Sunday, June 20, 2010

Project 365 - Grad Nite... Day of and event... (finally)



The day of graduation/Grad Nite is a very busy, crazy, tiring, but WONDERFUL 24 hours!  As Chair of Grad Nite, this my craziest day of the year... the one we plan for ALL YEAR!  The following photos chronical graduation day 2010 for Orange Glen High School.  Sadly, I had my camera on the wrong setting for the actual event, so I didn't get very many photos.  Join me on a review of this fantastic day!

9:30-11AM (Mindy and I had already been on campus for an hour and a half)  Photo above... Grad Nite t-shirt distribution, my final speech to the seniors to get them pumped up about Grad Nite, and revealing this year's Grad Nite theme.  A LARGE section of our campus is under construction and we told the seniors that bones were found by the construction company and that weird things had started happening on campus.  Our theme was inspired by the hit TV show, "Ghost Hunters" and since all the sets for Grad Nite are international locations, we came up with "Grad Hunters International."  In addition to all of the incredible activites at Grad Nite, the grads were going on a "ghost hunt."  There were 13 hidden ghost symbols the grads had to find which led them to 13 clues about who the ghost was. More on that later... let's just say that it was something that NO OTHER GRAD NITE has done and it was a HUGE HIT!  (The grads were so excited that as soon as I told them about it, the GN Committee members' phones started ringing as the kids tried to get the inside scoop on the ghost.  Sneaky me... I only told 2 other people who the ghost was, so even most of the committee would have to wait to find out!)

6-7PM  After spending the day running around, finishing last minute details, getting the entertainment contractors in place, etc... I had to run home, freshen up, and get back to the school to serve as the ambassador for the Sky Box winners.  Each year, a private party in the football stadium sky box is auctioned off to the highest bidder.  The Grad Nite Committee decorates the sky box, provides dinner for the 20 guests, reserves parking for the group and makes sure they are treated like royalty!  The gang that purchased the sky box this year were friends, The Donnellon, Jimenez and Geurian Families.

 
Paulette had the best seat in the house to take photos of graduation!

The winning group in the sky box!

10PM  The start of Grad Nite!  Ron Porter (the best magician I have EVER seen) AMAZED our grads!  Over and over you would hear someone shout, "NO WAY!  NOOOOOO WAY!" as Ron stunned them over and over!

Dealer Gary Atkins (who has been helping Grad Nite for almost 2 decades!) in the middle of the Texas Hold 'em Tournament.

 
I TOLD YOU that we had a scrappy booth at Grad Nite... as far as I know, we are the ONLY Grad Nite that offers this to the grads!  The grads have the photos taken, the photos are printed on site, then they can go to this booth to decorate their photo sleeves... and, YES... even the boys love this booth!

The "Grad Nite Game Master" is a HUGE HIT!  He runs games and competitions for the grads until the wee hours of the night!  There is always a HUGE group of grads with the Game Master!

The teachers did it again... the students' favorite teachers performed a skit and dance to the "YMCA!"  You can see how much the grads LOVED all the struting!

We have LOTS of outdoor entertainments... the rock climbing wall, a HUGE outdoor laser tag, and inflatable entertainments such as the Velcro Wall and Joust!  You can also see the t-shirts here... with our mascot, "Grumpy" serving as a ghost!

There are LOTS of games to play... "Rock Band,"  NASCAR, pool, foosball, and so much more!

4AM  One of the highlights of this year was the traditional ceremonial fire... HELD THIS YEAR ON THE 50 YARD LINE OF THE FOOTBALL STADIUM!!!  Hours after Grad Nite ended, construction started on our BRAND NEW football field, so it was just fine that we scorched center field. 

Now, it wasn't until I lightened up this photo a bit that I saw a strange image show up on the backside of this grad... the smoke is blowing the other way... with the whole night being about the OG Ghost, I think it was pretty weird that this image of a hand, pushing this couple toward the fire, would appear in this photo... and, NO, I did not alter it!  I actually took 2 photos of this couple and you can see the image start to form in the first one, but it certainly looks like a skeletal hand in this photo... maybe I didn't really make up an OGHS ghost...

5AM  Time for the grads to go home, but nobody was moving... everyone so enjoyed the fire on the field!  Congrats, Class of 2010!  

We've already started planning for Grad Nite 2011... and with this being Chris' senior year, you KNOW I am going to pull out ALL THE STOPS!  WOOOOO HOOOOO!

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