School-sponsored graduation parties get more popular

Posted 1:22PM on Saturday 1st June 2002 ( 23 years ago )

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't feature kegs of beer and late-night wilding. It was held at a community recreation center, complete with parents and a priest. 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. Shea Tighe, a football and baseball player, had his pick of unsupervised celebrations, but chose to attend St. Pius' parent-packed one instead. ``All of the stereotypes were erased for one night,'' Tighe said. ``It's not every day that you have your whole senior class together. It'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.'' 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 Yearbook signings have been replaced by pool parties.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. For $55 a ticket, Tighe and his classmates enjoyed a farewell fete that included a packed food table, a Wendy's frosty machine, a slide show and prizes, including a dorm-sized refrigerator and a color television. The party provided a sense of security for his mother, Stephanie Tighe, on a night traditionally known for raucous partying. ``It's a good time for the kids to get together for the last time in an alcohol-free environment,'' she said. ``It's safer than them being out on the streets. It just works.'' The popularity of chaperoned parties has grown in recent years. Many say it's because parents and educators are luring graduates with lavish parties that the teens could never match themselves. ``Of course we're trying to make it more attractive than going out with friends, getting drunk and doing something stupid,'' 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'' graduation party. 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. ``It's not really how I pictured my graduation party, but I know how easy it would be to jeopardize our futures by one mistake,'' said Janice Stallsworth, who will be attending Emory University in the fall. ``It's not worth it. Plus, our parents are paying for it. It doesn't get better than that. And it's kinda cool that we get to share this experience with them.'' Partiers got pampered at the spa, ordered room service, used the hotel fitness center and stayed up watching movies, Stallsworth said. All but two of this year'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. 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. ``About 96 percent of the seniors show up,'' Zoller said. ``A lot of the kids show up because there is the possibility of getting really nice prizes.'' The lure of pricey prizes is one of the reasons senior class president Sarah Herzog is planning to attend. ``Everybody walks away with something,'' she said. ``It's just the place to be. It's turned into a really cool tradition at our school.'' 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. He attributes the hike in attendance to incorporating the party into the whole graduation experience. ``For seniors, it has really become part of the culture,'' Byard said. ``We have games, videos, dancing everything but alcohol.'' Seniors at the six Louden County high schools begin packing into their gymnasiums around midnight and partying until 5 or 6 a.m. Attendance has risen to about 85 percent, Byard said. ``It's what we want,'' Byard said. ``We want them off the roads. It seems to be working.''

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/6/194058