Organizers of Morgan Hill
’s Grad Night worry the annual celebration designed to keep
graduates safe the day they say farewell to high school is at risk
of disappearing this year because the committee only has $100 to
start planning the event.
Organizers of Morgan Hill’s Grad Night worry the annual celebration designed to keep graduates safe the day they say farewell to high school is at risk of disappearing this year because the committee only has $100 to start planning the event.
“If we don’t have any start-up money, if we can’t get things going, there might not be a Grad Night this year,” said Denise Melroy, event co-chair for the 2006 Grad Night. “I hope this isn’t going to be the end of Grad Night.”
Grad Night in Morgan Hill is one of the biggest community efforts to support students during the school year, as businesses and volunteers throughout the community pull together to provide Live Oak High graduating seniors and their guests a night to remember after the graduation ceremony.
The event started as an effort to provide graduates with a safe place to party with their friends after graduation. The idea was to keep them under one roof until early the following morning, so the new grads wouldn’t be drinking and driving, or riding with someone who was intoxicated. This year would be the 21st Grad Night in Morgan Hill.
“I feel really passionate about this cause,” Melroy said. “In the 20-year history of Grad Night, we have not lost one student. If we save even one life by keeping someone from drinking and driving, or an innocent student who hasn’t been drinking, but is killed by someone who has been. If we can prevent that, it’s all worth it.”
School Board President Shellé Thomas chaired the event several years ago, but isn’t worried about Grad Night disappearing. She said parents get the job done regardless of the resources.
“That’s what’s so wonderful, it’s that the parents pull together to make it work,” she said. “When we need start up money, we go out to the community, the community supports us, and we make things work out. It’s great the way we come together as a community.”
Thomas said she believes it’s important to remember the original intent of Grad night.
“We cannot look at it like it’s all about the decorations,” she said. “Obviously, we want to make this attractive for the kids so they will come. But this is one of the most important nights of their lives, and we want to make sure they are not out partying, getting in accidents, possibly getting killed. That’s what we need to focus on.”
Though decorations have become more elaborate over the years, Melroy said she isn’t concerned about balloons, construction paper and other decoration materials right now.
“The majority of the money is not spent on decorations,” said Melroy, who also served as co-chair of the event in 2004, when the theme was “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and the decorating committee created a life-size pirate ship.
“Someone suggested we scale down on the decorations this year, but the decorations are the least of our worries,” she said. “We’re very economical on the decorations. We used lots of leftovers for the pirates, even scrounging in dumpsters for materials.”
This year’s Grad Night committee needs money to put down deposits on the games for the casino, a popular attraction each year, and the outdoor games.
“You typically need $3,000 as a minimum to start, because in September and October, you need to be paying for the insurance, to put down deposits on the games,” said Melroy. “We just don’t have that right now.”
There are approximately 560 seniors this year; if just half of the Class of 2005 decided to buy tickets at the early special price of $50, the organizing committee would have $14,000 to work with, without any outside donations. However, since most of the tickets aren’t purchased until closer to the event, Melroy said, cash flow has become a problem.
“We’ll need our usual prize donations as it gets closer to the event, but what we need right now is money for the deposits,” Melroy said. “We would truly appreciate any help the community could give.”
The rules for Grad Night are simple: Students may enter the decorated gym at any time during the evening, but once there, they may not leave unless a parent or guardian comes to pick them up.
The event typically has a theme, which is kept a secret – most of the time – until the night of the event. Parents and other volunteers who plan the Grad Night usually arrange for DJs and/or a band to provide different kinds of music for the seniors, as well as plenty of food and drinks of many varieties, but no alcohol.
Activities that have been popular in the past include a “casino,” where students can “gamble” for tickets or prizes, an outdoor “boardwalk” with physical activities, a “crash room” with quiet games and other fun possibilities, such as henna tattoos and hair-styling.
“This is such a great night for the kids,” Melroy said. “It’s really like a last chance for them to be together as a class, and we want it to be as fun as possible.”
Tickets for the event start at $50 per student, and $100 for guests (students who are not seniors or not Morgan Hill School District seniors). As graduation approaches, the price for the student ticket rises. Tickets can be bought at the door, but Melroy encourages students to buy early at the cheaper price. Still, she said, most of the sales happen the week before graduation. Scholarships are typically provided for students who cannot afford the ticket price.
“I hope we can keep the initial ticket prices at $50,” Melroy said. “I’d hate to raise them, but we may have to if we can’t raise enough money in another way.”
Thomas said she doesn’t worry that the steering committee can’t do the job, or that the community won’t help.
“Despite other challenges in other years, Grad Night has not missed a year since it began,” she said. “Sometimes there is more to work with, sometimes there is less. But I know the people who are working on the committee believe in Grad Night, and they will get it done.”
Anyone interested in donating can send the money to Live Oak High School, earmarked for Grad Night. Anyone with questions or who is interested in helping out is asked to call Denise Melroy at 779-2238 or co-chair Lisa Siebert at 776-0287.
