High School class of 2011

[geffric]

we dont do anything in ILL..

 

[cruisnfamily]

Hey, I'm a little slow to catch on but it just hit me....do you guys do these graduation all night parties on GRADUATION NIGHT? That sounds like a great idea to cut down on the drinking and driving to grad parties but honestly the drinkers probably wouldn't go to one of these.

Our seniors are attending Grad Bash at the end of april so definitely not on the actual night of graduation which is in June.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

DS school does the all night party graduation night. They will actually go to a local community center. It has an indoor pool, skating rink and gym. Along with those things the parents will do a photo booth, different entertainment like a magician, comic, etc throughout the night. Tons of food and door prizes. Movies, games. Most of the kids go. There is a charge of $30 per student and parents are asked to donate (freshmen $10, Sophomores and Juniors $15 Seniors $20). This is a small private school. DS graduating class is about 150 kids. So I guess it is really costing us $50 for DS to go. There has also been some fund raising during the year. I have no idea what the cost per student actually is! I am happy he can be with his friends and not worry about drinking.

 

[johnsontrio]

Hey, I'm a little slow to catch on but it just hit me....do you guys do these graduation all night parties on GRADUATION NIGHT? That sounds like a great idea to cut down on the drinking and driving to grad parties but honestly the drinkers probably wouldn't go to one of these.

Our seniors are attending Grad Bash at the end of april so definitely not on the actual night of graduation which is in June.

Yes, we do this on graduation night. Graduation is over about 9 or so. Most girls start arriving by 10 or 10:30 and they must be there by midnight. They stay until 6am or thereabouts. My Mom wanted me to have a graduation get-together for DD on Friday because she is leaving town on the Saturday after graduation but I think not! The idea of having a major event when DD is sleep deprived sounds like a ticket to disaster.

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

Thanks for all of the replys. We are having it graduation night from 11pm to 6 am. We are having it at the Boys and Girls Club. They have an indoor pool, climbing wall, basketball and volleyball courts, ping pong, air hockey tables, gaming room, movie room and we will have a room for dancing with a DJ. We are trying to come up with some fun games like Minute to Win It or a Scavenger hunt, too. They will get a T-shirt (we haven't come up with a theme yet). We will also have two sets of door prizes. One set will be items under $50 we will have enough of these for everyone to get one and we will have over $50 prizes the number of those we draw for depends on how much money we end up with and number of items we get donated. Some of the big items we will have will be a Laptop, IPad, Mini Fridge, Nook, Bicycle, luggage, 32 inch TV, and some $100 gift cards. We have had several business donate items. There is no charge for the kids to attend. We have been doing fundraisers and business have been very willing to give. We were one of the only schools in this area not to have a project graduation, so I'm so excited that we are finally starting them. I have no idea how much food to prepare for and of course thats what I got volunteered to be in charge of. You've got to love friends who volunteer you for things. Oh well, sorry to ramble on and on I'm just starting to stress about it. It's so great to have this thread to discuss our Seniors and get ideas and help from people going through the same things.

 

[kbeverina]

We have an all-night lock-in type of thing after prom, but not after graduation. Our graduation is at 8am on a Saturday morning so it's more typical to have family cook-outs that the kids make their rounds to that day and early evening.

 

[ctinct]

Wow. I am more and more grateful and awed by the aid pkg. from my daughter's first choice school. We got an award letter from another one of her acceptances on Saturday. While not quite as bad as the first package we got, which had a HUGE gap, College I "only" expects me to cover about $17000 yearly. (FYI, my federal efc is under half of this amount; however both these schools, as well as her first choice, required the Profile form, so they calculate need according to their own institutional formulas.)

But, when comparing the offers side by side, it bacame obvious the offer from my d's preferred school is stellar in many ways. For example, it has the smallest work-study component of any of the three schools, which may seem to be a bad thing, but is really not. Schools award this aid, but it is not subtracted from your total bill, because a) it has not been earned yet, and it may not be, depending upon if the student can find a work-study job on campus, and b) most students use this money for personal expenses. So, in reality, the amount of this "award" is still something parents have to cover.

As far as loans, one of the schools did give her a larger Perkins loan than her first choice, but her first choice school only gave her subsidized loans, vs larger unsubsidized loans at P and I. Yeah!!!! This means no interest accrues while she is in school, and the loan rate on the subsidized loan is 3.4 fixed, vs 5% for the perkins and 6.8% for unsubsidized loans. Overall her interest cost will be much lower at her #1 school.

We have not received aid pkgs. yet from three other schools, including our state U., where daughter earned free tuition and a $2500 fellowship. It would be the less expensive option, but it was a fall-back, as it is a BIG school, and neither dd nor I think she would do as well there as at the smaller school.

I hope everyone on this thread will be as happy as we are with their financial aid---well, as happy as one can be taking on this kind of financial obligation.

