NextStudent Announces Winner of ‘Rock My Grad Party’ Contest
Matthew Pierre, a junior at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, AZ, won a new laptop computer and $5,000 for his school’s Grad Night Party. NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, launched the Web-based “Rock My Grad Party” contest in April as a way to promote higher education and its Scholarship Search Engine to high schools throughout the Phoenix area.
Of the dozens of high schools and students that participated, Pierre was able to total a staggering 2,551,580 hits on the “Rock My Grad Party” landing page, more than double that of any other participant.
Although he only is a junior and will not graduate until 2008, Pierre said that he was inspired to participate in the contest by his love for his high school. “Marcos is an awesome school,” he said.
Pierre, who is an avid technophile, first learned about the contest through a topic posted on the school’s MySpace profile and decided that it would be a great way to honor his senior friends. In true high school spirit, the co-chairs of Marcos de Niza’s 2007 Grad Night Party, Gilbert and Linda Rodriguez, announced that the committee decided to split the $5,000 prize between this year’s grad night party and next year’s party when Pierre will be a senior. After graduating from high school Pierre plans on studying cyber security at college.
Grad Night Party at Marcos de Niza High School
Since 1991, the parents of seniors at Marcos de Niza High School have sponsored a graduation party at Arizona State University’s Memorial Union. True to the tradition of grad night parties throughout the country, Marcos de Niza’s party promises to provide a fun-filled alcohol/drug free environment for seniors to celebrate their graduation with their classmates.
The party is open to all seniors for a nominal entrance fee and provides food, nonalcoholic drinks, snacks, entertainment acts, activities and door prizes for each and every attendee. The entrance fee does not cover all grad party expenses, so throughout the year parents raise funds to cover the costs of the party; the nominal entrance fee helps to slightly offset the door prize costs. The actual party held May 24, 2007, began at 11 p.m. soon after the actual graduation ceremony. The students were released at 5 a.m. after all the fun.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez, activities included: a henna tattoo artist, a caricaturist, hypnotist, tarot card reader, and casino games where fake money was redeemed for door-prize chances that included everything from coupons for iPods and PSPs to free dental work. The grad night also offered students a chance to sing karaoke and make use of other activities available at ASU’s Memorial Union, such as bowling and video games. Attendance was slightly more than 50 percent of the graduating class, and every student who attended received a free Target gift card. Throughout the past year parents raised funds for the party by volunteering at concessions, working the Tempe Arts Festival, and sponsoring the annual poinsettia sale.
History behind Grad Night Parties
High schools throughout the United States have been holding graduation night parties for the past couple of decades. Many cite California as being the state where these parties began. The objective of the parties is to create a fun, safe, alcohol-free environment for students to interact together in celebration of their graduation achievements and culmination of their high school years.
According to GradNight.org, “Over thirty years ago, a graduating senior from Valencia High School died in a drinking and driving related accident. Unfortunately, it’s not a unique story. Drinking and driving related traffic deaths are the number one cause of death amongst teenagers. As a result of this tragedy, Valencia adopted stricter drinking/drug free codes and began seeking safer ways for seniors to celebrate their high school graduation. The answer, of course, was Sober Grad Night. Currently, in California alone, hundreds of high schools celebrate graduation with this life-saving program.”
NextStudent supports the ethical values and healthy living that is at the core of the Grad Night tradition and wishes all students and high schools throughout the Phoenix area a happy, healthy and safe graduation night celebration.
NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about student loans at http://www.nextstudent.com/.
Of the dozens of high schools and students that participated, Pierre was able to total a staggering 2,551,580 hits on the “Rock My Grad Party” landing page, more than double that of any other participant.
Although he only is a junior and will not graduate until 2008, Pierre said that he was inspired to participate in the contest by his love for his high school. “Marcos is an awesome school,” he said.
Pierre, who is an avid technophile, first learned about the contest through a topic posted on the school’s MySpace profile and decided that it would be a great way to honor his senior friends. In true high school spirit, the co-chairs of Marcos de Niza’s 2007 Grad Night Party, Gilbert and Linda Rodriguez, announced that the committee decided to split the $5,000 prize between this year’s grad night party and next year’s party when Pierre will be a senior. After graduating from high school Pierre plans on studying cyber security at college.
Grad Night Party at Marcos de Niza High School
Since 1991, the parents of seniors at Marcos de Niza High School have sponsored a graduation party at Arizona State University’s Memorial Union. True to the tradition of grad night parties throughout the country, Marcos de Niza’s party promises to provide a fun-filled alcohol/drug free environment for seniors to celebrate their graduation with their classmates.
The party is open to all seniors for a nominal entrance fee and provides food, nonalcoholic drinks, snacks, entertainment acts, activities and door prizes for each and every attendee. The entrance fee does not cover all grad party expenses, so throughout the year parents raise funds to cover the costs of the party; the nominal entrance fee helps to slightly offset the door prize costs. The actual party held May 24, 2007, began at 11 p.m. soon after the actual graduation ceremony. The students were released at 5 a.m. after all the fun.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez, activities included: a henna tattoo artist, a caricaturist, hypnotist, tarot card reader, and casino games where fake money was redeemed for door-prize chances that included everything from coupons for iPods and PSPs to free dental work. The grad night also offered students a chance to sing karaoke and make use of other activities available at ASU’s Memorial Union, such as bowling and video games. Attendance was slightly more than 50 percent of the graduating class, and every student who attended received a free Target gift card. Throughout the past year parents raised funds for the party by volunteering at concessions, working the Tempe Arts Festival, and sponsoring the annual poinsettia sale.
History behind Grad Night Parties
High schools throughout the United States have been holding graduation night parties for the past couple of decades. Many cite California as being the state where these parties began. The objective of the parties is to create a fun, safe, alcohol-free environment for students to interact together in celebration of their graduation achievements and culmination of their high school years.
According to GradNight.org, “Over thirty years ago, a graduating senior from Valencia High School died in a drinking and driving related accident. Unfortunately, it’s not a unique story. Drinking and driving related traffic deaths are the number one cause of death amongst teenagers. As a result of this tragedy, Valencia adopted stricter drinking/drug free codes and began seeking safer ways for seniors to celebrate their high school graduation. The answer, of course, was Sober Grad Night. Currently, in California alone, hundreds of high schools celebrate graduation with this life-saving program.”
NextStudent supports the ethical values and healthy living that is at the core of the Grad Night tradition and wishes all students and high schools throughout the Phoenix area a happy, healthy and safe graduation night celebration.
NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and it is dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about student loans at http://www.nextstudent.com/.
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