I want to throw a party for my son's entire senior class?

Question

I posted this in "Entertainment", but wanted to post this here as well for feedback! Thanks-----

They graduate in May of course, but I want to throw a party for all of them in April. I was thinking a cook out on a Saturday afternoon so they could still 'go out' that night.

So, my questions are:
Is it OK to have a party for him that also honors the rest of the class, etiquette-ly speaking?
Is April 15 too soon?
Do I invite the parents?
What are some good festive ideas to make this special?
What sort of party favor should I get each of them?
I was going to make everyone a CD of 'graduation' songs, is that cheesy?


Of course, the focus will be my son, but I want to honor the entire class because they have all gone to school together for so long. Of course, we don't want anyone bringing gifts.

I welcome any ideas and suggestions on how

Answer 1

You are SO brave! Etiquette-ly speaking I think it's great but I'd ask your son to see what he thinks since its really his day!

April 15th is a little soon but it makes sense as some of the kids wil be heading off on their adventures/jobs/travel/college right after they graduate. When is school over? Here it's typicallly May 31 so I'd be inclined to do a party mid-May.

Invite the parents - if you want, but etiquette-ly speaking I don't think you'd have to do that.

Festive ideas? Kids that age probably just want to talk and hang out with each other. If you have food and music they'll probably be fine.

Party favors - depends on how much money you have. The CD is cute and that would be enough of a favor. You could also do bags that are funny - college survival or life survival kits. They have this information online. It's like a life saver in case you're ever in trouble, a rubber band to remind you to be flexible, a paperclip to...

Answer 2

This is a great idea. The number of kids in his class would probably determine if parents should be invited or not. If you are from a small town where everyone knows one another then I would consider inviting family. Perhaps make it a potluck and get everyone involved.

April 15 sounds good. I think turnout would be better since families have a lot going on close to graduation (their own parties, etc).

Finally, it is perfectly acceptable to have a party that honors the whole class and not just your son. That is the way it should be. I like both the CD idea and the video idea mentioned in another post. Good luck to you!

Answer 3

In the order asked:

Sure, why not honor all of them? Especially if it's a small class.
If the weather will allow it - here in the Northeast, it can still be kinda cold.
Make it so the parents are welcome to drop by, especially if you're close to any of them.
I have no clue about festive ideas.
Party favor? Try maybe small gift cards to like Target or something - especially if they're going off to college, they're going to need a TON of stuff! Or, you can find small paperweights that say "We did it!" in some card or party stores.
Maybe not all "graduation" songs - what about some that have special meanings - like the junior prom theme song, or other songs that hold special significance for at least the majority of the kids. (Like if all of them went to a concert together, something by that artist, or the song that was #1 when they started kindergarten, things like that.)

To eliminate the gift issue - make it clear on the invites that it is only an informal BBQ as a "last hurrah" to celebrate the end of school, not an actual graduation party for your son.

Answer 4

Your son must be in a small class. My graduating class exceeded 500 kids. More power to ya if you can pull it off!!

April is not too soon, it will be before finals and that way they can concentrate on that. A CD of the popular songs of '07 would be a better idea then graduation songs, IMO. A cook out sounds fantastic. Talk to some of the other moms and see what they think; they may ever want to help out.

Good luck!

Answer 5

What a fun idea! I wouldn't invite parents though... it would probably scare a lot of the kids off. I think the CD would be enough of a party favor. April 15 is probably the perfect time, as kids will still be able to go to other parties and study for finals, etc.

Another idea to make it special is to hire a videographer for the party, and then offer copies to the kids. It might get pricey, but you could get someone you knows to do it on the cheap. Or you could do it yourself. They will have that for years to come!

Answer 6

i think a party with joint honors towards his graduating class is an exceptional idea, it might also help out deserving children who might have parents that are not within their bounds to host a party of their own.

i do think april fifteenth is too soon, i know here we graduated on the twenty fourth...so far prior might mask the purpose of the party, and still yet some kids might not walk that stage who attend the party! grades can always dramatically decrease that last month due to the 'i'm-free' mindset and vacations.

invite the parents yes, they can contribute and i'm sure they'll be glad to. nothing big, chips, salsa- something to keep people there happy and well fed, yet inexpensive enough to still keep you the party founder and not making it seem like you are simply supplying a venue and allowing the other parents to provide the goods.

always try to decorate with their class colors, and perhaps the school mascot. it's important to positively reinforce that this is for school for their hard work and effort there for so many years. also of course provide music that they are familiar with, but throw in a few goodies for the parents like earth, wind and fire- the parents won't feel like they've lost themselves at a club and the cooler kids will get a kick out of the 'oldies'
a BBQ might be a great idea if you have enough people to turn patties and hotdogs.

provide a variety of food so that no one is left out, the thin girls in his class might not attack a sloppy joe so make sure there are healthy alternatives like salad and veggie bites.

i don't know that party favors are appropriate for people their age, they might roll their eyes at a little goody bag you know, seniors have a reputation of coll and sophisticated to uphold now. they will get their own gifts from direct family members.

you can mix the graduation songs like Vitaimin C's Graduation Day' in with the general music mix. don't go overboard, they will have enough waltz and piano recitals dedicated to the day ON the day.

Answer 7

I think it's a great idea!
To invite the parents or not... it depends on how many kids are being invited. Will tripling the guest list be too expensive on unfeasible?
I think a good favor would be something that they could take to college with them...maybe an inexpensive picture frame with the date/other words on it. There are websites that make bulk items like that for a fairly low cost.
Maybe a theme would be nice? Graduation in Hawaii would go nicely with a backyard cookout...

Answer 8

make a cd of all the top songs of his graduating year... that would be cool