The Optimist Club of Westfield will be holding the twenty-third annual Project Graduation-Bash on June 21 at the Ricochet Health and Racquet Club.
Following graduation ceremonies, seniors will be boarding buses at 10:30 p.m. in the WHS parking lot which will return at 5 a.m. According to westfieldpatch.com, students should bring a swimsuit, pair of sneakers, change of clothing and towel. Bringing valuables is not advised, and sports equipment will be provided.
Scheduled activities and entertainment include various sports, swimming, a magic show, massages, fortune telling, mechanical bull riding and music from WHS alum Bobby McKeon, professionally known as DJ 4B.
McKeon, a 19 year-old DJ, has performed with some of the biggest names in the industry. According to his official page on soundcloud.com, McKeon has shared the stage with artists like Steve Aoki, Avicii and Diplo to name a few.
Said McKeon: “[The Bash] is always a good time. It brings back some great memories, and the party gets better every year.”
Said Westfield Optimist Club President-Elect Mr. Jeff Rembisz: “The movement started in Vermont 23 years ago after students were killed in an accident after graduation. The principal at the time, Bob Petix, agreed … and that’s how the tradition began.”
Dalton Mack, a WHS alum and current sophomore at Rutgers University, attended the Graduation-Bash as a senior and was a supervisor of the event last year.
Said Mack: “[When I went as a senior], Bash was an absolute blast. I got to play hours of basketball and volleyball with kids I spent a good amount of my formative years with.”
Because the Bash is the night of graduation, it may be the last time the Senior Class is all together.
Said WHS senior Eddy Lu, “I’m excited to go because I will have one last chance to hang out with everyone in my grade before we part ways for whatever life brings us.”
According to Rembisz, there are currently over 300 students registered to attend the festivities, but any senior who wishes to sign up can do so up until June 20.
When asked if he had any advice for seniors regarding the Bash, Mack said: “If you’re considering not going to Bash, please rethink your choice. There truly is something there for everyone.”