Project Grad to start at AHS

By Sam Waller

After months of planning and fundraising, members of the Albany High School Class of 2023 will enjoy the fruits of their Labors Friday, May 26 with the annual Project Graduation party.

The final touches are being applied this week by parents and community members in charge of the event.

Graduates will check in at the high school by 10:30 p.m. following commencement exercises and a reception at the Whitney Theatre, according to organizer Amanda Tabor. A variety of activities at different locations have been planned, but details are being kept quiet so as not to spoil the surprise for the graduates.

The final activity will end around 5:00 a.m. Saturday, May 27, with attendees gathering for drawings for gifts and checkouts.

“We’re following the TxDOT rules so we can get a grant,” Tabor said.

Each participant has signed a contract in order to attend. No one will be admitted after 10:30 p.m. Friday. Anyone who leaves for any reason will not be readmitted.

Graduates will need to bring comfortable clothes, a swim suit, and a towel. No outside food, drinks, or bags will be allowed.

Drawings will be held every 30 minutes for door prizes valued between $100 and $200. Prizes were either donated or purchased with money from fundraising efforts.

“We’ll have bigger prizes later in the night,” Tabor said.

Every senior will have at least one chance in the pot. Additional chances were earned during the year for each time seniors worked, donated, or their parents helped with an event. The more times a senior helped, the greater their odds of winning prizes.

Tabor said one rule change has been made in an effort to create a wider distribution of prizes.

“Last year, one of the boys had his name drawn three times in a row,” she said. “We’ve made a change where a graduate can win twice in a row, but not three times.”

Most of the 32 members of the graduating class worked more than the required four times and will receive gifts.

The evening will also include a drawing for two $500 scholarships, one going to a girl and the other to a boy, provided by the Albany Task Force. Tabor said the timing of the presentation may be moved up to allow the four seniors on Albany’s baseball team, which will play at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock, a chance to win.

“I think they’re doing that at the beginning of the night,” Tabor said. “The recipients will have to be there to accept it.”