Project Celebrations Are Well-Planned Events Designed to Keep High School Students Safe on the Night of Their Graduation. As

EVENT ACTIVITIES & FOOD

Project Celebrations are well-planned events designed to keep high school students safe on the night of their graduation. As with any other successful event, much planning goes into the schedule, setting, theme, activities and food. These components will make or break your Project Celebration. It is essential to delegate these tasks to your most creative committee members and volunteers. If you have multiple subcommittees designated to these areas, make sure that they work closely together to pull off a cohesive and enjoyable event.

This section will help you get creative ideas flowing, but student feedback is critical. Check out the Senior Input section to find helpful hints on getting student opinions and an example survey.

Schedule

Before considering possible settings, themes and activities for your Project Celebration, establish start and end times for the event to know how many hours you need to fill. Project Celebrations are often held following school-related activities, such as graduation, prom or an athletic event. Occasions like graduation and prom are times of high energy and excitement.

Past planners have found that it is best to schedule as little time as possible between the end of the event and the beginning of Project Celebration. If Project Celebration ends while the seniors are still “ready to party,” a few might be tempted to continue the celebration in ways that are not safe, despite their promises to remain chemical-free.

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PR N OJECT CELEBRATIO Setting

The setting often dictates what types of activities you are able to provide. Locations of Project Celebrations vary from school to school. Many Project Celebrations take place inside the school, while others take place in rented facilities, such as bowling alleys or entertainment complexes. Each community offers different location options, so look around for what your area has to offer and get input from senior class members. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.

• Airport hangar • Fairgrounds • Amusement park • Fitness center or sports club • Bowling alley • Local venue (convention center, ranch) • Campground • Movie theater • City, county, state or national park • Natural area (river, spring, mountain) • College campus • Recreation center • Country club • School or gym • Elk/Moose/Masonic Lodge • Sports arena • Entertainment complex • YMCA/YWCA

Theme

Not all Project Celebrations have themes, but sometimes a theme can act as a springboard for games, decorations, T-shirts, food and prizes. Once again, student input is valuable—some schools even hold theme and T-shirt design contests. Below are a few themes that schools have used.

• ’50s, ’60s, ’70s or ’80s night • Masquerade ball • Casino night/Las Vegas • Medieval • Cavemen • Mission Impossible • Disco • Movies • Hawaiian luau • Olympics • James Bond • Pajama party • Jungle fever • Rodeo • Mardi Gras • Toga party

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PR N OJECT CELEBRATIO Activities and Event Flow

The possible activities for Project Celebration are endless, so you will have no problem developing a winning combination for your high school. The most successful Project Celebration parties provide a continuous schedule of stimulating activities for the students. To keep students engaged, don’t allow pauses in between activities. Variety is also critical. While high-energy activities are exciting, be sure to have more relaxing activities available, too. Not all students will be able to go full speed all night, so a balanced schedule is key.

Depending on how many students you expect to attend, you may want to have multiple activities oc- curring at the same time. Some activities may be geared toward larger groups with specific start and end times (comedy act, movie). Others might be ongoing activities where students can come in and out as they please (casino tables, dancing, rock climbing wall).

Many coordinators opt to begin the evening with physical activities (dance, athletic contest), followed by sensory activities (special meal, candlelight procession) and ending with reflective activities (sharing, creating a time capsule). This progression of activities corresponds well with energy levels throughout the night. You may also choose to include ongoing activities, such as music or other entertainers.

When planning the party’s schedule, be sure to get student input—you can be sure students will give their opinions! See the Senior Input section to see a sample activity survey. Popular activities have included those listed on the next page.

