Seniors enjoyed an unforgettable night of fun and excitement at two amazing theme parks with Orlando’s most thrilling rides and attractions, plus a live concert by Jason Derulo at this year’s, GRAD BASH!

Miami High attended Grad Bash, a graduation celebration for seniors in Orlando, Florida, on April 23^rd. Accompanied by 18 chaperones, the 185 seniors who attended spent $140 for their Grad Bash ticket, which included round trip bus transportation and admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The seniors who did go, enjoyed it a lot. Lucila Noguera says, “Grad Bash was lit. I laughed so much, and went on so many rides.”

Edgar Santiago said, “Although I didn’t really go crazy over [the parks] because I’ve been there a million times, just being with my closest friends made Grad Bash the best,”.

“I had never been to Universal Islands,” said Anastasia Padron, “So going with people that I liked for the first time made the experience unforgettable.”

Luis Charles said, “I love rollercoasters, and trying some new ones was great.”

Not every senior, however, was allowed to go to Grad Bash. Requirements to attend included taking either the SAT or the ACT, completing their community service project, finishing virtual school, not missing any credits, having their parents attend Senior Parent Night, and fundraising. Also, seniors had to make sure they did not owe any fees to the treasurer’s office.

Students who did attend Grad Bash had to arrive at Miami High at 11 on a Saturday morning, and wait in the theater until the buses arrived at 1 p.m. After taking a rest stop, seniors arrived at Universal Studios at 6 in the evening, left Orlando at 2 a.m., and arrived back to Miami High at 6 on Sunday morning.

Some seniors were cleared to attend, but chose not to go. Jahdai Mena says, “I have the annual pass so I found it cheaper to go on my own.”

Jorge Mosqueda says that he thought it was too expensive for just one day, and that not many of his friends were going, so he opted to stay home.

For those who did go, it wasn’t always fun. Flavia Trujillo said that the lines for some rides were hours long, and that was frustrating.

Scarlet Garcia complained, “The ride to and from Grad Bash was long and draining.”

Raquel Espinoza said, “I hated having to stay up until 2 in the morning, [the time Grad Bash ended] because I was really sleepy.”

For others, being at Grad Bash made for some great memories. Kelly Miranda says, “When my boyfriend asked me to prom in the middle of the park, I cried.”

Cesia Delgado said that seeing friends from elementary school that she hadn’t seen since made the moment a thousand times better.

Assistant principal Mrs. Meiklejohn, who has chaperoned 12 of the last 16 years, said a free Fast Pass to the park is one advantage to going along.

Class of ’16 advisor and activities director Ms. Rivero says she loved Grad Bash, because she liked seeing the students enjoying themselves outside of school.