gradcarybass Because their graduation ceremonies will be held later in June than most Southern California high schools—a full week after Disneyland’s annual Grad Night promotion ends on June 16—seniors at Warren and Downey highs don’t know where they will be celebrating their commencement.

Would you believe the school gym?

Downey High School students refuse to fathom it. When assistant principal John Baker mentioned the possibility of a night in the gymnasium as a reward for a diploma during a Senior Assembly on Oct. 8, he was greeted with loud disapproval.

In the end, however, it was the silence of their parents that doomed the suggestion. “We need at least 50 to 60 parent volunteers [to hold grad night in the gym], yet at the most recent senior meeting we only have one,” said Baker.

 Baker emphasized that nothing has been set in stone and that the celebration could be held in a new new venue or perhaps Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Senior class president Riza Karnadi says seniors tried to convince administrators to hold grad night a week before graduation, but the idea was declined by principal Tom Houts, who said grad night is supposed to be a healthy alternative to partying after graduation.

Baker said he is doing the best he can to support the celebration, but he emphasized that grad night is not up to the students but rather up to their parents.

“Grad night is a parent-driven activity and it hasn’t been that way,” he said.

Warren seniors are choosing among Disneyland, Speedway and Boomers for their grad night after facing complications with Disneyland as well. Many seniors object to having grad night anywhere else other than Disneyland, which would require having it a week in advance.

Having the event a week in advance may seem like a plausible idea but this would eliminate the sole purpose of this occasion.

“I don’t think Disneyland would be the best option for our grad night,” said senior Irwin Luna. “It would be overcrowded and wouldn’t be as intimate with our class as it had been previous years where only Warren seniors were at a place, like Boomers.”

If the PTSA can not book a desired theme park for the night of graduation, they will allow seniors to vote on the venue location such as Speedway or Boomers.

“Again, the purpose of grad night was to allow all students a safe place to celebrate their graduation,” said Lois Worthy, grad night chairperson for the class of 2011. “All it takes is one student to make a poor and/or fatal choice graduation night and we would have failed all our students by not being able to provide that safe place.”

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