Tell me about high school graduation parties

[nesser1981]

in your neck of the woods.

So our oldest just graduated high school on the 4th and this Saturday is her graduation party or Open House as they call them here in Michigan.

Now, either this wasn't a thing in Florida when I graduated high school, I was oblivious, or the fact that I enlisted and left for the Air Force just 9 days after high school graduation, may be why I don't remember. But I'd be curious to hear how you celebrate where you live.

When I graduated, the day after graduation, my immediate family, and a couple friends came to our house for a small BBQ and cake.

Parties here really range from something that resembles a baby shower to a small wedding reception. You basically are suppose to invite everyone you know and feed them, LOL! Plus, it's just a revolving door for a few hours, so keeping everything hot, ugh, can you tell it's stressing me out!

I've been to a couple this season, we missed several we were invited to last week because we were out of town, some people have rented halls, some have rented food trucks.

Common theme, lots of photos of your kiddo through out the years, school colors, either high school or the college they're headed too.

I'm doing a nacho bar, pretty low key (I'm hope, I've never had to feed this many people) and we're trying an Italian soda bar, cake and I may make cookies if I'm feeling up to it come Thursday.

We're having it at our house, even more fun, there are a total of 3 seniors in our neighborhood, we live within 6 house of each other and all three parties are the same day. So parking should be fun. LOL!

Pray for me! And tell me if there are other places that celebrate like this!

[bienejen]

Hello from the other side of the state! We are members of the local archery club so I was able to 'rent' that space for a steal (our house is not at all an ideal location for an open house). I had a slide show that we had running on one of the TV's inside and 1 photo board with 3 of his senior pics and 1 of all his sports photos I've purchased over the years. We had a few crockpots going with BBQ meatballs, pulled pork and mac n cheese and then a pasta salad and fruit salad. Dessert options were cupcakes from Sam's, brownie bites my mom decorated with chocolate caramel squares to look like grad caps and some little lemon cookies she made. And then we had coolers of little water bottles and the mini pop cans (future grad party moms - these are the way to go - very little half cans of pop laying around/tossed in the trash).

[nesser1981]

Sounds like most of the ones I've been to, not as over the top as a few that I've seen.

We're doing tea, lemonade and bottled water in addition to the soda bar. I didn't want to deal with all the soda cans.

I never went to anything like this at all at home in Florida. Maybe there were, I had friends that graduated ahead of me in school, but no one I was super close to, so I'm not sure. Just interesting I don't remember ever hearing of this. LOL! When my husband starting telling me about it, it was the oddest thing I'd ever heard of. LOL!

Originally Posted by bienejen

Hello from the other side of the state! We are members of the local archery club so I was able to 'rent' that space for a steal (our house is not at all an ideal location for an open house). I had a slide show that we had running on one of the TV's inside and 1 photo board with 3 of his senior pics and 1 of all his sports photos I've purchased over the years. We had a few crockpots going with BBQ meatballs, pulled pork and mac n cheese and then a pasta salad and fruit salad. Dessert options were cupcakes from Sam's, brownie bites my mom decorated with chocolate caramel squares to look like grad caps and some little lemon cookies she made. And then we had coolers of little water bottles and the mini pop cans (future grad party moms - these are the way to go - very little half cans of pop laying around/tossed in the trash).

[StacyLynn]

So here in PA, we have big Grad Parties too.... all 4 of mine got one from high school and my two college grads got one as well... but if two grad the same year, it's one party for both.

So last year it was my Pitt girl and my son from high school. I had big frames with photos that I had taken. Half the tables were Pitt colors, the other half Neshaminy colors, both with center pieces to match. I made a cup cake stand for each from flower pot n foam boards to make a stack of "grad caps". And the high school kid got a row of school photos (Prek-12th) on stakes leading from out front to our backyard.
We also have TV set up with a slide show made from pages of the high school kiddos grad book and clips of home movies from birth to graduation.
We do most food in crock pots so it stays hot enough and I can enjoy the party and not cook while we have peeps here.

[StacyLynn]

Here is a quick pic of some of what we do.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nesser1981]

Originally Posted by StacyLynn

Here is a quick pic of some of what we do.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh so cute Stacy!

[aussiegirl]

Also from MI, my whole life. I did have an Open House when I was younger, but my girls have all informed it is called a Grad Party now. We did everything you said for our oldest 3. We had it in the backyard and borrowed large tents, tables and chairs from our Church. The oldest had a taco bar, the next one had a s'more's bar, and the last one had a rootbeer float bar. We had pasta salads, dessert and hot dogs for one and pinwheel sandwhiches for the other. For dessert- cupcakes are easier than cake since you don't have to be constantly cutting pieces.

As far as decorations, I have kept them from the 1st one, and we just change things up a little for each one. I used all High School colors just so it would be easier to reuse.

