The event will be on June 21 from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at the ISC
Shawnee High School’s annual Project Graduation has been taking place since 1997 with the goal of providing the graduating class with a safe, alcohol- and drug-free environment to celebrate its accomplishment.
This year, Project Graduation will be held on June 21 from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at the International Skating Center in Cherry Hill for the first time, after students voted to take the event “off site” instead of hosting the event at the high school, which has been done since the first event.
About 350 graduates are expected to attend and can participate in activities such as two indoor turf fields, a roller skating rink, laser tag, a digital photo booth, a fortune teller and a live comedy show.
There will be prize giveaways at the end of the event, and as in years past, there are hopes to raise and give away a grand prize of $2,018 to one of the graduates in honor of the graduation year.
Food and beverages will be provided throughout the night. There will be food donations from Starbucks, Murphy’s and ShopRite, in addition to discounted prices on Chick-Fil-A and Pancheros.
Project Graduation was coordinated and organized through the Project Graduation Committee, which starts planning for the event in September and aims to meet monthly throughout the school year. The teachers and parents on the committee ensure the celebration runs according to plan so the graduates can enjoy their last night as a group.
“We are hoping that the graduates appreciate celebrating together in a safe, protected environment where all we ask of them is to show up and have fun. Every time a parent volunteers for the first time, they are amazed at the positive energy and the sheer joy in the building. Many of our committee members are parents whose children have graduated already, and yet they keep working on the event because it is such an incredible experience,” committee member and Shawnee administrative assistant Sue Fryer said.
Fryer has assisted with Project Graduation as a committee member for about nine years. Fryer continued by saying, “The best part of being involved in Project Graduation is the joy on the graduates’ faces as they spend the evening just being kids. All of the planning and meeting that we do throughout the year is worthwhile the minute the kids begin arriving that night.”
Committee member of 11 years and science department coordinator Jennifer Pulliam takes pride in watching her students walk on graduation day, and is excited to share a night of celebration with her students.
“Each year I go to graduation and have the privilege of sitting on the field with the graduates. Each year I am humbled and inspired by their accomplishments and potential. As their teacher, it is a range of emotions that you feel,” Pulliam said.
She continued, “The icing on the cake is that we get to have fun and celebrate at Project Graduation. It really is a joy seeing the graduates enjoy one last hurrah all together. It makes the time and effort of planning worth it.”
The cost to attend is $40 and includes all activities for the night, along with a Project Graduation T-shirt. For more information or to make a donation contact Sue Fryer at (609) 654–7544.
