What Is Project Graduation Collier County?
Project Graduation Collier County has just about everything graduating high school seniors want in a gigantic party: laser tag, a rock-climbing wall, jousting, inflatable obstacle courses, karaoke, a game room, free food from a huge variety of vendors, and a plethora of prizes. There is a magician, costumed characters, music, and a money machine to walk into and grab cash.
This year, Project Graduation is celebrating its 40th year of keeping Collier County students safe and entertained on their graduation night. For four decades, the YMCA has hosted the event to give these students a memorable, safe, and fun way to celebrate.
How Project Graduation Started: A Nationwide Movement With Local Roots
The roots of the event took hold in the late 1970s in response to alcohol-related traffic accidents during the graduation season. Then in 1979 seven teenagers were killed in Oxford Hills, Maine, on graduation night. Parents in the community were devastated and determined not to let this happen again. In 1980, they devised a way to offer seniors an alternative to the traditional graduation night drinking events that had taken the lives of a total of 18 seniors around the state of Maine the previous year. The party was a huge success and was dubbed Project Graduation. By 1986, all 50 states and two Canadian provinces held Project Graduation events. The first event in Collier County was in 1985 and was organized by some moms from (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) MADD.
Danielle Poff graduated from Barron Collier High School and attended the event in 1988. She liked it so much that she chaperoned when her daughters graduated in 2019 and 2023, and she is a committee member who helps organize the event.
“We loved it then, and we love it now,” she stated. “It is a safe place to celebrate seniors on graduation night. There are so many high schools, and they have friends all over the district. This is one of the few things that is county based.”
When the event first began in Collier County, it featured carnival games that organizers borrowed from St. Elizabeth Seton. But over the years, it evolved and got bigger and more elaborate.
Connie Jo Dimond, the event organizer, said the laser tag, rock climbing wall, jousting, and bungee run are some of the most popular attractions. The bungee run is a huge inflatable course that students run in while attached to a bungee cord as they try to go faster and farther than their opponent. Recently, a giant 10-foot by 10-foot Twister game was introduced. For many years, a car was raffled off. That doesn’t happen anymore, but there are still huge prizes, including cash, gift cards, and other items that teenagers would enjoy.
“There are prizes drawn all night,” Dimond said. “We are on a mission to make sure everyone gets a gift this year.”
They also have areas for students to sit and chat, play corn hole or giant Jenga, and get their face painted.
“We have air hockey and ping pong and other games,” Dimond described. “We add some of the newer games. We have a photo booth, which is always a big hit.”
Last year, they added a balloon artist and a trivia game that will be returning this year. They are also bringing back a tug-of-war competition between schools.
Organizers are so invested in making sure that seniors have this experience that they don’t let obstacles stand in their way. When the YMCA gym caught fire in September 2013 and was not rebuilt by graduation in 2014, organizers held the event in a big tent in the YMCA parking lot. In 2020 and 2021 when the pandemic prevented large events, organizers planned drive-bys at the high schools and gave out goodie bags with prizes.
This year has presented no obstacles and organizers are hoping for a big turnout. There are 3,252 seniors in the eight public Collier County high schools. There are another 100 in charter schools and more coming from private schools. Organizers say about 500 students usually attend. They are hoping for larger numbers this year, but it is up to each school to promote the event.
“My philosophy is even if we only grab the attention of 500-600 kids that is 500-600 kids who are having fun,” Dimond said.
Memories That Last a Lifetime: Alumni Share Their Stories
Ashley McGuinness met her future husband at the event in 2008. She went to Barron Collier, and her husband Kris had been at Gulf Coast High School.
“We went to two separate schools, so we had never met each other before that night,” McGinness said.
She first saw him on the basketball court and then later, he came up behind her on the dance floor. Then they started talking and later arranged their first date.
“He captured me with his big green eyes, and he was just so handsome,” said
McGuinness. “We have been inseparable ever since.”
They got married in 2009 and now have three sons.
Other students had more typical memories of the event. Jen Damasco attended in 2007 after graduating from Barron Collier.
“They had a photo booth, and I still have a photo with two of my friends and me dressed up in silly things,” she described. “It is a good way to have some place to hang out with your friends all night and have the opportunity to win something. I remember having fun. It was a good end to the senior year.”
Chrissy Barnett went to Project Graduation in 2012 after graduating from Gulf Coast.
“I had been in band so I knew folks from different schools, so it was nice to celebrate with kids from all the different schools,” Barnett said. “I remember people being really into the jousting. People had a really fun time with that. And free food is always nice.”
Allison Pacter is a senior at Aubrey Rogers High School and is excited to attend Project Graduation. She has volunteered there, but this year, she gets to celebrate and hang out with her friends.
“There are gift raffles; that is super cool to me,” she said. “People can win a Nintendo, and that is really cool. There is an arcade setup. There is so much to do there. It is super cool, and I am so excited to do it this year.”
Sean Kinsley, principal of Barron Collier High School, has been a big supporter of the event. This year will be his fourth time attending.
“It is just amazing,” Kinsley began. “When we were in high school, all of our parents were always worried about what we were doing. This is an organized place for them to go. We really try to promote it. Even if one kid is saved by having this program, then this is a big success. I have lost students in my career to car accidents. These kids want something to do, and they will take advantage of it. The kids that go always say they had a blast.”
How to Attend Project Graduation Collier County 2025
Poff hopes parents and teachers will encourage seniors to attend this year. Students pay $20 for a t-shirt that is their ticket to the event.
“We encourage them to come,” Poff said. “We need both school people and parents to support it and endorse it. We need the whole community to support and embrace it. It is just a fun party. It is a fun, safe environment with prizes and food and games, and a chance to have a really great time.”
Visit ymcacollier.org/projectgraduation for more information.
2025 Project Graduation is May 23 at the YMCA of Collier County from 11 pm to 4 am.
(Contact your school representative to purchase tickets.)