Work On BHS All-Night Grad Party Moves From Willard To High School

Work for the Berlin High School All Night Graduation Party began after last year's graduation was over.

It truly takes a full year for the committee to prepare for the substance and alcohol free night.

"We began planning last year," said Publicity Chair Donna Lisitano. "We formed a committee and had several fundraiser throughout the year in the hopes that we can put on a really great celebration."

Diana Mahoney, Joe Meucci and Karen Main acted as the chairs for the Graduation Party. 

The work making decorations is done in secret in the basement of Willard Elementary School. Thursday afternoon, the props and decorations were transported from Willard to Berlin High School.

"We're just about done setting up," Lisitano said. "It takes a team of folks to make all the decorations and it's a tradition that Willard allows us to use their basement to store them.

The class of 263 students will begin graduation at 1:30 at Welte Hall on the campus of Central Connecticut State University Sunday. They will have time to celebrate with their family and friends but will have to be back at Berlin High School to be allowed into the function.

"We gave them a backpack with a list of things they could bring in with them when they got their caps and gowns," Lisitano said. "We have about 260 students and we think we are going to have around 98 percent of them back here for the celebration.

"A lot of us have had kids go through this so there is a list of best practices to use year in and year out. We hope that it's going to be even bigger and better than it had in the past. The most important thing though, is as long as the kids are safe and it is substance or alcohol free. They will have a great time with their classmates." 

The theme is a secret and the students will not know it until they get to the celebration Sunday night.