Editorial: Senior year is too expensive

A Schreiber yearbook currently costs over a hundred dollars, which is an exorbitant price for students who want to look back on their last year of high school years from now. Although the yearbook club cannot give yearbooks away for free (since they need funds in order to actually create and print the yearbooks), the school should offer some sort of financial help to seniors who cannot afford this substantial fee.
At the end of the year, looking through the yearbook with friends as well as hunting down teachers for their signatures is a unifying experience for seniors, and it is disappointing that some people can’t share that experience because of the yearbook cost.
This hefty price is also burdensome for parents, most of whom have been paying for their children’s standardized tests and prom tickets for years. Since students are required or at least urged to take costly AP tests or the SAT/ACT, parents are generally willing to pay these fees. That being said, parents who already have a hard time paying for tests may be more reluctant to pay such a large sum for a yearbook, which is not exactly a necessity.
It’s typical for seniors to split the cost of a page or a two-page spread with their friends so that they can look back on their shared memories in the future. However, purchasing a single page in the yearbook can cost up to $350, and many students decide not to buy a page purely because of the high cost.
The yearbook is supposed to be a reward for students at the end of their stressful four years of high school.  All students should have an equal opportunity to remember such an important chapter of their lives.  By offering financial help to low-income individuals, all seniors can share the same joyful experience at the end of the year.