Graduation Party

By: Mackenzie Schieck

Hats (and caps) off to the graduate!

School of Rock

These tunes will have you dancing like it's the last day of school. (Oh, wait--it is!)

School's Out Alice Cooper
Celebration Kool & the Gang
Summertime Will Smith
Freedom 90 George Michael
Golden Years David Bowie
It's My Life No Doubt
Beautiful Day U2
Good Times Roll The Cars
Smokin' in the Boys Room Brownsville Station
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.

Film School

Here are some flicks sure to take you back to your glory days:

Breakfast Club
Clueless
Never Been Kissed
Can't Buy Me Love
Napoleon Dynamite
Bring it On
Dazed and Confused
Rushmore
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Party Game

Make a stack of game sheets so each guest can take a crack at matching the quote to the correct movie--extra credit points to those who can name the character who said it:

1. "I did it when I was a freshman, and you'll do it when you're seniors. But you're doing great. Now fry like bacon, you little freshman piggies. Fry!"

2. "What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves--pronto--we'll just be bogus too! Get it?"

3. "We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all."

4. "So. Okay. I don't want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don't get how guys dress today. I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair--ew--and cover it up with a backwards cap and like, we're expected to swoon? I don't think so."

5. "All you need is for one person to think you're cool, and you're in. Everyone else will be scared to question it."

6. "I mean, he went from totally geek, to totally chic!"

7. "You know, there's like a boat-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bow staff."

8. "My top schools where I want to apply to are Oxford and the Sorbonne. My safety's Harvard."

9. "Incredible! One of the worst performances of my career and they never doubted it for a second."

10. "This is not a democracy, it's a cheerocracy. I'm sorry, but I'm overruling you."

(Answers at left.)

School's out…for-e-ver! Unless you believe that thing about life being the real education. Let's worry about that tomorrow--today, the only course expectation is to have fun!

The Menu

Graduation parties seem to be the "come one, come all" variety so put together a menu of crowd-pleasers for the masses.

Drinks:

Appetizers:

Salads:

Main Dishes:

Desserts:

Party Tips

No need to put on your thinking cap: we’ve got some ideas for celebrating your star pupil.

Where and when? Start the festivities mid- to late afternoon, and if weather permits, set up seating outdoors and fire up the grill. (Fire up the grill even if weather doesn't permit--burgers taste just as good indoors!)
Beyond the cafeteria. Set up the food buffet-style with drinks on a separate table. Also, put out a few coolers with bottled/canned beverages, as well as simple appetizers like chips and dip on small tables throughout the party.
School spirit. Decorate with the graduate's school colors…we're thinkin' balloons, streamers, pom-poms--the works! And make sure that framed diploma is out for all to see.
Most likely to… Make a bunch of name tags, each with something different at the end of that sentence. Let guests choose their own, or feel free to assign them as you see fit.
Bright ideas. Everyone wants to know: "What are you going to do now that you've graduated?" Why not take some pressure off the recent grad and turn the tables? Ask each guest to write what they did the year after they graduated on a large piece of poster board, creating either a cheat sheet for the formula for success, or crib notes for what not to do--it'll likely end up containing a little of both!

Answers to Party Game

1. Simone, Dazed and Confused

2. Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

3. Andrew, The Breakfast Club

4. Cher, Clueless

5. Rob, Never Been Kissed

6. Patty, Can't Buy Me Love

7. Napoleon, Napoleon Dynamite

8. Max, Rushmore

9. Ferris, Ferris Bueller's Day Off

10. Torrance, Bring It On