High School Graduates To Enjoy Cruise For Project Graduation

Project graduation in Lacey Township will take to the water for the eighth time this year as graduates travel on buses the night of graduation to Perth Amboy to board the Cornucopia Princess for a dinner cruise.

The Princess will cruise the Raritan Bay up to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge until the wee house of the morning  while a DJ plays music selected by the students and a buffet dinner is served with food also chosen by the graduates.

Project graduations were introduced many years ago nationwide as an alternative to students going to parties and drinking alcohol.

According to Mary Ann Pietruska, president of the PTSA, the night will include prizes, games, ping pong, Guitar Hero, air hockey and dance revolution.

Tickets to the event are $30 for graduates with the balance of the cost coming from the PTSA, the Municipal Alliance and members of the community.

Pietruska, whose daughter Holly is graduating, said the students picked many of the prizes which include gift cards for items they will be needing when they go away to college.

Dress is casual for the event which will be chaperoned by Principal Will Zylinski and several members of the faculty.

Peitruska said of the 375 graduates 175 will be attending the event.

"We have a good cross section of the class," she said. "We have athletes, musicians, high honor roll and special ed students."

The event is open to all graduates, but bringing dates along is not allowed.

"It's a night for them to be together for the last time before going their separate ways," she said.

Pietruska thanks the parents of the seniors, the people on the committee and members of the community who donated prizes.

"Without their support it would be difficult to run something like this."