Herndon High All Night Grad Provides Safe Place for Seniors to Party

’s All Night Grad Party is a longstanding tradition at the school, and it’s one that takes a lot of time, volunteers and sponsors to make happen.

For more than 20 years the party has been a safe place for high school students to celebrate graduation with the majority of their senior class, said Leslie Petty, the ANG party chair for this year’s graduating class.

The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) sponsors the event. Parents from the current senior class, past senior classes and underclass parents volunteer to plan and work at the event.

The party starts at the at 10 p.m. the night of graduation, which is June 14 this year, and runs until 5 a.m. the next morning. The party includes inflatables, an obstacle course, casino, laser tag, airbrush tattoos, photo booth, all-night food and more.

Petty said everyone who attends receives a door prize. This year it’s a Herndon High School blanket. They also receive casino cash they can use to gamble with or trade in for prizes.

Around 2:30 a.m. much of the activities shut down to prepare for a show, Petty said. Illusionist Alain Nu has been featured on television shows and performs regularly in Las Vegas, and does a show from 3-4 a.m., she said. Prior to that he spends some time doing a roving show throughout the party.

The party ends after the last hour is spent doling out grand prize drawings for students who are still there. Prizes include everything from movie theater gift cards to laptops and iPads, Petty said.

She said about 70 percent of the senior class attends each year. So far this year, about 50 percent of the class has bought tickets to the event. Students can come any time between 10 p.m. and midnight, and they may leave the party, but if they do they cannot come back.

Petty said it takes a committee of 20-30 people nearly an entire year to plan the party each year at a price tag of about $45,000. About two thirds of the budget comes from ticket sales and the rest comes from fundraising and sponsorships, with Friday Night Live and the providing large, consistent donations.

This year sponsorships are down more than pervious years, Petty said. Those who wish to sponsor the All Night Grad Party can do so on the website, and sponsorships can include cash donations, gift cards or food. “Any bit of cash helps,” she said.

It takes more than 100 volunteers to staff the party the night of graduation. Though volunteers are mostly parents of seniors, parents of underclassmen and graduates, as well as community members and alumni are invited to volunteer. The casino area is provided by and staffed by volunteers from the Herndon Optimist Club.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Petty said. The students end up enjoying themselves so much that after a while they don’t even remember that it’s parents hosting the event, she said. “If you want to see what the youth are doing these days, go to All Night Grad,” she said.

Petty said at the moment they need more volunteers for the late night shift, which runs from 2-5 a.m. She said that shift mostly helps provide cleanup and security.

The All Night Grad Party is important to Petty, and many area high school parents, because it helps keep their seniors off the roads at night, she said. Graduation day is a long one for students and they could be tired, distracted, in a car full of students, or otherwise impaired if they’re on the road, she said.

Petty said the more that ANGP can do to educate the community, the more they can keep high school seniors safe. “I think Herndon as a whole is really supportive,” she said.

Tickets are still available for students who want to go. They’re on sale for $60, but Petty said they also have tickets set aside for students who may not otherwise be able to afford them. “We want any child who wants to come to be able to come,” she said.

For more information on tickets, sponsorships or volunteering, visit www.HerndonANG.org.  

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