Riverstone - More than $20,000 to be given out during Elkins' ProGrad event

It’s a good thing graduation is at 9 a.m. June 1, because Elkins High School graduates have plans for the evening.

Parent volunteers have worked all year organizing annual Project Graduation festivities for seniors celebrating their achievements. Hundreds will attend the event, dubbed “All Knight Long,” from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the school. The teens will enjoy casino games, an inflatable boxing ring, Sumo wrestling, a mechanical bull and caricature and henna artists. The graduates also will appreciate the $20,000-$25,000 in prizes that will be awarded that night, including laptop computers, flat-screen televisions, iPads, mini refrigerators, gift cards and more.

Held at high schools across the country, Project Graduation is an alcohol- and drug-free event that began in 1980 in Maine after seven alcohol- and drug-related deaths occurred near and during the time of the 1979 commencement. The event quickly gained notice, and was one of eight national models selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 1983 to be presented at a special conference in Washington, D.C. By 1990, more than 40 states had Project Graduation contacts.

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