This year Grad Night was held on Friday, May 24, at Universal Studios instead of Disneyland. Students had to stay in school all day and meet at the gym after school at 2:45 pm. Bags were allowed to be brought, but they had to be very small. All the students were seated at the bleachers before the buses arrived at school, associated with their Bus A-G.
Unfortunately, the buses were very late, and students had to wait an hour for the buses to go to Universal Studios. It was very anticlimactic because of how long everyone had to wait. So, to pass the time Mrs. Myszkowski updated the students with important graduation information. As the announcements were going on many teachers who were chaperoning were doing check-ins with students, to see who was there and who was not present. The buses arrived around 5 p.m. at Universal Studios and each bus was filled to the brim with students leaving no empty seats.
After everyone left the bus, the chaperones had to hand out the tickets and special wristbands indicating that we were celebrating Grad Night so we would not be kicked out. The parking lot was packed with many buses and students from different schools. It was very crazy how many high school students were there, the parking lot was filled with school and tour buses and tour buses. Once everyone entered the main plaza, employees had given out Grad Night lanyards that had the important information, and details that could be kept along with a decorative Grad Night drawstring bag. Students arrived at 5 p.m. and all students had to leave at 1:30 a.m.
Senior Marysabel Dominguez had gone on bus C, she hated the fact that the buses were very late for the field trip. There were a lot of people, to her surprise it was very packed and she hated waiting. The first ride that she went on was Studio Tours, it was a must go to since it was going to close early. The total number of rides she had gone on was five, and the one that had the longest wait time that she hated was Mario. She waited an hour and a half to ride Mario and it was not as good as it was advertised to her. The Mummy had a long wait time but it was bearable, it was a must ride. Dominguez, “Whether you’re alone or not, it should be a good experience either way.”
Senior Josephine Lozano was on bus C, she was annoyed at the fact that the buses were late at Grad Night. The first ride that she went on was the Studio Tour since it was closing early. Her favorite part was the props showcase where all the buildings were shown during the tour. The total number of rides that she went on was five. Her least favorite rider was the Kung Foo Panda ride because it didn’t do anything. Her favorite ride was the Harry Potter ride in the castle, it was her favorite because there was more action and it was exciting. The restaurant that she went to eat at was Krusty Burger and she ate one of the burgers there. Overall, she enjoyed her time there with her friends and time on the rides. Lozano said, “It was very fun, and I enjoyed being with my friends.”
Senior Jackson Silva was on bus F, he did not care about the buses being late. He was running around to get his spare energy out. The first ride that he went on was a Studio Tour, he liked the props and fire. His favorite ride was the Transformers ride, it was speedy to get on and nostalgic. His least favorite ride was the Minion ride because it was boring and less exciting. The restaurant he went to was Krusty Burger. He had a combo with a burger, fries, and drinks, but he didn’t like it as much because it was overpriced for what it was. Overall, his experience at Grad Night was thrilling, but waiting for a long time in lines wasn’t as fun. Silva said, “Grad Night was very fun, I wish that I could go again!”
Senior Ryan Siddiq was on bus G. He was not too happy about the buses. He went on the City Walk first, went to Panda Express to eat, then went to Hot Topic. His first ride was the Simpsons ride after he got something to eat because when he arrived he was very hungry. The total rides that they went on were five rides, plus going on the Harry Potter ride twice since there was no line. His least favorite ride was Harry Potter, it wasn’t a bad ride it just wasn’t his favorite. His favorite ride was the Jurassic Park ride because water makes everything better. The snacks they got were the special Super Mario drinks that tasted like green apples, and he got a crepe. The crepe was not really good since the employees gave him the wrong flavor. Overall, his whole experience was rated a seven because of the crepe and how busy it was. Siddiq said, “I thoroughly enjoyed Grad Night, and had a good night.”
Senior Jordan Hernandez went on bus G. He was annoyed about the bus being late and hated his chaperone. He went on the City Walk with his friend, eating at Panda Express and going to Hot Topic. He ended up buying a jacket since it had begun to get very cold, he thought it would have been warmer. He went on a total of five rides as well, his least favorite ride was Harry Potter, and his favorite was Transformers. He didn’t really get any food, but he did get a snack, which was popcorn. Overall, he would rate his experience 8 out of 10 because of the bus ride. Senior Hernandez said, “It would have been a 10/10 if the bus ride wasn’t so —!”
Senior Anthony Hamilton went on bus A. When he was sitting on the bleachers his back and shoulders were hurting. He was mostly relieved when he sat on the bus because the tension from sitting so long on the bleachers went away. He hated the fact that he had to wait for the bus because it made him feel this way. The first ride that he went on was the Simpsons ride, which was a 15-minute wait. The total number of rides that he went on in total was eight rides, he wanted to go on more but the lines were so long. His least favorite ride was the Transformers ride, it is his least favorite cause he has been on it too much and it is repetitive. His favorite ride was Jurassic World ride, it’s his favorite because it is scary and the animatronics were so cool. He ate at KFC on City Walk and got churro from the park, that was all he ate that day. Overall, he would rate Grad Night a 9/10 other than that it was fine for him. Hamilton said, “It was fun, but I would have liked to get home earlier and get to school early instead of late.”
