by Lexi Rosas | Editor-In-Chief

Within a high schooler’s four years, a time where basic t-shirts are so heavily embedded in the average teen’s wardrobe, it may seem impossible (at the time) to turn down the ever cheerful and even pushy cheerleader or dancer. At the end of those four years, most students are bound to have at least one ton of cotton t-shirts. But as graduation approaches and college acceptance letters start flowing in, the high school t-shirt becomes less and less attractive, and even an hour after graduation said t-shirts are all but illegal to wear.

“There are no words to describe how uncool it is to wear your high school t-shirts in college,” senior Hailey Burgess said.

Though many seniors are attempting to slow or even stop in inflow of cotton tees, they are everywhere. Teens have devoted one, even two of their dresser drawers to these simple pieces. Senior Anna Irvine estimates that she has 30 or 40 JHS tees.

At anywhere between 10 and 20 dollars, just disposing of these t-shirts is such a waste. They remind us of varying high school memories and students have invested a fair amount of money in them. So that leads me to the question: What are graduating Jags doing with their soon-to-be obsolete shirts?

“When I graduate I’m probably going to cut [my t-shirts] up into equal squares and make a quilt out of them. I thought it was a cute idea…I’m not going to do anything with them,” senior Anna Irvine said, “So I might as well make something I can keep forever.”

This sentiment is something to be admired. It is thoughtfully preserving the sacred memories- the football games, the teams, the clubs- of high school and creating a tangible piece of nostalgia. And it is a simple way to avoid dumping hundreds of thousands of cotton t-shirts into the environment. For other ways to recycle t-shirts click here.

If craftiness isn’t your MO, use your worn in and worn out tees to build a legacy for yourself.

“I’m going to pass my t-shirts down to the future generation of Jaguars,” senior Jake Soderdahl said.  “I will give the shirts to my sisters who will make the shirts worn…used like they should be.”