Grad Night organizers work behind the scene

As the senior class steadily approaches graduation, a group of hard-working organizers is putting in hours and hours hours each week to create a memorable Grad Night for the class of 2010.

One of the many parent volunteers, Maya Baba, explained the process of planning this unforgettable night.

“We start planning for it around June [the year before], when parents get together to create the themes and decorations,” she said. As soon as the general idea of the night gets finalized, the team of parents begins working on the year-long project.

The last year’s theme was Mediterranean Cruise, where the parents become in charge of transforming the quad, cafeteria, gyms and restrooms into a fun-filled zone with entertainment, games, prizes and food. This year, organizers hope to create an even more amazing environment for the students to create their last memories of their high school years.

“Planning and set-up are done in secrecy so that the graduates will be pleasantly surprised when they enter the Grad Night Party,” said Baba.

The committee of over 30 parents were split up between different committees such as bids, admissions, entertainment and clean-up.

Parents Pat O’Patrny and Sue Nakaji, in charge of all the decorations, are frequent visitors to the storage containers near the back field and secretly work on putting the elaborate decorations together.

“Usually, we work about four to six hours a week for this, and we steadily progress through all the things that need to get done,” said Baba.

The teams of parents worked diligently and all their hard work will soon be finished as Graduation approaches.

The final cost of all their work was over $56,000, and admission for each student is $225.

“Although it is a lot of work on the part of the parents,” said Baba. “Our participation is a gift of love for our children in providing them a special, memorable and safe celebration of a very special milestone in their lives.”