History of Sober Grad Night

Sober Grad Night is a party organized by Oakmont parents to provide a safe environment for the graduates to celebrate with their friends. “The Surgeon General has reported that life expectancy has improved over the last 75 years for every age group, except for the one that includes high school seniors. Their death rate is higher than it was 20 years ago due to alcohol-induced crashes.” Drinking and driving related traffic deaths are the number one cause of death amongst teenagers. Over 30 years ago, a graduating senior from Valencia High School died in a drinking and driving related accident. As a result of this tragedy, Valencia adopted stricter drinking/drug-free codes and began seeking safer ways for seniors to celebrate their high school graduation. The answer, of course, was Sober Grad Night. Currently, in California alone, hundreds of high schools celebrate graduation with this life-saving program.

Oakmont parents have been holding such events since 1989. Sober Grad Night typically provides a special time – maybe the last time – to be with high school friends and to talk, share and have a good, safe time celebrating the completion of high school. Graduates are provided with a great party, with lots of activities, music and dancing, prizes and more. The party is funded through ticket sales, donations, and other fundraising events. Because we are trying to get attendance as high as possible (usually around 95%), the party needs to be very special. Parents of all grade levels are encouraged to participate in Sober Grad Night activities, but on the night of the party, we try to give senior parents the night off.