GLEN RIDGE, NJ — It is time once again for Project Graduation. Co-chairing for the second time in three years is Laura Buchmann. Her co-chairwoman is Beth Barry.
“They usually try to get someone to chair with someone who hasn’t done it before,” Buchmann said in a telephone interview this week.
Project Graduation is an opportunity for the graduating Glen Ridge seniors to celebrate in a drug-free, alcohol-free environment on graduation night. It is sponsored by the Glen Ridge High School Home and School Association.
Graduation is Friday, June 24. Following it, there will be a dinner-dance at the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge because the usual venue, the Glen Ridge Country Club, is undergoing renovations. There are 129 graduates this year and only they can go to the dinner-dance: no dates allowed. This is followed by a theme-party which is followed by a pool party. That is traditionally the itinerary for a Project Graduation. But atypical this year was how the funds were collected. Usually they are collected with fundraising beginning while the students are still freshmen.
“Fundraising started this senior year,” Buchmann said.
This had to happen because no one stepped up to volunteer and chair the event, she said.
“But we were able to raise a lot of money,” Buchmann said.
Her impetus to get the job done was her son, Matthew, who is graduating.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have a child graduating,” she said. “There’s one more child in school. She’s graduating in 2121.”
But Buchmann acknowledged that Project Graduation is a great event where some parents meet for the first time and develop close feelings.
For the fundraising, instead of having events over a four-year period, this year it was decided to charge each student $100 to attend the celebration.
“I think the next graduating class is also charging a fee,” Buchmann said. “But the sophomore and freshmen classes have started fundraisers.”
There were still the traditional fundraisers, like the duck race and the plant sale. Those activities only added more money to the pot. So much that each student was given back $50.
After the dinner-dance, from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., is the theme party, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The students decided early in the school year they wanted a “Star Wars” party. It will be held at the Ridgewood Avenue residence of Tami and Guy Kinley.
“If you have the house for it, it’s a fun thing,” Buchmann said. “You remember it forever.”
Parents have been building the sets for months.
“We’ve built a lot of things offsite,” Buchmann said. “We’re taking something from each ‘Star Wars’ movie. The public is invited before the grads arrive.”
Buchmann said the decorations will be everywhere and there will be a tent. Nayat Doherty was the chairperson for the tent.
“The tent houses games earning raffle tickets for prizes,” Buchmann said.
“Star War” games were created by Tami Kinley.
“She’s a very talented game person,” Buchmann said. “She created them herself.”
There will also be a surprise guest coming to the party but Buchmann would say no more.
Students only have a certain amount of time to get from one party to the next party. If they are too late, they are excluded. But Buchmann said this is not a problem because the kids do not want to miss anything.
And finally, the pool party is from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. This will be at the residence of Maureen and Jim Hausmann, on Forest Avenue. And after that, who knows?
“I know when my daughter graduated in 2014, some of the kids drove up to Eagle Rock after the pool party,” Buchmann said. “It’s a great night. In 2014, I thought, I hope I can stay up until 5 a.m. But it goes so fast. The kids are back in childhood.”
But right now, parents are muscling “Star War” decorations over to the party site.
“Some of the things we have are really big,” Buchmann said. “I don’t know how that’s going to be handled.”
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