BTW, I posted upthread about daughter being disappointed about not earning a scholarship she applied to at school I. I believe now there was a reason for this....it would have made the cost at I comparable to #1, and would have complicated her decision a bit, because while she does not like I as much as #1, it is closer to home, and the distance from home is the one teeny, tiny negative that scares her a bit.

 

[golfgal]

Hey, I'm a little slow to catch on but it just hit me....do you guys do these graduation all night parties on GRADUATION NIGHT? That sounds like a great idea to cut down on the drinking and driving to grad parties but honestly the drinkers probably wouldn't go to one of these.

Our seniors are attending Grad Bash at the end of april so definitely not on the actual night of graduation which is in June.

Our's is on graduation night too. I think the kids had to be there by 11:00 and left at 7:00. The kids are not allowed to leave. If they leave, parents are notified. They bring in a rock climbing wall, inflatables, DJ's, bands, all kinds of food, games, etc. I would say that probably 80% of the class attends. Grad parties here are open houses held on the weekends surrounding graduation.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Wow, these Grad Nights sound really cool. I wish the schools around here would do something like that. Our kids graduate, and that's it Sayonara! They tend to go in groups to the Jersey Shore, which is really nothing but bad news, drinking, drugs, sex, etc. My son hasn't asked, and I don't intend to allow him to go down the shore.

DS's high school did something very odd this year- prom is the Monday after graduation, but it's also a school night for everyone except the seniors... he is having a hard time finding a prom date because none for the girl's moms will let them go out all night on a school night (I suggested taking a senior, but he already bought 2 tickets and doesn't want to lose the $150)

 

[golfgal]

Wow, these Grad Nights sound really cool. I wish the schools around here would do something like that. Our kids graduate, and that's it Sayonara! They tend to go in groups to the Jersey Shore, which is really nothing but bad news, drinking, drugs, sex, etc. My son hasn't asked, and I don't intend to allow him to go down the shore.

DS's high school did something very odd this year- prom is the Monday after graduation, but it's also a school night for everyone except the seniors... he is having a hard time finding a prom date because none for the girl's moms will let them go out all night on a school night (I suggested taking a senior, but he already bought 2 tickets and doesn't want to lose the $150)

Who's brain child was THAT??? Weird.

 

[agnes!]

Well, the last of the college decisions came in yesterday...

and DD is 5 for 5 in being accepted . This last school is 'interesting' in how they do it....DD got an email yesterday saying that a package was on its way and 'Welcome to the [school nick-name)' but nothing like "Congratulations, you've been accepted!" I've read that the admit e-mail is a trifle cryptic and they were right. The snail mail packet is supposed to get here by the end of the week.

We don't have all the financial aid letters yet and now comes the hard part...DD making up her mind. There's no *time* this next month but some how, some way, we've got to carve out enough time to visit at least two schools, one of which is about a 10 hours drive away...

agnes!

 

[disykat]

Someone said "I wish our school would do that!"

I'm pretty sure most SCHOOLS don't do these. At every school I've been involved in group of parents do. The grad night committee sets it all up and fundraises like crazy to get it done. A lot of local businesses help out. Every year it's slightly different, because whomever puts it on makes all the choices.

Our's is sort of an offshoot of our PTA. The grad night committee runs their funds through the PTA's 503 number etc. so they don't have to set up their own non-profit status.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Who's brain child was THAT??? Weird.

Very weird! It's all very convoluted, my son goes to a Catholic high school, with a pretty rigid priest as principal. Graduation is ALWAYS the 1st Sat of June- Prom is ALWAYS on the Friday after Ascension Thursday, but graduation trumps prom. Easter is late this year and threw the whole thing off. Friday after Ascension Thurs is now the night before graduation, so the prom had to be moved.... to a Monday

Someone said "I wish our school would do that!"

I'm pretty sure most SCHOOLS don't do these. At every school I've been involved in group of parents do. The grad night committee sets it all up and fundraises like crazy to get it done. A lot of local businesses help out. Every year it's slightly different, because whomever puts it on makes all the choices.

It was me! I said that... as you can see above, our principal is very rigid, our parent organization is not like the traditional PTA/PTO, ours is only allowed to organize events that are decided upon by the school. There is no way our principal would allow the parents to organize something that allows the kids into the school for an all night party (unless he was somehow making a profit from it)

Well, the last of the college decisions came in yesterday...

and DD is 5 for 5 in being accepted . This last school is 'interesting' in how they do it....DD got an email yesterday saying that a package was on its way and 'Welcome to the [school nick-name)' but nothing like "Congratulations, you've been accepted!" I've read that the admit e-mail is a trifle cryptic and they were right. The snail mail packet is supposed to get here by the end of the week.

We don't have all the financial aid letters yet and now comes the hard part...DD making up her mind. There's no *time* this next month but some how, some way, we've got to carve out enough time to visit at least two schools, one of which is about a 10 hours drive away...

agnes!

