Jerry Adwell and Rollie Gentzler say Cruise 2000 for graduating seniors will go on despite a significant loss of revenue this spring.

Friday, June 02, 2000

Jerry Adwell and Rollie Gentzler say Cruise 2000 for graduating seniors will go on despite a significant loss of revenue this spring.

Adwell is treasurer of the Project Graduation committee, a group that is organizing the annual after-commencement party for Austin High School seniors.

Gentzler and his wife, Cindy, are co-chairs of the solicitations and donations subcommittee.

They are among the dozens of parent-volunteers planning Thursday’s party for high school graduates at AHS.

Everything is in place for a great party," Gentzler said.

The party begins at 10:30 p.m. after commencement exercises for the AHS class of 2000. It is a lock-in type event that promises a safe and fun-filled environment for the graduates.

Again, Pacelli High School graduates and those graduates who were home-schooled are invited to the after-commencement party.

With less than a week remaining, Adwell and Gentzler talked about the event and the dilemma created when a popular fund-raiser was canceled.

"We lost revenue in the amount of $2,500 due to the cancellation of the raffle," Adwell said. "With a budget of $20,000, you can see that is a significant loss."

Each year, the parent-volunteers solicit financial and other contributions from local clubs and organizations, businesses and individuals to fund the after-commencement party for graduating seniors.

The party is drug-, chemical- and smoke-free.

But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun, according to Adwell and Gentzler.

With all three high school gymnasiums, plus nearby classrooms, the party takes graduates on a cruise with different theme rooms.

Throughout the overnight party, there’s free food and soft drinks.

There’s also musical entertainment, sumo wrestling and the most popular event of the after-commencement party: a hypnotist.

The party regularly attracts almost 90 percent of the graduating classes at Austin High.

According to Adwell and Gentzler, the loss of the $2,500 in revenue "hurts," but will not diminish the quality of the party in any way.

"We want to be able to fund a great event for this year’s graduating seniors and leave a nest egg for next year’s Project Graduation committee to do the same for the class of 2001," Adwell said.

Gentzler said those who responded to this year’s solicitations for financial support were "very generous."

He also said the after-commencement party serves a dual purpose for the high school graduates.

"It is one-last time for them to be together before going their own ways and it’s an opportunity to have fun in a controlled environment," he said.

The party ends with breakfast in the AHS cafeteria and the distribution of gift bags and prize-drawings.

Throughout the party, AHS parent-volunteers, working shifts overnight, will try to remain as unobtrusive as possible while ensuring the party moves along successfully.

So successful are the parents in planning a "wild and crazy" party that they set aside a "quiet room," where graduates who need a rest from the party can find it.

Both Gentzler and Adwell emphasized that the Project Graduation parent-volunteers appreciate all the donations of money, in-kind services, prizes and other items necessary for making the party a success.

They also said financial donations of any amount will help ensure the revenue loss is made up and money left in the treasury to continue an event that grows in popularity each year.

Anyone interested in assisting the Project Graduation committee with a donation, may send a check in care of "Project Graduation" to: Debbie Uecker, Sterling State Bank, P.O. Box 129, Austin, Minn. 55912-0129.