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PR N OJECT CELEBRATIO P R O J E C T

CELEBRATION

Music & Entertainment Physical Activities, Games & Contests • Air guitar contest • Arcades • Caricaturist • Basketball • Comedian • Batting cages • Dancing/dance contest • Bingo • DJ • Bounce house • Face painter • Bowling • Fortune teller • Carnival games • Handwriting analyst • Casinos • Henna tattoo artist • Hairy leg contest • Hypnotist • Horseshoes/washers • Improv team • Hula hoop contest • Karaoke • Inflatable games • Live bands • Laser tag • Magician • Limbo • Music videos • Miniature golf • Talent contest • Obstacle course • Rock wall Reflective Activities • Rollerskating • Baby picture contest • Scavenger hunt • Class video • Slam dunk contest • Forecasting the future • Strong man/woman contest • Slide show • Sumo wrestling • Speeches/memories • Swimming • Time capsule • Team relays • Tributes to lost students • Tennis • Velcro wall Sensory Activities • Video games • Art projects • Volleyball • Candlelight walk/vigil • Chair massages • Cookie decorating • Flashlight storytelling • Food fight • Food relay • Giant banana split • Graffiti wall • Special meal

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PR N OJECT CELEBRATIO Food

Project Celebration coordinators often designate a food committee responsible for planning the menu and serving meals and snacks during the event. Volunteers can be divided into shifts to prepare the food and keep tables replenished throughout the night. It’s a good idea to check with the city or state health department regarding special provisions for food handling. Be sure your event venue has all the equipment you will need, too.

The meals and snacks can reflect your Project Celebration theme, if applicable. Table decorations should also correlate with the theme. Don’t forget to include food choices when soliciting student input. Examples are included in the Senior Survey section. Popular menu choices include:

• Barbeque • Deli sandwiches • Hot dogs • Salad bar • Breakfast tacos • Espresso bar • Ice cream sundae station • Smoothie bar • Chicken tenders • Energy bars • Nachos • Soft drink stand • Chips and dips • Fajitas • Pancakes • Tacos • Class cake • Giant sub sandwiches • Pizza • Water station • Cookie cart • Hamburgers • Popcorn machine

Some menu choices can double as activities and should have scheduled start times (giant banana split, cookie decorating, special breakfast). However, food should be available all night so there is no interruption of activities.

The students will consume more than you think. Provide multiple food stations and have plenty of soft drinks and water available. Make sure you have ample food for volunteers, too. Err on the side of having too much food rather than too little. Unopened drinks and food packages may be returnable, or you can make arrangements with a local homeless shelter or similar organization to pick up leftover food after the event.

Sample Schedule

The following pages include a sample schedule and a blank spreadsheet you can fill out to aid in scheduling the evening’s festivities. On the night of Project Celebration, make sure volunteers and staff have a copy of the schedule with a map and diagram of the activities, or take everyone on a quick tour at the beginning of their shift. It’s also beneficial to have multiple copies of the schedule posted in various areas of the event facility. After the event, be sure to add a copy of your schedule to the end of this section to facilitate the planning of future Project Celebration events at your school.

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PR N OJECT CELEBRATIO PROJECT CELEBRATION SCHEDULE & LOCATIONS TIME ENTRANCE CAFETERIA SMALL GYM LARGE GYM LIBRARY THEATER CLASSROOM GYM CORRIDOR

9:00 PM Set Up

9:30 PM

10:00 PM Check In Ongoing: Ongoing: Ongoing: Ongoing: Video Games Food will be

10:30 PM DJ/Dancing Basketball Caricaturist Casino Tables served all night in the corridor and 11:00 PM Doors Lock Karaoke Volleyball Fortune Teller concession stand. 11:30 PM Various Contests Henna Tattoos Movie

12:00 AM Sumo Wrestling

12:30 AM Velcro Wall

1:00 AM Security/ Giant Banana Split Build 1:30 AM Emergency

2:00 AM Contact Improv 2:30 AM Point Comedy Show 3:00 AM

3:30 AM Senior Video 4:00 AM

4:30 AM Farewell 5:00 AM Breakfast and

5:30 AM Prizes

6:00 AM Check Out PROJECT CELEBRATION SCHEDULE & LOCATIONS TIME ENTRANCE

9:00 PM

9:30 PM

10:00 PM

10:30 PM

11:00 PM

11:30 PM

12:00 AM

12:30 AM

1:00 AM

1:30 AM

2:00 AM

2:30 AM

3:00 AM

3:30 AM

4:00 AM

4:30 AM

5:00 AM

5:30 AM

6:00 AM