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Grad Night Bevy returns to Williams
Area parents coordinate large WHS graduation event

<br>Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN<br>
Tammie Parenteau (left) and Becky Schulte talk about the 2009 Grad Night Bevy at the March 12 regular meeting of Williams City Council.

<br>Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN<br> Tammie Parenteau (left) and Becky Schulte talk about the 2009 Grad Night Bevy at the March 12 regular meeting of Williams City Council.

The parents of this year's senior class at Williams High School are, once again, coordinating a large graduation celebration this year and are seeking support from the community and from individuals throughout northern Arizona. Called the Grad Night Bevy, the event is designed to provide a safe and fun environment for Williams youth. A number of activities are planned for the event, according to Tammie Parenteau, one of the coordinators of the upcoming grad night. Activities will include sumo wrestling, a Velcro wall and more. Last year a number of raffle prizes were also offered, which included a car. The bevy will be open to the public, free of charge, from 7-11 p.m.

"We are with Parents Who Care, a group that was formed last year with the purpose of creating a safe and memorable graduation celebration," Parenteau said, adding that the bevy goes into a "lockdown" mode after 11 p.m. The bevy is scheduled to be held following graduation May 22.

"Anyone who left the lockdown was not allowed back in and the graduating seniors were able to participate in raffle prize giveaways. Some of the items they raffled off included i-Pods, GPS systems, laptop computers, game systems, luggage, several cash prizes, a quad and even a car was raffled at the end. Ninety-eight percent of high school students attended the party and almost all the seniors stayed to the very end. Of course the car was raffled last," Parenteau said.

The group asked for the support of the city of Williams during the recent meeting of Williams City Council held March 12, particularly in regards to the activities planned for the event.

"Those range from $250 to $300 per activity per hour," Parenteau said. "All the monies that we raise are going to go toward entertainment, DJs, music, food, drinks and then we also get donations for raffle prizes. Last year they raised over $12,000 in cash donations alone. It didn't include the quad, the car and everything else."

Williams Mayor John Moore said a decision on the city's support would be made at the next regular meeting of Williams' City Council.

"There's no doubt that we as a council support the parents of the Grad Night," Moore said. "We will do the very best we can do to support this project."

Members of the parent group have been working with the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce to iron out some of the details of the event, according to parent Becky Schulte.

"I think that our kids are our future and I think that whatever we can do to keep them safe, I think, is a really good thing," Schulte said. "I think as much as we can help them have a great night, I think that's as important as anything that has ever been spoken at any council meeting. It's not just our kids, it's us when we were growing up here and went to school. You guys grew up and went to school here, a lot of you. Back in our day, our families got together with friends' families and had maybe a graduation party for a few kids and everybody else that couldn't afford it didn't really have a whole lot. I think that this gives all of our kids an opportunity to have a great graduation party whether they can afford it, or their families can, or not. With this economy, I think that having them all together and safe is a huge thing."


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