Project Graduation provides students closure, safety

Graduations can be tough. 

The toss of a hat doesn’t always do justice to the termination of a years-long chapter spent with a cohort of peers, some of which will never see each other again. But Aspen High School parents are determined to give their children one last chance to bond as a class with a memorable — and safe — post-graduation night, coined Project Graduation.

AHS seniors will come together post-ceremony in an alcohol-and-drug-free event-filled night from 7:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday at the Aspen Recreation Center to celebrate their last four years. Graduation itself will be held at 10 a.m. that morning at the Michael Klein Music Tent in Aspen.

“I feel like the whole concept of it offered a lot of closure to my experience at Aspen High School,” said Sophie Genshaft, who participated in the post-graduation festivities after she graduated in 2023. “Everyone goes so many different ways, you never know if you’re going to see someone from your grade, maybe you’ll see them in five years, maybe you’ll see them in 10.”

Project Graduation was founded in 1989 by former Aspen High School Principal Dr. Thomas H. Farrell and a group of parents in an attempt to change the culture around graduation. 

“Graduation night from high school is notoriously a time where the graduates go off to drink and party, and then, God forbid, they get behind a wheel,” said Pippa McHugh, a chair member of the Aspen High School senior parent volunteers. “So this is a way to keep all of our 138 graduates that come to this party in one place.”

She hopes the event will be almost fully attended by the senior class, who will be dropped off and picked up by parents or guardians.

This year’s Project Graduation will feature a number of carnival-themed games, pool and ice skating activities, food provided by local businesses, a raffle, gift bags, and more. 

It’s also planned, organized, and executed by high school parent volunteers. The senior parents plan the event, the junior parents chaperone, the sophomore parents decorate, and the freshmen parents clean up after the event.

Local businesses, governments, and community members also contribute hugely to the effort. Those that helped fund the event include Aspen, the Aspen Rotary Club, the Snowmass Rotary Club, the Aspen Elks Lodge, the Aspen Eagles Club, and the Aspen Thrift Shop.

New York Pizza, Taster’s, Roxy’s Market and Deli, Clark’s Market, Sweet Coloradough, Paradise Bakery, Aspen Skiing Company, Gorsuch, and others are also contributing to the project, supplying donated and discounted food, event space, and more.

“You can basically throw a pebble or stone, and you’ll hit a business or person who’s donated to this project,” McHugh said.

That’s not to speak of the countless other donations from members of the community that helped the project reach its $44,000 funding goal this year. Donations can still be made on the Aspen High School website. 

McHugh said funds that go unused on Saturday will be saved for future years to keep the tradition alive. 

Apart from the massive community effort to provide a safe way to send off the seniors, the event is a chance for students to break through social barriers they haven’t in the past.

“Kids have told me, ‘I’ve never talked to that person all of high school,'” said Alyssa Shenk, junior parent volunteer who’s been involved in Project Graduation for years. “And then they’re sitting there, bonding, doing fun stuff, and having conversations. So, it’s sort of that last opportunity.”

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.