Grad Nite is happening on June 10 this year, and tickets will be selling starting Jan. 26 at 8 a.m. The event is planned by members of the PTSA, who put special effort into creating an unforgettable night for seniors.
Grad Nite is an event specifically for graduating seniors to gather one more time to celebrate the end of high school with their friends. This year, it’s taking place at Disney California Adventure Park.
To attend, students fill out a registration form to sign up and pay via Zelle. This form link is sent out through emails and texts, and can be found on the ANHS PTSA Instagram account. A confirmation email of the purchase is sent afterwards. Tickets cost $215 per student and are not refundable. Only 350 slots are available.
As Grad Nite is often regarded as an important rite of passage for graduating seniors, tickets sell out quickly. The PTSA advises students to purchase tickets as soon as possible, anticipating that all tickets will be sold out like last year.
For the convenience of the students, transportation is provided by the school. Students will begin by showing up at Aliso Niguel High School and will check in at the time given to them with the purchase of tickets. After their check-in, Capistrano Unified School District buses will bring students to and from the amusement park.
Once students are in the park, they check in at 12 p.m, and return from approximately 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. Since the park is emptied out just for high schoolers from the CUSD, seniors will be able to enjoy visiting the park, going on the attractions, and eating at food courts without the huge tourist presence that normally exists at the park.
There will also be a DJ throughout the event, and students can take pictures with photo backdrops or with Disney characters at a meet and greet.
Both Ansh Sharma (12) and Dayanna Salas (12) are planning to attend Grad Nite this year.
When asked what made her go, Salas said, “I decided to go since I’m a huge Disney fan, and when I heard my friends were going, I considered it as a hangout, and we all decided to go.”
When asked what he hoped to see, Sharma said, “I really hope that there is going to be a lot of freedom in Grad Nite [without being] heavily regulated, since we have graduated, and we’re adults now… I [also] hope there’s a lot of group activities since this is our last event together as high schoolers, so hopefully, we get to take some nice pictures.”
PTSA’s main role in the organization of this event is in logistics. They plan the transportation, employ chaperons, schedule meetings, create the schedule for check-in times, etc. It is only through their work and generosity that Grad Nite is possible.
Veronica Yap, a leading organiser of Grad Nite in PTSA, said, “Many of the dedicated volunteers don’t have seniors, but want to contribute to creating a memorable experience for the seniors.”
Grad Nite is often taken for granted as a regular event that happens every year, and although it strives to be this way, Grad Nite dates are actually never guaranteed. Every summer, the PTSA has to enter a lottery to get tickets from Disney who decides the date of the event.
Since the PTSA doesn’t control the date, it can sometimes create conflicts with the school’s schedule. This year, the Grad Nite falls right on the departure day of the Senior Europe Trip, causing many friends to celebrate their graduation separately.
Despite the inconvenience, many seniors look forward to attending Grad Nite and creating wonderful memories before going off to college.
