Project Graduation is a $20,000 party that is put together by the Hawthorne Project Graduation Committee to celebrate the senior graduation and to keep the seniors safe and off of the streets after graduation.
The night of graduation can be a very dangerous nights for students. Students want to celebrate their accomplishments, and this can sometimes lead to drinking and driving. Cheryl Siracusa, head of Project Graduation Committee said, “Students are kept safe by not being on the road on what is said to be the most dangerous night of their lives.”
After the graduation ceremony, the seniors board a bus and leave directly from the high school at 9:00 p.m. and return at 3:00 a.m. Project Graduation is held at an undisclosed location so Siracusa, could not give too much away; however, she mentioned that an entertainment company is hired that will provide an entertainment package including games, carnival options, sports, and swimming.
Project Graduation is put together by a board that consists of four people. The board meets once a month and decides on a location, hires an entertainment company, decides on what activities would work best with the chosen facility, hires a caterer, fundraises throughout the year, and finds chaperons. Any senior graduating in Hawthorne is allowed to attend Project Graduation. Anyone in town is allowed to be a chaperone, unless that person is a parent to any of the seniors. The principal, vice principle and teachers are also not allowed to attend.
Although there have been bigger turnouts in past years, out of 176 seniors, 123 have already signed up this year. Seniors at HHS still have some time to pick up and fill out a registration form in the general office. Students who signed up for Project Graduation before the end of March had to pay $35; students who are now signing up late have to pay $50.
Current Hawthorne High School senior, Michelle Pasquale, is excited to celebrate Project Graduation. Pasquale states, “Project Graduation is a good and safe way to celebrate our graduation. It is a good idea to have Project Graduation so that kids don’t go out partying after graduation. Project Graduation is said to be a surprise, so all I’m expecting so far is a good time. It’s one last time that the class of 2013 gets to spend together.”
Jessie Padilla, 2004 Hawthorne High School alum, was asked about his Project Graduation experience. Padilla enthusiastically stated, “Project Graduation was my final chance to share a night of fun with the classmates I grew up with. It was an awesome time and remains one of my favorite memories of Hawthorne High School.”
Hawthorne High School 2011 alum, Al LoMartire, was asked about his Project Graduation experience as well. LoMartire stated, “Everyone was pretty pumped up, even [though] our graduation started an hour later due to the rain. We got there and a pretty selective buffet was laid out for us, and the food was decent. A lot of activities were planned that you could do by yourself, with a partner, or with as many people as you wanted, and the fact that we were all able to bond one last time actually meant something. I hung out with people who I had never seen outside of the halls and classrooms, and I had a blast with them. Overall, it was a great success.”
Overall, Project Graduation is said to be a great opportunity for Hawthorne Seniors. Seniors get one last opportunity to spend with the majority of their class and they get to spend it in a fun, yet safe, environment.