Kat Piantka | Editor-in-Chief
February 27, 2026
Grad night is a cherished tradition that many seniors eagerly anticipate as it will be the last time the entire class will be together for an evening of memories, reminiscing, and fun before we say our goodbyes and move on to the next chapter of our lives. Traditionally, SCHS hosts the Grad Night in our beloved main gym for an event filled with games, poker, food, and more. Most seniors feel exhausted and eager to leave for most of the night as they await the hours until they are free to head home. So, the evening that is supposed to be one final hurrah with your peers can be dreaded and a cause for many to opt to not attend, especially with the pricey cost that leaves many wondering: what are we actually paying for? But that does not reflect the opinion of all graduates, some love the experience and are grateful to spend this final adventure together.
Last year, the Grad Night committee decided to change things up with a “mystery location” which came with the fun element of surprise and also disappointment. The Class of 2025 wound up at K1 Speed, which can be fun for a few hours, but there were 700 people in their class, and only two race tracks. Therefore, roughly 30 seniors were able to go go-karting at a time, which left several hundred other graduates with nothing else to do, and, not to mention, food was only available for a portion of the full evening. Many seniors questioned why they chose to spend nearly $200 on an evening that ended up being a huge disappointment.
After lots of angry complaints from students and parents, the Grad Night committee knew they needed a change if they wanted to keep this tradition alive. On February 20, the committee announced that the Class of 2026 would be taken to Universal Studios Hollywood for a fun and action packed after-hours experience.
For seniors debating on whether or not they wish to attend, here is a breakdown of the event:
Seniors will depart from SCHS on June 4 at 9:00 pm via a motor coach, which is a luxurious bus, guaranteeing that seniors will be riding comfortably in style, which will be much needed after a long day filled with emotion. Senior Timothee Bernardin Bigle is “mostly going for the Luxe bus.”
Once the graduates arrive at Universal Studios they will have hours of free reign in the park, with plenty of time for rides, experiences, and memories to be made.
Students will then arrive back at SCHS, exhausted, around 4:00 am.
The committee’s change has been well received with lots of enthusiasm from the Class of 2026 as many seniors have awaited the day that SCHS graduates would return to an amusement park rather than the usual experience at the main gym. Senior Jenna Sinden was very happy with the change in the Grad Night venue. She argued that Universal Studios “would be a lot more fun than last year, so [she] thinks more people will go because Universal is a place a bunch of [seniors] would go anyways, rather than last year’s choice of K1 speed.”
Seniors don’t forget to sign up by Tuesday, March 31. While the event does come at an expensive price, $204, the memories and experience is well worth the expense because when will you ever go to Universal Studios with all your friends from high school?
Leave a Reply