Graduation ends with party
By Sam Waller
A total of 30 members from the Albany High School Class of 2023 took part in the Project Graduation party, with 20 staying until the end of the all-night event.
Members of the Albany Lion baseball team left early because of playoff games the next day.
The party, which began at 10:30 p.m. Friday, May, 26 and finished at 5:00 a.m. Saturday, May 27, was held at various locations on the campus of Albany Junior/Senior High School.
“Xavier Perez, the Albany DPS officers, the Shackelford County Sheriff’s Office, and Chief (Mike) House patrolled the school area all night long for us,” Project Graduation organizer Amanda Tabor said. “They made sure we were safe and checked on us through the night.”
Damian Little and Presley Green were the recipients of $500 scholarships presented by the Albany Task Force. Among other prizes awarded were a minifridge, laptop, flatscreen TV, and items such as Apple AirPods and Beats by Dre.
Happy Grill catered two meals, serving burgers early in the proceedings and returning with breakfast burritos at the end.
Tabor said the activities started off with a dodgeball competition among the graduates and faculty, administrators, and parents in attendance. Matchups included grads vs. teachers, grads vs. parents and senior boys vs. senior girls.
“The senior boys pretty much won every time they were out there,” Tabor said.
The party also included casino games, karaoke, and a 360-degree photo booth. Tabor said one well-received activity was a silent disco, in which participants wore noise-cancelling headphones.
“We had three stations with DJs to keep music going the entire time,” she said. “The kids could choose what kind music they wanted, but the room was completely silent. It was really entertaining.”
Having different styles of music playing simultaneously led to some interesting scenes on the dance floor, Tabor said.
“We had country music going on one channel and rap on another,” she said. “One group was line dancing and then we had some rappers.”
Among outdoor activities were Knocker balls, in which participants dressed in an inflatable ball, ran around and collided with others. The night also included a water slide, kickball game, and dunking booth.
