The Los Gatos High School Class of 2026 will head back to campus after graduation ceremonies—without their caps and gowns—for a memorable grad night.
Doors to the gym open at 10pm. And the party will continue until 4:30am. Students are not allowed to leave without their parents, even if they’re over the age of 18.
This is a controlled, safe event. There will be some surprises in those early morning hours to keep the kids engaged (and hopefully awake). Hint: local musicians. There will be a chill area for those who need to chill-out a bit. As of last week, around 370 students had tickets (490 or so are set to graduate). Scholarship tickets were available.
LGHS has been around since 1887, with seven graduates in that first class. Grad Night has been held on campus for more than four decades. It gives graduates a chance to congratulate each other and say goodbye in a festive, fun—and sober—place. Many have been classmates since primary school. Soon they will be heading out in different directions.
In September, the template from the prior Grad Night was provided to the 2026 group of parent volunteers. And it definitely takes a village.The many committees have done their parts.
I sat down for tea with Jodi Bannon last week to learn about how it all came together. She said they have 26 “amazing” volunteer moms (some dads as well) on the steering committee. “We are thrilled that we had that response,” she said. “We had at least two moms sign up for each committee.”
Bannon, along with Suzi Sutherland—and many others—have led the effort to keep this Los Gatos tradition going. “Suzi and I were a very small part of grad night,” Bannon said. “It’s our committees that made it all happen. Really the parents—moms and dads—made this all happen.”
“Parents were messaging us stating that back when they were graduating kids were getting into accidents on grad night because they were drinking and driving. That is when Carol Musser started this, to keep the kids safe and sober. (Musser said that actually it was a group of moms who started this tradition.) There are three nights that are most dangerous for high school kids: New Years, Fourth of July and grad night.”
Musser began the on-campus Grad Night in 1986, when her oldest daughter, now-LGHS Assistant Principal Kristina Grasty, graduated. Suzi Sutherland and others led the effort to keep this beloved tradition going. Karinn Harrington and Jessica Shyba helped to raise funds this year. Local businesses and merchants became involved. As a close-knit community we watch out for one another.
Grasty was kind enough to escort me around campus. “It was created on the premise to have a safe and fun place for students to be together,” Grasty said of Grad Night. “Back then it was simple—we had $8,000, some T-shirts with a cruise ship design, and a whole lot of heart.” Grad Night’s current budget runs up into the six figures. And it’s a full-scale production.
Before graduation seniors are asked to pick up a poster board from school and create a collage memory board. The small gym is transformed into a gallery of senior memories: baby photos, snapshots from school events and other milestones. At graduation, viewing of these boards will be provided to anyone who cares to walk though the small gym, before or after the ceremony.
Set up began on Thursday—about a week before graduation. During the Grad Night, the all-night festivities will include a “casino” area, arcade games, interactive games, pool tables with glow-in-the-dark balls, dance floors and different lounges where the kids can just hang out. Every hour there’ll be something new to keep the kids engaged. I am under strict orders to not give away a few exciting surprises. There will also be about 130 adult volunteers. There will be numerous dads involved with setup, as well as chaperoning the actual event. Food trucks will be brought in. “We will provide snacks—candy and chips—water, sodas and energy drinks,” Bannon added. There is no cost to the kids once they pass through the big gym doors.
Parents, guardians, relatives, younger students all participate in the party clean-up. The junior class comes in at 5:30-6am to begin this task. This gives them the chance to learn a bit about what to expect at their Grad Night. A few sophomores also show up to help out, too.
The idea behind Grad Night has not changed, for 40 years it has kept graduates safe on their first night out of high school. Graduation night can be a very dangerous night as kids celebrate their accomplishments and prepare to move on. With grad night on campus in a contained, fun and well-supervised environment—sponsored by many local businesses—it is a night the graduating Class of 2026 won’t soon forget. Goodbye and good luck!
