St. Regis students get pleasant surprise

St. Regis students received a surprise this week after they finished taking their semester tests on Monday. Yearbooks are a creative outlet that commemorates an important time in your life. While making them is hard work, the result is a fun way to document life and hold onto good memories. On Monday, thanks to the support of businesses from around the county, last year’s juniors, sophomores and freshmen all received a free year book. The seniors of class 2010 also received a free book.

Jacki Almquist said that they surprised the students on Monday with the books and said that the students were “very excited.”

Almquist said that the support of county businesses who were generous in buying yearbook advertisements allowed them to provide the students with a free book.

“These businesses have been very supportive of our kids over the years,” Almquist said. “We discuss which businesses support them and how important that is as a member of the community.”

Almquist pointed out that even though the economy is still having an effect on local businesses, it didn’t stop them from supporting the kids.

“During these tough economic times, their generosity is even more significant,” Almquist said. “It shows their priority to the kids.”

Almquist said that this is the first time they have handed out school yearbooks. Yearbooks can range in price significantly and can cost up to $35 at some schools.

This year, Almquist said that they switched companies and were able to significantly drop the price of the yearbooks.

“We merely passed this savings onto the kids,” she said.

Almquist said that they raised $1,400 in ad sales and had 50 books printed. The price of a yearbook for the current year’s book was $10. Almquist said that reducing the cost has always been important.

“At other schools, yearbooks can cost as much as $35 each. Many of our families can’t afford that, so we have always been looking for ways to reduce the costs and our prices,” Almquist said.