It takes a community. Reston, your ANGP is calling...

Parenting comes with its very own set of acronyms. As the incoming President of the SLHS (South Lakes High School) PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), I’d like to discuss an acronym that many don’t learn until they’re parents of a high school senior. ANGP is an acronym that asks parents for hundreds of hours of planning work, and costs thousands of dollars, all to ensure our kids’ safety on an otherwise risky night.

Rates of fatal car accidents for those under 21 years old are highest during prom and graduation season. Graduation night is especially risky for new graduates, so 25 years ago, South Lakes High School parents started hosting All Night Grad Parties. The parties run through breakfast time, and entice students to attend with the promise of great entertainment, a chance to celebrate with their fellow graduates, and fantastic prizes and cash awards for those who stay all night.

ANGP is the pinnacle of class parties; it’s what all those years of relay races, water balloons and hot potato lead up to. Entertainment includes a casino, dancing, games, large scale inflatables, special effect photographs, professional entertainers, a lot of food, custom frozen drinks, and much more.

Kids come to celebrate and play with their friends. They stay for the prizes. I graduated the year before that first ANGP, but still remember my younger sister’s prize from her party for SLHS Class of 1988. She won a five-inch black and white television and was thrilled. The fact that I still remember her not-so-fabulous prize twenty-three years later is a clue to the impact of the prizes. This year there are amazing and so-fabulous prizes available for the kids.

Those prizes cost money, the whole party costs money. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the cost and effort to keep kids off the road and in an alcohol free celebration. The ANGP is funded by donations from the parents, local businesses and the community. This year, fundraising has been a challenge, with old standby events bringing in far less than anticipated. Business donations are down; community donations almost non-existent.

As a South Lakes alumnus and South Lakes parent, I am asking my fellow Seahawks, parents of past and future Seahawks, as well as everyone in the Reston community to please make a donation to support this worthwhile effort.

Don’t have a spare $10 to send in (or more -- more is good), then come spend a few hours volunteering at the party!  There are 35 - 40 shifts open for adult volunteers who are able to attend a June 2 training session and work a shift at the party on June 16-17.

I have been working at these parties since my oldest started high school. It’s great to see the kids on such a happy night. No experience is needed. I had a blast running a craps table for a couple of hours, though I’d never played the game previously. Parents of Future Seahawks can see where their kids are heading, and parents of Past Seahawks can spend time with engaging energetic teens at their very best.

For more information email ANGP@SLPTSA.org

Donate online www.southlakesptsa.org/angp.htm or mail checks to ANGP South Lakes High School, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston, Virginia 20191

To volunteer contact Joy Poole at Joy_Poole@hotmail.com

RSVP for ANGP, ASAP!