Morgan Project Graduation is an annual all-night celebration held the night of graduation that has been running since 1989. After the graduation ceremony on June 10, the seniors are told to meet back at Morgan at 8:45 pm, and from there, they are handed string bags and board buses to a secret location. The students are asked not to bring anything except comfy clothes, phones, and sneakers, requesting that all money, jewelry, bags, and water bottles be left at home.
The location of the event is not disclosed to the students until they arrive at said location. The buses leave Morgan at 9:15 pm and return at 5 am. Throughout the night, the graduates are provided with dinner, snacks, drinks, and breakfast.
Due to the late departure and early return, students are not permitted to drive themselves home in the morning. In previous years, the graduates have gone to Lake Quassapaug, the sub base in Groton CT, and for the first roughly 10 years, it was held at Morgan, with the parent volunteers setting up activities and decorating.
Project Graduation’s main goal is to keep Morgan’s newest graduates safe on graduation night. The nights of prom and graduation are some of the most dangerous nights for high schoolers on the road because they could be driving under the influence.
Project Graduation was started in 1980 in Oxford, Maine. In 1979, seven teenagers died due to drug and alcohol-related car accidents following graduation. After these accidents, the surrounding community gathered together to find a safe alternative for post-graduation activities. By 1986, Project Graduation had spread to all 50 states.
Senior parents Jennifer O’Brien, Kathy Tessman, and Sara Portillo-Johnson are the co-chair people running the event.
They all work on different pieces, then make the decision together.
O’Brien says a lot of work goes into planning this event, “It is sometimes like a second job with a lot of behind-the-scenes organizing and planning.”
As of May 15, a little less than a month before the event, the parents are working on organizing permission slips, which are due May 20, accumulating raffle prizes, looking for chaperones, and preparing for their last fundraiser of the year, a raffle for front row seats at graduation. The event planners hope to have at least 18 chaperones at the event, and at least one medically trained professional.
A lot of time and money goes into these events. An event could likely cost between $25,000 – $30,000, “The 2025 committee wanted an event that is above and beyond, so we aimed a lot higher,” says O’Brien. The senior parents wanted to add some extra events and special activities for the seniors, including events during graduation and senior week.
Class of 2023 senior and now junior at Quinnipiac University, Sophia Vigorito, looks back at her time at Project Grad, “It was so much fun; there were so many activities set up all night, and it was a really good way to spend time with my whole grade after graduation.”
Similarly, 2024 graduate Julia White remembers Project Grad as one of her favorite memories of senior year: “The entire night was set up with the graduates in mind, and we were able to make so many good memories as a class.”
