January may feel like an odd time to be thinking about graduation week at Boothbay Region High School, but Lynn Blake wants everyone to know it is not: You start fundraising your freshman year, fundraise continually and, if you are lucky, you raise the $25,000-$35,000 needed for your senior year Grad Week, said the mother of Class of 2023’s Sydney Blake.

And with all four grades raising funds continually, Boothbay businesses, civic clubs and families are inundated with appeals: From buying baked goods, candles, chocolate bars, wrapping paper, trash bags and poinsettias, to car washes and gift cards, there is a steady stream of school-related asks of the community.

Blake feels these efforts begin to cannibalize one another as donors often must prioritize their contributions. And that does not count the over 20 sports teams, school clubs and other school initiatives also raising money. In all, Blake estimates a combined $50,000 is raised annually by various school entities.

With COVID’s impacts on local businesses, plus inflation and fears of a recession, what happens if the money cannot be raised? What can be cut? What do other, similarly scaled schools do?

In this two-part series, Boothbay Register looks at the growing costs of graduation, who organizes the various events and who pays for them, starting with Project Graduation.

The senior trip, known at BRHS as Project Graduation, makes up 65- 75% of the total amount needed each year. So, what is it exactly?

Senior trips started in the late 1970s and by the mid 1980s were a staple in most high schools in America. Graduating students go en masse as a last hurrah of their time together. The trips are organized by the student class government and are not school-sanctioned events. No school funds are allocated and the schools have no liability. BRHS classes have had a variety of trip destinations: camping, theme parks, white water rafting – and the Class of 2023 is going on an overnight stay to Boston. The members will take a charter bus there, recreate at a massive arcade park, stay overnight, and enjoy their choice of museums the next day before a bus trip home. Every detail, down to bottled water, has been planned and the price comes in at just over $500 per person. The class will send 40 students and eight chaperones, costing about $24,000.

According to Dean of Students Allan Crocker, at BRHS, the class pays for these senior trips for every senior, in full, so all can participate without financial barrier; all funds will be raised by community contributions, with a lot of arduous work and fundraising events held by the students and parents.

Crocker advises classes in this process. “Yes, the senior class trip is paid for 100% through fundraising efforts of the senior parents and students. Project Graduation is technically not a BRHS-sponsored activity so budget money would not be able to be used. The cost ... varies year to year depending on what the class chooses to do,” he wrote.

This year, Sarah Clark, mother of Class of 2023’s Ryan Clark, spearheads Project Graduation’s organizing, planning and fundraising. As of mid-December, the 2023 class is $9,000 from its funding goal.

This funding route is not particularly common in other schools and communities. Based on a look at about 50 school websites and schools’ social media posts nationwide, most senior trips are funded by parents writing a check. Some schools raise funds to offer financial help to classmates who want to attend but cannot afford the trip, while others offer no aid. And still others raise money to defray portions of costs and students and parents pay the difference. Payment plans that begin at the start of senior year and spread the cost over installments are also a popular tool.

Bruce Harris, board president of Education Boothbay and president of Boothbay Harbor Rotary, explained “it can get sensitive” when students have to ask for financial help. He fears that, for them, “it’s easier to just skip it.” Raising the full cost of graduation-related events allows everyone to participate, no personal questions asked regarding ability to pay.

A Davis Sharp article picked up by the Associated Press in 2021, https://apnews.com/article/me-state-wire-lifestyle-travel-philanthropy-pandemics-777b83ddb8305c528d4ff97066be4f9b reports students in Islesboro raised funds to help defray costs of a senior trip to Greece and, in the face of COVID, cancelled the trip and gave the money raised to the Islesboro Community Fund, to go back to community COVID-fighting efforts.

Few students Boothbay Register spoke with consider the senior trip to be the last time they see their classmates, as senior trips are often touted. Today’s social media means goodbyes are rare as younger generations stay in touch with those they know from high school. Most classes have Facebook pages where classmates share important life events and organize events like class reunions and informal get-togethers. They do consider the trip to be a reward for graduating and raising funds for four years.

Searching online, you will find many opinions about whether senior trips are worth it, if they are safe, and if students prefer small trips with just their friends. But senior trips are big business with specialized travel agencies to support just senior trips. The LA Times reported, “it’s one of the most difficult things for parents to say no to.” https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-30-me-63840-story.html

The second part of this series will cover Grand March, car parades, graduation and the other activities that go into a BRHS graduation.