Submitted photos
After the tears flow and the hats fly at the commencement ceremony for the Sonoma Valley High School graduating class of 2008 on Friday, June 6, the newly minted graduates will head off into the sunset with their whole future in front of them.
But first, they need to party.
Beginning in the1980s, a group of Sonoma Valley High School parents spearheaded a movement for a safe night of celebration for graduating seniors, and Grad Night was born – the all-night, alcohol- and drug-free celebration that allows departing seniors to celebrate in a safe environment with tons of activities for all to enjoy, and it all takes place on the Sonoma Valley High School campus.
About 40 volunteers, mostly parents and past graduates, will work for two days to set up the gym and its surroundings for the giant party. When the seniors step onto the campus on Friday night, they will hardly recognize it. By that time, most of the school will have been completely redecorated.
Starting on Thursday morning, storage bins and dividers will be unloaded to split up the gym into various sections, and volunteers will stay into the wee hours of the night to make sure that everything is just right.
“We were there until midnight last year,” said Linda Presti, who is in charge of decorations. “We’re trying to get the whole gym area done before graduation because a lot of the people on the committee have graduates this year.” At press time, the theme remained a highly guarded secret known only to the hardworking volunteers.
While most of the focus is rightfully on the graduates, Grad Night would not happen without the support of Sonoma Valley businesses and individuals.
“In all, we’ve had about $40,000 in donations from local businesses for the event,” said committee chair Mary Kate Dreyer. Many organizations and local businesses, including Native Sons of the Golden West, Sonoma Music and the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters Club, have given support to Grad Night.
From the Friday night check in at 9:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Saturday morning, seniors will keep busy with a wide range of exciting activities, including an obstacle course, tarot card readings, karaoke, rock climbing, arcade games, ping-pong, air hockey, caricature drawings and much more.
Real money can be won at the casino, and kids can don sumo-wrestling suits to do battle with friend or foe. There will be a game show set up and a secret attraction that has to be seen to be believed – one that will see the participants presented with an “heroic” challenge.
Graduates will each receive raffle tickets for the more than 50 prizes that will be offered, along with “Dragon Dollars” that can be used to buy more tickets throughout the night. Along with that, each senior will receive a single raffle ticket to win a car that has been donated by Sonoma Chevrolet – giving everyone the same odds of winning.
Other raffle prizes include packages donated by local businesses and volunteers, with a little something for everyone. For the musically inclined, the guitar package includes an electric guitar, amplifier and all the fixings. Outdoor enthusiasts can win a Trek 3700 mountain bike, a fishing package complete with fishing pole and tackle box or the “Great Outdoors” package, which comes complete with camping equipment.
Other prizes include spa treatments, an HP Printer, two home entertainment systems and a portable DVD player, along with gift certificates to many fine establishments in and around Sonoma Valley. There’s even the “Brain Freeze” package, with the lucky winner receiving gift certificates to a number of ice cream shops, including The Chocolate Cow, Ben & Jerry’s and Baskin-Robbins.
When the activities portion of the event comes to a close at 3 a.m., the winning raffle tickets will be drawn and a pecial guest will entertain the graduates. After the prizes are handed out, the seniors will be served breakfast before the big drawing of the night takes place and the car is handed out to the lucky winner. Everything will come to a close at around 5:30 or 6 a.m.
As far as celebrations go, it’s a great way to end one journey before starting the next, whatever that might be.
Volunteers are still needed for the late shift, from 12:30 to 3 a.m. on Friday night, and to help clean up the event starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. For more information or to volunteer, contact Mary Kate Dreyer at 707.935.1403.
