Flamingo Flocking for a Safe Grad Night

It might be months and months away but parents have been hard at work making sure this year's graduating seniors have a safe and fun Grad Night.

But before it can be safe, the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) needs to raise money—$8,000, to be exact.

PTSA member and parent Jan Vargas has worked on the event since June and had an idea for fundraising that involved some colorful birds and front yards.

"I had never heard about it before," she says. "Then I searched for it and found sites all over doing it. It's really big in Florida."

It, of course, means "flocking," an organized staging of plastic flamingos on front lawns for a good cause.

In this case, Grad Night.

"We need to raise $8,000 by May," Vargas says. "We need a total of $25,000 to make it happen. This number includes 100 students, the minimum number we need, transportation and all the entertainment add-ons that we want to do."

Students help raise money by buying $115 tickets  before Dec. 1. After that, the cost goes up to $130. The organization hopes to have 200 students sign up, which is half of the senior class. Last year, they barely reached 100 students.

This year, the PTSA decided to change things up to see if more students would attend. Attendance at Grad Night functions has been declining for years, and Vargas thinks it might be becaue of the venue, which hasn't changed.

The school did the Hornblower Ferry Cruise in San Francisco for years, but Vargas says that the combination of the long ride there, the confined space and limited things to do once there may be reasons students have chosen not to attend.

This year, the PTSA surveyed the incoming seniors to see what they wanted to do. Overwhelmingly, they decided on City Beach, a location with various fun things to do, including an inflatable obstacle course, rock climbing and an indoor mechanical surfing board, similar to a mechanical bull.

It Takes a Village ...

Attendance at this traditional last hurrah is important, not only to the parents and school community but also to the community at large, Vargas says.

"We need to keep our kids safe. That’s the ultimate goal." 

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving:

• One in five teens binge drink. Only one in 100 parents believes his or her teen binge drinks.
• Teen alcohol use kills about 6,000 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined.
• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and one out of three of those is alcohol related.
• In 2004, 34-35 percent of traffic fatalities among 15- to 20-year-olds were alcohol related; this increases to 55-56 percent during graduation.

"This could trickle down," Vargas continues. "If you're out, and there’s a drunk kid driving, having them at a Grad Night event could keep them, and the community, safe."

So How Do I 'Flock'?

The flocking season began earlier this month, on Sept. 6. The group has been at it less than a month, and already has raised about $600, with more than 20 "flockings." 

"This isn't only for seniors, this is for everyone," Vargas says. "We will go anywhere for a price."

The price is $25, and there are three flocks of flamingos to go around. Orders will be taken until Thanksgiving. (Order forms are attached to this article and are also available on the website.)

"We don’t do Friday and Saturday nights, because people go out of town, and we don’t want our flocks to go to waste," she says.

Along with the pink birds, the flocking comes with a sign for the front yard that says: “You’ve been flocked by Westmont High.”

The group is also looking for donors and sponsors. If you are interested in helping, email gradnightwptsa@yahoo.com.