T-Shirts, burgers, pants, pizza, and drinks, we and our parents have all purchased one or two of these items sold at Fenwick, but how much did they cost years ago? If you have an interest in how expensive, or inexpensive, Fenwick was back in the 80’s then keep reading to find out.
Starting with the fee we all pay to attend Fenwick: tuition. Tuition for the 2023-2024 school year is $17,900 but back in 1985 it was much less. Mr. Sullivan, current English teacher, was “Pretty sure” it was around $2,500 in 1985-1986, and Mr. Sperandio, current school resource officer, believed it was around $1,800. Considering that few can have a perfect recollection of what tuition was so long ago, a safe bet is around $2,200 for 1985-1986, which seems like child’s play to the cost it is today.
But tuition isn’t the only thing Fenwick attendees pay for. Food is another thing students love to buy. The average lunch at the cafeteria with an entrée, a drink, and a snack is around $12 to $15. Mr. Sperandio said in his time at Fenwick, from 1981 to 1985, you could get a pretzel and a can of soda for 50 cents each and a slice of pizza for $1.50. Being able to get 10 slices of pizza compared to a single entrée, drink, and snack seems like a far-fetched idea, but during the 80’s this was a reality. Mr. Sperandio also said that there was much less variety in the food in the cafeteria. There was only one drink and a couple entrees and snacks, while today in the cafeteria you will find it difficult to choose what to eat that day. He also said that our current Friar shop used to be a bookstore with some T-shirts, burlap drawstring bags, and sweatshirts, all you could buy with a few dollars, while today we have many things to buy when it comes to clothing, and the price is far from a few dollars.
Overall, back in the 80’s Fenwick was much cheaper compared to today, but the trade off is that today we have many more options to choose from when it comes to food or clothing. Do you think that paying more for variety is a fair trade off, or would you rather just have a few options at a lower cost?
