The Willow Glen Resident

Live from the Glen, it's WG High's grad night

By Cecily Barnes

Final exams have been completed. College acceptance letters have come in the mail. Yearbooks are rolling off the printing presses. And before they leave high school forever, the 140 graduating seniors at Willow Glen High School have one last event to look forward to--"Grad Night."

"This year's theme is 'Cruising to Paradise,' " says parents' club president Karla Fukushima. "We have lots of things for the kids to do--bumper cars, pool tables, roller blades, a casino, music, a bounce house, volleyball--everything to keep them happy and going until 4 a.m."

Parent Mike New undertook the role of Grad Night chairperson, organizing the event with help from administrators and members of the parents' club.

Teens at this year's Grad Night will not only feel like stars, they'll be stars. Channel 36 will broadcast live from the high school celebration for its teen program, Sports Focus. The show will air at 11 p.m. on June 12, on Channel 36.

"It's a weekly show during the school year that broadcasts the highlights of whatever sport is in season. Typically they show taped highlights and then interview teens in the studio," Fukushima said. "But because all of the sports are over for the year, they're going to do the live portion from our Grad Night. The kids are thrilled. It's really boosted our ticket sales."

Willow Glen High School's Grad Night begins between 9 and 10 p.m. and lasts until 4 in the morning. Barbecued food will be available early in the evening, and breakfast is served at 3 a.m. All night, graduates can dance, smack the volleyball around, drive bumper cars, shoot pool or try their luck at the roulette wheel. A win at the casino earns the students raffle tickets. And at the end of the night, raffle winners each receive $100 bills.

"We try to provide as much reason to come here rather than go out and drink and drive," Fukushima said. "Usually three-fourths of the graduating class comes."

Parents' club members begin decorating the cafeteria and other areas of the school one week before the event. Graduates will arrive Friday night to find their campus transformed into a tropical paradise with palm trees and volcanoes.

"In the gym there's the facade of a town, saying this is the rum cabana and this is the sugar set," Fukushima explains. "Inside, we have the casino set up. It's like they're going into another world."

As students walk into Grad Night through the tropical entrance by the main office, they get their picture taken before walking through the quad filled with carnival games and outdoor activities. Besides gambling and dancing, teens can get their caricatures drawn or relax in the game corner with cards, pick-up sticks and coloring books.

"It's a place where they can relax and be kids," Fukushima says. "Because this is it."

Tickets cost $55 in advance and $65 at the door. This fee pays for a portion of the event, and the remaining amount, approximately $2,000, is supplemented by the parents' club. The parents' club also provides a number of no-cost tickets for students who couldn't otherwise afford to go. The night will be chaperoned by parents, teachers and returning alumni.

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