This year’s Grad Night promises more than just a final goodbye for seniors, but a chance to step out of the ordinary and into the Wild West for an exciting celebration.
Grad Night is on June 6, and for $60, seniors will be able to feast on Texas style barbecue and desserts at Long Branch Farms in Half Moon Bay. Besides roasting marshmallows, they will also be able to use a slingshot range, take photos in a photo booth and play mini golf. Seniors can enjoy such activities from 9 p.m., when Grad Night begins, to 12 a.m. Students are not allowed to drive themselves for safety reasons. They are instead given the option to take bus transportation, which is included in the ticket price. They can arrive at Woodside for check in by 7 p.m. Buses leave at 8 p.m. and return by 1 a.m.
“I think people are worried that it goes late, but they don’t need to worry, because there’s so many activities,” senior class treasurer Sophiya Karer said. “There’s a mechanical bull, mini golf, s’mores, food and casino tables. If we get enough people, I think we can do something like [getting] a silent DJ and axe throwing.”
To reduce ticket prices for Grad Night and create a more accessible event for all seniors, Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Class of 2025 Chair Alicia Young along with other Class of 2025 parent members lead many fundraising events, including selling concessions and graduation leis. Young encourages all seniors to attend Grad Night.
“It’s an event where we’re creating a safe space for everybody to get together one last time before you head in your different directions,” Young said, “You show up at Woodside and check in. It’s like prom and formal and any other event where there is a breathalyzer. Eddie and Rosie are there, and then we load onto the buses, and off we go.”
This event, which was started about 10 years ago, was formed to create an inclusive and safe environment for all students. Grad Night enforces a strict no self-driving policy to help ensure student safety.
“This is not a Woodside event, it’s a PTSA event, and so we’re liable for getting [attendees] to the venue and home safely,” Young said.
Students may be irritated by this policy but others recognize the importance of it.
“It will be fun [even] if you can’t drive yourself, especially since that’s one less thing to worry about,” Karer said. “You just can focus the whole night [on] spending time with your friends.”
A lot of effort was put into the planning, which began last year in the spring according to Young, especially because venues have to be booked early on.
“I think this venue is great because it offers a lot of variety,” Young said. “It’s a very large space. There’s many different activities you can participate in, or if you just want to sit with your friends around a fire pit and roast s’mores and chat, there’s also that as well. I think for me as a parent, it’s exciting to see the kids get together one last time after the adrenaline has worn off from graduation, and [they can] enjoy spending time with each other.”
Grad Night is the last school event, so seniors are encouraged to take the opportunity to be with their friends.
“I’m also just excited to spend time with my friends at an event, because I feel like it’s less pressure than getting ready for a dance or anything like that,” senior class vice president Farrah Caldwell said. “It’s just kind of low key and something fun you can do with other seniors.”
