Rahway Seniors Pull an All-Nighter to Cap Graduation
Nine years after Project Graduation last lit up the Rahway Rec Center, the Class of 2026 spent the night after commencement doing sumo wrestling, riding a mechanical bull, and saying goodbye.
Students playing in sumo wresting suits during Rahway High School’s Project Graduation 2026. (The Central Jerseyan)
Editor’s note: The Central Jerseyan is free to read and supported by advertising. If you value this kind of local reporting and want to help sustain it, you can become a citizen supporter on Patreon. Your contribution helps fund continued coverage of local government, schools, and community issues.
Chris Howell | June 20, 2026
Inside the Rahway Recreation Center, just after 10 p.m., seniors bounced on a mechanical bull, squared off in sumo wrestling suits, played volleyball and basketball, and loaded up on food. A quiet room sat available for anyone who needed a break. Few were taking it.
The city had not seen a Project Graduation since 2017. Thursday night, it came back.
Project Graduation exists to give graduating seniors a supervised, drug and alcohol-free alternative to unsanctioned parties on a night that historically sees spikes in underage drinking and impaired driving. Students were locked in for the duration, with parents signing permission slips in advance, and no one was allowed to leave until 6 a.m.
Roughly 50 seniors turned out for the all-night lock-in. The seniors had spent the afternoon at Veterans Memorial Field receiving their diplomas in an outdoor ceremony before reconvening at the rec center for one final night together.
Most were running on fumes and moving anyway.
DON’T LET AN ALGORITHM DECIDE YOUR NEWS
Sign up for The Central Jerseyan Newsletter for independent local news and events every weekend.
“I’m on three Red Bulls right now,” said David Foster, who is headed to Montclair State University to play football.
Michael Presley, also going to Montclair State to run track and study business, had a simpler plan. “Just stay active and do stuff,” he said. “Keep moving.”
Amaily Leandry said she had already warned her friends. If she fell asleep, she told them, wake her up after a little while. She is headed to Union County College for two years before transferring to a university in Florida to study business.
“It’s the last senior event ever,” she said. “It’s just sad, but it’s exciting, but like — I don’t know. It’s just weird.”
Students rode a mechanical bull to stay awake during Rahway High School’s Project Graduation 2026. (The Central Jerseyan)
Trish DeGregorio, president of the Rahway High School PTO, had been on her feet since the day before. She watched seniors fill the gym and get moving.
“I’ve been going since yesterday, and then today, and then all night,” she said. “Luckily, I have off tomorrow.”
DeGregorio and vice president Amy Garcia Phillips took over the PTO only around December, after the previous officers were called away for military reserve duty. They had a tight timeline, a thin budget, and a small core team of parents and students.
The students had originally planned to fundraise for the event under the school’s umbrella, but a paperwork snag with the Board of Education prevented them from moving forward. The PTO stepped in and absorbed the effort, already behind schedule.
“It was a big effort on our part,” DeGregorio said. “But we’re glad we were able to get it off for the kids.”
The city donated the use of the rec center at no cost. The PTO covered food, activities, and supplies, and leaned on parent volunteers to staff the building through the night.
“I really appreciate all the help that all the parents and my coworkers here have given us,” DeGregorio said. “It takes a lot of people to pull this off.”
The event carried extra meaning for this particular class. These seniors were sixth graders when COVID-19 shut down schools in 2020, wiping out the end-of-elementary celebrations that Rahway kids typically look forward to.
“They didn’t get their stuff in sixth grade,” DeGregorio said. “They deserve a little extra.”
“They look tired,” DeGregorio added, scanning the gym. “But they’re still playing around. So we’re excited they decided they’d be here with us.”
The work now shifts to next year. DeGregorio said she and Garcia Phillips plan to spend the summer building written guidelines and a clear pathway for younger classmen parents to get involved, so future organizing teams have a roadmap to follow.
“There’s no map for somebody to be like, I’m here, I’m a ninth-grade parent, I want to be involved,” she said. “That’s going to be our goal.”
The Rahway High School PTO can be reached at [email protected].
Editor’s note: The Central Jerseyan is free to read and supported by advertising. If you value this kind of local reporting and want to help sustain it, you can become a citizen supporter on Patreon. Your contribution helps fund continued coverage of local government, schools, and community issues.