Grad Nite at Six Flags was canceled due to the lack of tickets sold to seniors, leaving them with no school sponsored post-graduation celebration to look forward to. 

The school put out an announcement on March 28th, 2023, informing seniors that what was supposed to be a “Night to Remember,” would simply be a night forgotten. Grad Nite, one of the biggest events for senior class graduates, was a no-go for the Class of ‘23. 

A survey conducted by a Bell Chimes reporter shows that more than 50% of the seniors surveyed simply “didn’t want to go.”  Out of 20 students who didn’t buy Grad Nite tickets, 11 didn’t want to go, 3 claimed it to be too expensive, 4 didn’t like the fact Grad Nite took place at Six Flags, and 2 students didn’t clear their absences to be eligible for Grad Nite.  Although 300 tickets were reserved for the big event, not even 20% of tickets were sold to seniors. 

“Had we maybe been even halfway there we could have tried to do something,” PSA Coordinator Marisa Franco said.  “But there was like, no way. We sold tickets for about a month. When I would ask students, they just didn’t want to go to Six Flags, is what they would tell me.” 

As of right now, nothing is being done to replace the Grad Nite event, or fill in some sort of celebration for seniors post-graduation. “Grad Nite is such a specific event that happens at certain amusement parks where they have an actual ‘Grad Nite Experience’,” Franco said. “There wouldn’t be another ‘Grad Nite’ quote unquote. We’re trying to have different events.  We have senior ice skating.  I know we have a senior sunset happening in May, things like that. But a ‘Grad Nite’ in the traditional sense, no.”

Understanding Grad Nite’s cancellation is one thing, and it’s very simple, but the question remains: why?  Why didn’t enough seniors purchase their Grad Nite ticket?

“Maybe they don’t want to go to Grad Nite. Some students have a lot of social anxiety and they don’t want to go,” Psychiatric Social Worker Melissa Cerda said. “So there’s mental health related reasons too right? Maybe parents don’t want students to go to Six Flags, maybe they don’t feel like there’s going to be supervision, there’s like so much we can assume.”

It is possible that mental health factors could be in play, but Ms. Cerda also wondered whether or not Grad Nite was publicized enough amongst seniors. 

“I’m just wondering how much this was publicized, besides just signs. Like, are we getting students to promote this?” Ms. Cerda asked. “Because, I can promote something all day, but it’s different when a student promotes it versus when an adult is promoting it.”