoodies was rather positive, she expressed how “it feels scary but also a relief to finally graduate.” Although it will be a challenge, “I’m happy that I can finally stop worrying about my grades and stuff.” As for the price of the hoodies, which are $20 each, Nuno said that she did have intentions of buying the hoodie and that it was a relatively fair price.
While the opinion of a senior is a great insight into the hoodies, the 2024 class advisor, Kristen Kirby, gives further information on both the hoodies and the process of making them.
Kirby described the process of making the hoodies: “The class officers looked at hoodies from other years and from different schools, and ruled out what they didn't like. Then, they came up with a few different options for the front and back, and chose the design everyone agreed on.” The question of the hoodies’ color came down to gray and navy.
When making hoodies for a class that will be departing from their final high school years, it is important to think about how the hoodies will look and how everyone feels about them. Kirby admitted that instead of coming up with her own ideas, “I just wanted what the students wanted.” The class of 2024 also tried selling t-shirts last year, but according to Kirby, they did not sell as well as they hoped for, and so, they decided to “stick with just sweatshirts.”
While this is not her last year at Malden High School, it is Kirby’s last year as class advisor—for now. She reflected on how much this means to her: “There are definitely parts that I am going to miss. I will take the next few years off, but might pick up another class to advise in a few years.”
While making clothes for the class of 2024, they have to also sell well. Kirby has already bought both a navy and a gray hoodie, hoping to buy a zip-up one in the next round. But for the prices, she has put some insight into it, saying, “We charged what we had to pay. So we didn't lose money, but we didn't make any money.“ This lack of monetary benefit for the sellers, also makes them an extremely reasonable price for the students who look forward to buying the hoodies.