Congratulations Agnes!!!!
The next month will be insane, but so worth it if your dd makes her final decision based on one of your campus visits. I'll be sending you some pixie dust for sanity through your crazy month

 

[disykat]

There is no way our principal would allow the parents to organize something that allows the kids into the school for an all night party (unless he was somehow making a profit from it)

I missed the "IN the school" bit! Ours has nothing to do with the school. It's a parent planned (and supervised) event and it's NOT held at school. The school, however, is supportive and allows us to make announcements and fundraise (sell smoothies at lunch, etc.) on school property. We also rent busses from the school district.

IF we were to do it at school, we'd have to rent the facility. I really doubt they'd rent to us though because the paperwork for supervision would be a nightmare. I think the kids are much better behaved in a private venue than they would be at a school they just graduated from!

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

We are now in the undecided boat again. A couple of weeks ago DS found out from his 1st choice that he did not get the scholarship he had went and interviewed for about a month ago. There were about 40 at the scholars weekend and 15 scholarships were awarded. DS was crushed that he didnt get it, he got a scholarship from them just not that one. And it's a private school so money unfortunatley is a factor. So he decided to go with his second choice, which he likes and he got a nice scholarship from them. So fast forward to yesterday, DS got a call from his admissions counselor from school #1 saying someone declined their scholarship and he is now being offered their top scholarship. Which is great news but, it has really thrown him for a loop. He had been set on that school until he didn't get the scholarship and he was really down for several days over it and then he decided on school #2 and had really gotten excited about it. So now he is totally in the middle and doesn't know what he is going to do. So we are going to go to both schools tomorrow and hopefully it will give him some clarity. Luckily they are only about an hour apart, so we can hit them both in the same day. I know it's a great problem to have and I'm so excited for him, but it is so stressful. School #1 wants to know ASAP, which doesn't help. The two school are very different (Private vs Public and Small vs Large) and there are different things that he likes about each and I like them both too. Calgon take me away!

 

[sharbear]

Congratulations to your DS! It's a good dilemma to have!

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

Thank you sharbear it is a good dilemma!

Well the decision has been made, DS will be attending his first choice school! It's a small private university and it fits DS personality perfectly. I'm so excited for him and all we will have to pay for are books!!

I hope everyone is doing great! Prom is tomorrow, so it's getting even crazier around here. My DS and DD are both going, and I am excited about it, but I'm also ready for it to be over. TGIF!!

 

[Jeafl]

We are still waiting for the financial packages from 2 schools. Unless some monumental financial package comes through it looks like my son will be going to Valparaiso University in the fall. We went to visit it again on Wednesday and he said he just felt really comfortable there. The only negative he could come up with was the meal plan. Everything you buy is a la carte, rather than a points system or meals per week system. It's definitely not a dealbreaker though.

The financial part is really frustrating though. All the schools we heard from expect us to come up with $30,000-$32,000 a year on our own. I know we make fairly good money, but it's all relative. We also have a lot of expenses, not to mention an older daughter who will still be in college. Even with the scholarships and grants he received it's a lot to come with on our own, considering the most he is allowed to take out in a loan is $3500.

Oh well, things always have a way or working out.

 

[Pinkpony]

We are still waiting for the financial packages from 2 schools. Unless some monumental financial package comes through it looks like my son will be going to Valparaiso University in the fall. We went to visit it again on Wednesday and he said he just felt really comfortable there. The only negative he could come up with was the meal plan. Everything you buy is a la carte, rather than a points system or meals per week system. It's definitely not a dealbreaker though.

The financial part is really frustrating though. All the schools we heard from expect us to come up with $30,000-$32,000 a year on our own. I know we make fairly good money, but it's all relative. We also have a lot of expenses, not to mention an older daughter who will still be in college. Even with the scholarships and grants he received it's a lot to come with on our own, considering the most he is allowed to take out in a loan is $3500.

Oh well, things always have a way or working out.

We're in the same boat. Make too much money/have to much in savings to qualify for aid, but it's not like we're living the high life. lol We'll have two in college next year too.

One has decided to go to one of our state schools where he was offered a full tuition waiver (merit scholarship). We'll still have to pony up for the room and board, fees and books.

Our other one is really torn between accepting the same merit scholarship here in state or going to an out-of-state private university that he's had his heart set on for quite a while. He was not offered a scholarship, but he was accepted. Such a hard decision!

 

[njsweetP]

We're in the same boat. Make too much money/have to much in savings to qualify for aid, but it's not like we're living the high life. lol We'll have two in college next year too.

One has decided to go to one of our state schools where he was offered a full tuition waiver (merit scholarship). We'll still have to pony up for the room and board, fees and books.

Our other one is really torn between accepting the same merit scholarship here in state or going to an out-of-state private university that he's had his heart set on for quite a while. He was not offered a scholarship, but he was accepted. Such a hard decision!

Same boat here as well. Still waiting to hear from 1 school regarding the financial aid package, but suspect it will be like the others. DD applied to 4
schools -3 private, 1 state public. All offered merit scholarships, but even
with those the best choice is the state public where we will have to pay room/board/food. It so happens it's the school she wants to go to and feels
most comfortable at