For display photos, I didn't want to be printing photos or hunting through old ones, so I created a school "yearbook" with their layouts from Kindergarten through whatever Senior or graduation photos I had scrapped, printed them through Shutterfly and put the albums on display. Each of the girls created a binder full of awards, report cards, school/art work they wanted, and that was on display too.

Try not to be too stressed out. Enjoy yourself and use this to celebrate your child and to see family and friends. If you run out of food, noone will even know!

[jaye]

When my son graduated from high school I took him out for dinner. His uncle and two cousins (from Michigan) joined us. He was given a grad gift of a nice Fossil watch from my parents (apparently tradition from way back).

[KristinCB]

I think graduation up in canada might be a little different. Where I live now and where I grew up we do not have proms throughout high school but there is sort of a prom after graduation where you dress up like you would if it was a prom. I live in a small town where the graduation class is usually under 30 kids. Usually graduation ceremony is in the morning followed by a grand march and banquet/dinner for the grad class and their families and then a dance, I think families will have their own little get togethers but for the most part it's a group thing with the whole class.

It seems like everything has gotten to be a lot bigger/competitive than it needs to be? For the most part I imagine the grad kids just want to celebrate together.

[jaye]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

I think graduation up in canada might be a little different. Where I live now and where I grew up we do not have proms throughout high school but there is sort of a prom after graduation where you dress up like you would if it was a prom. I live in a small town where the graduation class is usually under 30 kids. Usually graduation ceremony is in the morning followed by a banquet/dinner for the grad class and their families and then a dance, I think families will have their own little get togethers but for the most part it's a group thing with the whole class.

It seems like everything has gotten to be a lot bigger/competitive than it needs to be? For the most part I imagine the grad kids just want to celebrate together.

We do prom, with photos in the park then go to a hall all nicely decorated for dinner and a dance. Most of them leave after dinner to go to preplanned prom parties. Graduation we hold at the end of the year with all the pomp and circumstance ceremony. Students may have grad parties but I am not aware of it. I think we are graduating over 100 students this year, granted we are two school merged together so a bigger class than usual.

[nesser1981]

I'm wondering if this is a very midwestern thing since no one else has said much outside of this ara.

I like the way you do it in Canada. Sounds nice.

[Kiana]

MI here too, born & raised and I didn't have an open house. But that was because I lived in TN for my senior year and hated it. lol

BUT nope, they do them in TN too.

[bienejen]

My cousins in Wisconsin had similar parties when they graduated and are still doing them today for their kids.

[Lidia G]

I live in Canada and echo Kristin's and Jaye's comments. The school rents a banquet hall, usually in a hotel and all the students and parents/family gather for photos and felicitations. There's a first dance where daughter/father or son/mother dance and then all the parents/family leave and they serve up a nice dinner for the graduates. Then the grads either go home or go to after-parties. A tradition here is that many grads like to see the sunrise up on Mount Royal in Montreal which overlooks the city, and it sort of marks the end of the graduation ceremonies. Then they come home exhausted and sleep till the next day, lol.

[lovely1m]

That's the norm here, too, like you described, Vanessa. Big, lots of food, lots of pictures, etc. My son went to quite a few this year of his friends and now he has ideas for his in 2 years. He wants it at our house with a food truck and lawn games.

[nesser1981]

We survived! Lots of extra food, but not as much as I thought.

I did a nacho bar, italian soda bar (which was huge hit), and then cake, plus I made cookies and rice krispies treats for gluten free friends.

[bienejen]

Looks great!! The Italian soda bar sounds fun!!!

[allyanne]

Love your set-up and photos! Can't wait to see the pages you make about it.

[StacyLynn]

Looks fabulous!!!!!

and where did you find Gluten Free Rice Krispies?? None of our stores have had them in years!!!

[nesser1981]

Thanks everyone!

I used the Crispy Rice from Aldi, it's gluten free.

Originally Posted by StacyLynn

Looks fabulous!!!!!

and where did you find Gluten Free Rice Krispies?? None of our stores have had them in years!!!

[StacyLynn]

Originally Posted by nesser1981

Thanks everyone!

I used the Crispy Rice from Aldi, it's gluten free.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[lovely1m]

What a great idea hanging sheets. I'm going to remember that.

[MommaTrish]

So my oldest just graduated last year, so we just did this recently!

We had an all day come and go type of deal. We did snacks and drinks, but only did dinner for us and close family. We had my parents' pool open, and had yard games. A lot of people just dropped by for a few minutes, but most people stayed the whole time. I tried to get a photo of him with each person who came.

[nesser1981]

Originally Posted by lovely1m

What a great idea hanging sheets. I'm going to remember that.

We got drop cloths from Lowe?s pretty cheap, and used clothes line to hang. I didn?t mind paying a little more for it since we have two more to go.

Made it look nicer for sure.

[lovely1m]

Originally Posted by nesser1981

We got drop cloths from Lowe?s pretty cheap, and used clothes line to hang. I didn?t mind paying a little more for it since we have two more to go.

Made it look nicer for sure.

That's perfect! Thank you.