Memorable High School Graduation
Kate’s prom can either be called odd or oddly beguiling. I personally think the food, location and people made a winning combination. The two most common complaints about the supposedly-memorable high school graduation are bad food and uncomfortable clothes rented at throat-slitting prices. Geeks never made good prom night candidates anyway. Homecoming queen? Who’s that – Queen Amidala? Kate and her friends decided to have their graduation party in geek chic style.
JS: Well, we’re going to remember the good times in this interview!
KW: Those were indeed good times. That’s one of the most memorable parties ever, graduation or not.
JS: Where did you go instead of the usual dinner and dance organized by the grad committee?
KW: My friends and I went to a star party instead. [stargazing party]
JS: Where was that?
KW: There are lots of different star parties organized for amateur nightsky gazers, but by June they are usually overbooked and booked in advance for a few years. We went to a deep-sky observatory instead of a mountain filled with cars and families, just so that we could get some privacy and really party.
JS: Why did you choose not to be in a group party with classmates?
KW: Well, most of my friends were in IB [International Baccalaureate], so a lot of the people who came to the party were my classmates anyway. Those who wanted to go with the rest of the school’s organized grad parties could do so, but [shrugs] the party I went to was way better. We waited till we were done all our exams so that we could concentrate on our schoolwork during the schoolyear, then when it was over we could really go all out and party.
JS: Were the observatory physicists surprised when you asked to book it for a few days?
KW: Yup, they thought it was a prank call at first. [laughs] Then they were really enthusiastic and supportive about it when they found out what we wanted to book it for.
JS: It’s certainly unique…how did you get all the food up there?
KW: Well, you know the answer to that, we cooked so much of the food together! But, umm, there’s like a schedule that you can figure out. Obviously we made sure that the observatory had, you know, microwaves and stuff, so that we could reheat things there, but the perishables, like frozen yogurt and sorbets and lemon granitas were brought up to us by you on the second and third days, so…it was all fine! Pizza straight from the oven is pretty good too, Jasmine!
JS: Why did you choose these foods specifically?
KW: Well, you can eat chocolate chip ice cream anytime…we wanted nutritious food that was easy and really fast to make, and easy to reheat in the microwave. I mean, life’s meant to be enjoyed so I don’t get why lots of girls go on diets and stuff and buy or rent dresses that don’t flatter them…and then they go to eat food that’s badly cooked! All the stress over makeup and weight and everything just ends in a disappointing night. So I wanted my grad to be different, and that means enjoying the eating part of the party!
JS: Your grad party is also unusual because it lasted a few days and nights.
KW: Like I said, make it memorable because life is short!
JS: What else did you do besides some star- and galaxy gazing?
KW: Well, we did a whole lot of that, but we also danced and drove down to a private beach during the days when, obviously, stargazing is a little difficult. [laughs] We had tons of stuff to do, like, beach volleyball, swimming, canoeing…we built sandcastle, went rollerblading…so it was really lots of fun. There was one night the skies were overcast at the observatory, so we just went down to the beach and had a great beach party with torches and everything! It was looking kind of tribal there. [laughs]
JS: Did the foods fit all these activities?
KW: For the most part, yes, because they were portable and there’s lots of energy packed into them. We put lots of water and lemonade into coolers, so we never had to drink seawater or anything…Plus you can eat them in any order, so…
JS: Do you remember having a favorite food?
KW: You know, they were all good. I bow to your superior culinary skills [laughs]. The salmon salad was so good, I couldn’t believe you made it from leftovers. The fudge and cream brownies were really good, and all the pizzas and salads were good too!
JS: Foodwise, what do you think makes for a good grad party?
KW: Well…we had the ahi…ahi, right? That was from Japan, but you know, you don’t have to go around ordering stuff from Japan to make the food special. I remember the chicken noodle soup tasted incredible outdoors, and the chicken ravioli too. I mean, these are ordinary healthy foods, but if you can enjoy them and eat a variety of foods that all taste good, you’re going to have a good party! On the food side of things at least.
JS: What do you call formal?
KW: Well, the lighting in the observatory is like, white light, so vibrant colors were called for, and very little makeup which just looks gross in white light. So…the morning before the dress I chose was a little black number that was loose enough to feel comfy, but formal enough in design to look elegant.
JS: What about shoes?
KW: What about them? We didn’t wear any on the beach…and we wore semi-formal slippers, like satin slippers and oxfords and stuff, at the observatory.
JS: Did you go outside to see the view from the observatory?
KW: Oh, yeah, I forgot to say that. [laughs] It’s just really amazing because you can see for miles and miles, and we got up at sunrise and didn’t go to sleep very early because the Northern Lights were so incredible!
JS: They were more incredible last year, though.
KW: Still, there’s nothing like a view from the summit at sunrise and sunset that reminds you how much you love life and being on this earth. They say that we have to do good acts on Earth so that we can get to Heaven. As far as I’m concerned, why wait? Make this Earth, in this moment in time, your own Heaven.
Read next: “List of Eats at Kate’s Grad Parties”
Tags: food, location, observatory