School-sponsored graduation parties get more popular

ALPHARETTA - Like most seniors, the class of 2002 at St. Pius High School celebrated graduation with a party that went past dawn. But this blowout didn&#39;t feature kegs of beer and late-night wilding. It was held at a community recreation center, complete with parents and a priest. <br> <br> School-sponsored graduation parties are nothing new, but they are no longer attended only by members of the chess and math clubs while the rest of the seniors celebrate in a less structured setting. To prevent drunken driving, drug use and other behaviors, parents and educators are throwing elaborate graduation bashes, and seniors are actually showing up. <br> <br> Shea Tighe, a football and baseball player, had his pick of unsupervised celebrations, but chose to attend St. Pius&#39; parent-packed one instead. <br> <br> ``All of the stereotypes were erased for one night,&#39;&#39; Tighe said. ``It&#39;s not every day that you have your whole senior class together. It&#39;s a really special thing. ... I met people that night playing at the blackjack table that I had never talked to before. And the prizes were really great.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Parents and teachers have tried to give graduation parties, once seen as uncool and pedantic, a major makeover. Yearbook signings have been replaced by pool parties. Vegas-style casino games have replaced pastel streamers and helium balloons. <br> <br> For $55 a ticket, Tighe and his classmates enjoyed a farewell fete that included a packed food table, a Wendy&#39;s frosty machine, a slide show and prizes, including a dorm-sized refrigerator and a color television. <br> <br> The party provided a sense of security for his mother, Stephanie Tighe, on a night traditionally known for raucous partying. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s a good time for the kids to get together for the last time in an alcohol-free environment,&#39;&#39; she said. ``It&#39;s safer than them being out on the streets. It just works.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The popularity of chaperoned parties has grown in recent years. Many say it&#39;s because parents and educators are luring graduates with lavish parties that the teens could never match themselves. <br> <br> ``Of course we&#39;re trying to make it more attractive than going out with friends, getting drunk and doing something stupid,&#39;&#39; said Lisa Stallsworth. Her daughter, Janice Stallsworth, is among a group of DeKalb County high school students who pooled their money together for a ``safe and sober&#39;&#39; graduation party. <br> <br> About 45 students from various high schools around the county celebrated with an all-night bash at a pricey Atlanta hotel. Parents rented out a cluster of suites and chaperoned the activities. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s not really how I pictured my graduation party, but I know how easy it would be to jeopardize our futures by one mistake,&#39;&#39; said Janice Stallsworth, who will be attending Emory University in the fall. ``It&#39;s not worth it. Plus, our parents are paying for it. It doesn&#39;t get better than that. And it&#39;s kinda cool that we get to share this experience with them.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Partiers got pampered at the spa, ordered room service, used the hotel fitness center and stayed up watching movies, Stallsworth said. <br> <br> All but two of this year&#39;s 146 seniors at Frankenmuth High School in Michigan have shelled out $15 for tickets to party with parents and teachers on June 6, said Principal Donald Zoller. <br> <br> Plans began more than six months ago, with parents soliciting prizes from local businesses for the casino portion of the night. Held at a local middle school, the event begins around 11 p.m. and ends with a 6 a.m. scrambled egg and sausage breakfast. <br> <br> ``About 96 percent of the seniors show up,&#39;&#39; Zoller said. ``A lot of the kids show up because there is the possibility of getting really nice prizes.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The lure of pricey prizes is one of the reasons senior class president Sarah Herzog is planning to attend. <br> <br> ``Everybody walks away with something,&#39;&#39; she said. ``It&#39;s just the place to be. It&#39;s turned into a really cool tradition at our school.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Since 1989, more than 10,000 seniors have participated at school-sponsored graduation celebrations at Louden County high schools, said Wayde Byard, spokesman for the northern Virginia school district. <br> <br> He attributes the hike in attendance to incorporating the party into the whole graduation experience. <br> <br> ``For seniors, it has really become part of the culture,&#39;&#39; Byard said. ``We have games, videos, dancing everything but alcohol.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Seniors at the six Louden County high schools begin packing into their gymnasiums around midnight and partying until 5 or 6 a.m. <br> <br> Attendance has risen to about 85 percent, Byard said. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s what we want,&#39;&#39; Byard said. ``We want them off the roads. It seems to be working.&#39;&#39;